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Convert gallery-dl Images to PDF Without Losing the Order
Convert gallery-dl Images to PDF Without Losing the Order
- 1 If you want the Windows file, then take gallery-dl.exe from the Codeberg releases page. The GitHub release page no longer carries the program file.
- 2 If you have never opened a command window, then type cmd in any folder address bar and press Enter. The Installation guide shows the whole setup.
- 3 If you see the words not recognized, then your command window sits in the wrong folder. The configuration guide lists where the file and the settings live.
- 4 If you hit a login wall, then hand the program your browser cookies with --cookies-from-browser chrome. The Authentication page lists every login method.
- 5 If you notice a site suddenly stops downloading, then run gallery-dl -U before anything else. The official FAQ explains why updating solves most breakages.
gallery-dl is a free command-line program that downloads whole image galleries from hundreds of websites. You give it the address of a page, and it saves every picture in that gallery in one run. The current release is 1.32.19, and the official list covers 389 sites, from Instagram to comic boards. It suits people who archive artwork, back up their own accounts, or collect comic chapters.
Most quick tutorials stop after one command guide without much tips, fixes and additional suggestions on frequent errors. This guide goes further and fixes the errors that beginners actually hit. We then look at where files land, how to name them, and how to keep the tool working. Every command below works the same way in Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Part 1. What Gallery-dl Is (and What It Is Not)
A command-line program for whole galleries
Gallery-dl is a command-line program that reads a web page and works out the real image links for you. Each website gets a helper, called an extractor, that knows the layout of that site.Each website gets a helper, called an extractor, that knows the layout of that site. That is why one command works across hundreds of sites without you writing any code.
The tool is free, it is open source, and it runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The code is public, so anyone can read what it does.
What Webesites are Supported in Gallery-dl
The official list of supported sites has 389 entries, and you can read it here. It covers big names such as Instagram, Twitter, Pixiv, DeviantArt, Reddit, and Tumblr. It also covers smaller hosts and whole families of board sites.
The project describes this as hundreds of sites, which matches the file. Each entry lists what the site can give you, such as galleries, user profiles, tags, favorites, and search results.
What the program does not do
- Not a photo viewer or file manager. It does not sort pictures, tag them, or clean out old copies — you need another program for those jobs.
- No picture organisation. Sorting, tagging, and cleaning out old copies are out of scope.
- No automatic watching. It does not watch a page for new uploads.
- Manual by design. You run it when you want a download. The official FAQ is blunt about the trade-off.
This tool fits people who already know what a command window is. If that sounds new, the good news is that the Windows file needs nothing else installed. It includes a Python runtime inside. It does not fit people who want a click-and-drag app, because no official gallery-dl gui exists.
Part 2. Where to Download gallery-dl.exe Now
Most download instructions online are out of date. Here is where the file sits in 2026, and why the old link no longer works.
Codeberg hosts the current Windows build
gallery-dl.ex active work moved to Codeberg from github page, and the releases page is also updated in Github. The main file is called gallery-dl.exe, and it is about 22.6 MB. A smaller 32-bit copy named gallery-dl_x86.exe is about 13.7 MB. Both files include Python, so you do not need to install anything first.
Three ways to install it
You can easily access it through its official page Codeberg or Github, or through CLI by winget coammad or other processes.
Please swipe to view
The winget package lives in the community winget repository, and it is not listed in the project README. It still installs the same tool, so either route works.
Windows may warn you because the file came from the internet, and that is normal. Click Keep anyway, or More info and Run anyway, and the warning goes away.
Every release also ships SHA256SUMS and SHA512SUMS files, so you can confirm the download is intact. The Windows build needs the Microsoft Visual C++ runtime, which most PCs already have.
Part 3. How to Use gallery-dl Day to Day
This is the "how to use gallery-dl" part of the guide, and it takes four steps.
Your first download in four steps
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Move gallery-dl.exe into a folder you plan to keep, such as C:\Tools\gallery-dl. The Downloads folder gets cleared by accident, and then the program disappears.
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Open that folder, click the address bar at the top, and type cmd. Press Enter. A black window opens in the same folder.
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Type gallery-dl --version and press Enter. A version number means the program works and the file is found.
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Use [gallery-dl oauth:pixiv] to login and authorize your pixiv account.
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Paste the page address in format [gallery-dl "https://www.pixiv.net/artworks/xxxxxxx(artworkID)"], And define the address [gallery-dl -d "C:\Users\xxxxx(user name)\Downloads" "image url"]
PowerShell works the same way, and so does the Terminal app on macOS. Type gallery-dl --help to see every option.
Tips on Running gallery-dl
By default the program creates a folder called gallery-dl in the current directory. Inside it, every site gets a subfolder named after that site. So a Twitter download lands in gallery-dl[twitter], and an Instagram download lands in gallery-dl[instagram].
Use -d to send everything somewhere else, for example -d "C:\Images". That setting stays only for the run, unless you put it in a config file. We cover config files in Part 7.
Naming files your way
The file name comes from a template, and the default keeps the original name. You can swap in metadata with -f, such as -f "{artist}_{num:>03}.{extension}".
The same idea sets folders. Try -o "directory=['{category}', '{artist}']" to group by site and artist. The -K option prints every field a site offers, so you can pick names that really exist.
What you see while it runs
The window prints one line per file. Each line shows the site, the file name, and the size. The files appear in the target folder as they finish.
A finished run ends with a short summary, and the window stays ready for the next address.
The window stays open when the work is done, so you can type another address right away.
These commands cover almost every task you will meet in daily use.
Commands worth memorizing
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The archive file is the one beginners miss. It remembers every file you already downloaded, so a second run skips them. That also keeps an artist page up to date.
Part 4. Five Errors and What Causes Them
Here are the same five fixes in one place.
A quick error lookup table
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The command is not recognized
Windows says gallery-dl is not recognized as an internal or external command. It means the command window is looking in the wrong place. Open cmd inside the folder with gallery-dl.exe, or add that folder to your PATH.
If you grabbed the 32-bit file on a 64-bit system, run gallery-dl_x86.exe instead. That change fixes the error for most people.
The web address is not recognized
Another common error reads https:' is not recognized. It happens when the address is not wrapped in quotation marks. Windows then treats the address as if it were a command of its own.
Always put double quotes around every page address. If a command still looks strange, copy it in instead of typing it.
The site demands a login
Some galleries only open for signed-in users, and the tool reports a login error. The quickest fix is to lend it your browser session. Run gallery-dl --cookies-from-browser chrome "URL" and it reads the cookies from Chrome.
Firefox and Safari behave just like Chrome, and a cookies.txt file works too. A few sites support a normal user name and password instead. The Authentication page in the wiki lists every method.
Too many requests, or no access
An HTTP 403 or 429 means the site is unhappy with the pace. Add --sleep 2 to pause between files, and keep one job running at a time. The Twitter extractor even waits for the site to reset its limit instead of giving up.
If you hit a wall, stop for a while and try again later. Repeated hammering gets an address blocked fast.
The site changed and nothing downloads
Websites redesign often, and the tool has to be updated to match. The official answer is simple. Run gallery-dl -U first, then try the same link again.
Add -v when a command fails, and read the last lines of the log. That output usually names the page that broke.
Updates are the subject of the next part. They take ten seconds and they fix most surprises.
A note on speed, sessions, and rights: Slow down on purpose. A two-second pause between files keeps you under most site limits. Only save what you have permission to save. Images still belong to their makers, and each site sets its own rules. Treat cookies like a password. Anyone who reads them can sign in as you.
Part 5. How to Update gallery-dl and Keep Up With Changes
Three commands that update it
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Run gallery-dl -U where the program file sits. It replaces that file with the newest release and leaves everything else alone.
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Run gallery-dl --update-check when you only want to know whether a newer version exists. Nothing changes on disk.
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Run gallery-dl --update-to dev when you want the nightly build instead of the stable one. It updates more often and can break in new ways.
Why updates matter so much
Two commands update gallery-dl in place, and both keep your settings. Websites change their page layout, and the extractor must change with them. In October 2026 the team shipped two fixes for Twitter alone. One patch handled deleted quote posts, and another handled a missing field.
A tool that never updates quietly stops working, so it's recommended to check and perform update at least every quarter.
Where to report a problem
If you meet unkonwn bugs that cannot be fixed by yourself or official guide, report bugs on the Codeberg issue tracker, and search there before you post. The team reads that tracker every day, and reports are handled in order.
The report'd beter include the -v log output, the page address, and the date the problem started. The nightly builds page posts a fresh Windows file nearly every day. That helps when a site breaks today.
Part 6. Is There a gallery-dl GUI?
The project ships no graphical interface
There is no official gallery-dl gui, and the project never promised one. The official wiki has no GUI page, and the program has no window of its own. The maintainers describe it as a command-line tool for people who script.
That is a normal choice for a tool aimed at archives and automation. A config file survives a reinstall. A click-and-drag wrapper usually does not.
A setup that saves you typing
Most of the typing disappears once you write a config file. Put your output folder, cookie choice, and name template in one place. After that, gallery-dl "URL" is the only command you need.
Batch work is one more step away. Put one address per line in a text file, then run gallery-dl -i links.txt. The tool walks the file and downloads every link in order.
Part 7. How to Preserve Your Gallery DL Images as PDF
gallery-dl saves your images as loose files: one per post, scattered across folders, named after whatever the site reported. That is easy to break. But converting them into a PDF keeps every image in one container on one consistent page size. This is where PDNob can easily help.
PDNob PDF Editor is an all-in-one desktop PDF tool for Windows, Mac, and iOS that edits, converts, annotates, and manages PDF files, with OCR and AI helpers on top. PDNob covers the last step for free: drag the folder in, get one clean PDF back, and add a searchable text layer with ABBYY OCR.
Features of PDNob
- OCR: Turns scans into searchable text, in Chinese, English, Japanese, and more.
- Text Editing: Fixes a wrong date inside a finished PDF, without rebuilding the page.
- Conversion: Turns a PDF contract into an editable Word or Excel file.
- Forms and Signatures: Fills checkboxes and signs a document before you send it back.
- Batch Processing: Adds one watermark to two hundred invoices and redacts account numbers.
- Translation: Reads a Japanese contract into English, side by side.
Download Into One Folder
Batch Convert Files as PDF In PDNob
Add A Searchable Text Layer
Keep The Originals And The PDF Together
Point gallery-dl at one folder with --directory, and add --download-archive so re-runs skip what you already have.textgallery-dl --directory "D:\Archive\gdl" --download-archive "D:\Archive\gdl-archive.txt" --write-metadata "https://example.com/gallery"
Drop the images into the free tool, which batches them into one watermark-free PDF.
Perform OCR for your downloaded images for later translation or furthre processing.
Keep images as master, the PDF as reading copy, and convert locally in PDNob Desktop if files must stay private.
Conclusion
gallery-dl is small, free, and more capable than its simple reputation suggests. Download the file from Codeberg, quote your addresses, and update the program when a site changes. Convert your downloaded images or files into PDFs in consistent layout with PDNob for broader accessibility.That is the whole habit, and it carries you a long way.
FAQ: gallery-dl Questions Answered
Q1. Do I need Python installed to use gallery-dl.exe?
A1: A: No. The Windows file carries its own Python runtime, and that is why it is 22.6 MB. Open cmd in its folder, run gallery-dl --version, and you are ready.
Q2. Where do I download gallery-dl.exe now?
A2: A: From the Codeberg releases page. GitHub still shows the changelog, but the attached files disappeared after version 1.32.15.
Q3. How do I use gallery-dl without hitting errors?
A3: A: Open the terminal in the folder with the program. Put the address inside quotes, and add --sleep 2 when a site pushes back. Part 4 lists each error and its fix.
Q4. How do I update gallery-dl without losing my settings?
A4: A: Run gallery-dl -U. It swaps the program file only. Your settings live in a separate config file, so they stay exactly as they are.
Q5. What does the question "imx to gallery" mean?
A5: A: It means one gallery page on the image host imx.to. Pass the /g/ address to the tool and it saves every image in that gallery.
Q6. Is there an official gallery-dl gui?
A6: A: No. The project offers no graphical interface. A few community wrappers exist, but they are small, unmaintained, and can break whenever a site is redesigned.
Q7. Does gallery-dl work on Mac and Linux?
A7: A: Yes. It runs on all three systems. On Mac and Linux the usual route is one command in a terminal, and the same options work everywhere.
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AI Tools Writer / Workflow Analyst
Rachel has spent the last 5 years testing and writing about AI-powered tools across writing, design, and research workflows. She focuses on practical AI tool usage, helping knowledge workers turn generative AI into everyday productivity.
