Cookie login instructions

Cookie login instructions

This guide is relevant for all plugins in JDownloade which forward you to this support article and/or for all which say "Type/Features: Cookie login only" in JDownloaders' GUI.
In some rare cases you may be advised by one of our supporters to try this login method for a specified service even if the JDownloader application did not ask you to do so.
Most of all services require you to enter your E-Mail/username & password in JD but for some, the following process is required or can optionally be used instead:

1. If your browser supports browser profiles, create a separate browser profile to initiate the login session that you will open later throughout this guide.
Alternatively you can use a private/incognito window. In this case make sure to allow the addons described below to be used in private browsing otherwise your private window will open without browser addons.
It is not recommended to use your current/normal browser session because JD could interfere with it and e.g. change the default language of the website you are about to login.
Also if you use your current session and you ever logout in your browser, JDownloader will be logged out too which you typically don't want to happen.

2. Use your browser to login into the website you want to use with JD like you normally do.
If that website has a checkbox during its' login process like "Keep session", "Trust this computer" or "Do not ask again" or similar, enable it!
Do not logout in your browser afterwards as this would terminate your session in JD too. Simply close your browser window once you're done with the last step of these instructions.

3. Exporting your cookies
Now you need to export the cookies of the website you've just logged in in order to import them into JD.
This requires you to install one of the following browser addons in the two options following down below.

Cookie export options are down below.
Choose one option and then continue with the next step [4]!

Step 3 option 1: Cookie-Editor (All browsers)

a. Install the open source addon Cookie-Editor.
b. Rightclick on the symbol of this addon -> Options -> Export format -> JSON -> Close the settings
c. Navigate to the website you want JD to login into.
If you've opened the website before installing the addon, reload the page once.
Then click on the symbol of this addon -> Click on the bottom right icon to export your cookies.
If the addon is asking you for the export format, select json.
Screenshot:

Continue with the instructions down below once you've successfully exported your cookies as json into your clipboard.

Step 3 option 2: FlagCookies (Firefox, Chrome, Opera)

As of 2024-07, FlagCookies has a bug which leads to missing cookies in private/incognito mode!
If you use FlagCookies, do not use it in private/incognito mode!

a. Install the open source addon Flag Cookies (Firefox | Chrome | Opera).
b. Navigate to the website you want JD to login into.
If you've opened the website before installing the addon, reload the page once.
c. Click on the addons' symbol --> Preferences --> Scroll down until you see the "Export cookie data to clipboard" button from the screenshot below and click on it:

Now continue with the next numbered step down below.

Step 3 option 3: EditThisCookie (Opera, Firefox, Chrome not anymore)

a. Install the open source addon EditThisCookie.
b. Navigate to the options of EditThisCookie and make sure that "Choose the preferred export format" is set to "JSON" as shown in the following screenshot:

c. Navigate to the website you want JD to login into and then export your cookies as shown in the screenshot below.
If you've opened the website before installing the addon, reload the page once.
Doing this will copy your cookies into your clipboard so you are ready to continue with the next numbered step down below.

4. Importing your cookies in JDownloader
Open JD and go to Settings -> Account Manager, click on Add account and look for the website you want to login into and for which you've exported your cookies.
Enter your username/E-Mail into the username field, paste your exported cookies into the cookies field and click Save:

If you are using the myjdownloader webinterface, enter your cookies into the password field.
JDownloader should accept your account in a few seconds.

Troubleshooting: Login with exported cookies isn't working - what to do?

1. Make sure that the cookies you've exported are for exactly the domain that is shown in JD e.g. if you want to login into "drive.google.com", export your cookies while you're logged in and have opened the website "https://drive.google.com/bla".
   Some websites might redirect you to another domain than the one you've selected in JD e.g. inside JD it is 'example.de' but that redirects you to 'example.com'.
   In this case you can try it with that other domain anyways.
2. Open the website you want to login into in your browser, logout if you're still logged in, clear your browsers' cookies and try again.
3. Repeat all steps with another browser and/or another addon for exporting cookies:
   The above instructions contain multiple browser addons you can use in step 3 for cookie export!
   Try again with the option(s) you haven't tried yet.
4. If you think you've followed these instructions correctly but you just can't get it to work, you can contact our support.

Adding multiple accounts of the same host to JD using cookie login

If you want to add multiple accounts of the same host to JDownloader, here is how that's possible.
As stated above, logging out in your browser will invalidate that cookie session in JDownloader too so you can't just log out in your browser, login into another account and add that to JDownloader.
Example use case when the following instructions can be helpful for you: You want to add 3 different drive.google.com accounts to JDownloader.

Method 1

1. Create a new browser profile for each account you want to add to JD.
2. In each browser profile: Login in your browser in that profile and add the cookies to JDownloader.

Method 2

1. Configure your browser to enable the addon you are using for cookie export in incognito mode/private tab too.
2. Open a private tab/incognito window.
3. Login into your account and add the cookies to JD.
4. Now close that window (do not log out!) and repeat these instructions for every account of that same host you want to add.