Convert Chrome cookies to Netscape format

This is a very simple Node.js script to convert the cookies you can copy/paste from Chrome's Application -> Storage -> Cookies, into the Netscape cookies format accepted by tools like curl and youtube-dl.

It's useful because you don't have to install any browser extension in order to save or convert the cookies. Browser extensions are a known security risk.

Requirements

• A terminal/command line window
• Node.js

Usage

1. Download the script (or clone this repo if you prefer)

2. In an editor, open a new blank file

3. In Chrome/Chromium, launch Developer Tools (F12)

4. Navigate to the site you need cookies from, e.g. YouTube, and log in.

5. Go to Application -> Storage -> Cookies

6. For each URL under Cookies (e.g. https://www.youtube.com), copy the table of cookies into the clipboard, then paste it at the end of the file you've opened in step 2.

7. Save the file with a name like file-with-cookies-copy-pasted-from-Chrome.txt

8. Run the script:

   node convert-cookies.js file-with-cookies-copy-pasted-from-Chrome.txt > netscape-cookies.txt
   

Now, netscape-cookies.txt will contain cookies ready to be used by any application that reads cookies in Netscape format (e.g. yotube-dl or curl).

Author

Copyright © 2020 Dan Dascalescu.