# Powerful Pixiv Downloader: a browser extension for batch downloading Pixiv works

> Powerful Pixiv Downloader (PixivBatchDownloader) is a TypeScript browser extension that batches images, manga, Ugoira and novels from Pixiv with filters, renaming rules and resume support. It is for people who archive their own collections, not for anyone who wants a server-side pipeline.

**xuejianxianzun/PixivBatchDownloader** — Powerful Pixiv batch downloader. Batch download artworks and novels, filter works, rename when downloading, convert animated images, and more. 浏览器扩展程序，批量下载 Pixiv 上的插画和小说。过滤作品、下载时重命名、转换动态图片等。

- Repository: https://github.com/xuejianxianzun/PixivBatchDownloader
- Website: https://pixiv.download/
- Stars: 5,648 · Forks: 305
- Language: TypeScript
- License: GPL-3.0
- Published: 2026-09-22 · Updated: 2026-09-22 · Language: en
- Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/xuejianxianzun-pixivbatchdownloader

## What PixivBatchDownloader solves, and for whom

Pixiv has no bulk export. Saving a user's gallery means opening each work, right-clicking each page of a multi-page illustration, and repeating that for every post. PixivBatchDownloader replaces that loop with a panel injected into Pixiv pages. The README lists the targets: all works from a user, bookmarks, followed users, rankings, search results. It also downloads novels, which most image-focused tools ignore, and saves them as TXT or EPUB.

The audience is narrower than the feature list suggests. This is for people who already use Pixiv in a desktop browser and want a local archive they control. It is not for someone building a service that mirrors thousands of accounts, because the extension runs inside a logged-in browser session and depends on the pages you visit.

## How the extension fits into a Pixiv session

The architecture is a content script plus a panel UI. The README is explicit about the boundary: the downloader runs on Pixiv.net pages, and clicking the extension icon on any other site will not show the panel. That is not a bug, it is the design. Everything the tool does happens in the context of the Pixiv tab you are looking at.

From that panel you choose a source (a user's works, bookmarks, rankings, search results), apply filters, and set naming and folder rules. The README says folders can be built from usernames, work titles or custom text, and filenames are customizable. Downloads are tracked: progress is saved so incomplete downloads can resume, and a download history avoids fetching the same work twice. Ugoira, Pixiv's frame-based animation format, can be converted to WebP, WebM, GIF or APNG.

Scheduled crawling and downloading is listed as a feature, which means the extension can run a fetch on a timer rather than only when you press a button. The README does not describe how that scheduler is configured or where the schedule is stored, so treat it as something to confirm in the panel before relying on it.

## Installing Powerful Pixiv Downloader and running a first batch

The normal path is a store install. Chromium browsers such as Chrome and Edge use the Chrome Web Store listing, and Firefox uses the Add-Ons listing. There is no build step for this route.

After installation, the README notes a step people miss: if you already had Pixiv tabs open, refresh them, otherwise the extension cannot run on those tabs. Then open any Pixiv page and the downloader panel becomes available.

For a local build, the README gives the development flow. Node.js is required, and the repository is cloned before dependencies are installed:

```bash
git clone https://github.com/xuejianxianzun/PixivBatchDownloader.git

cd ./PixivBatchDownloader

npm i
```

The README states the initialization is complete at that point, and that you can load the dist folder as an extension in your browser's extension management for local debugging. The build scripts are defined in package.json:

```bash
npm run ts // compile ts file to dist folder
npm run less // compile less files to the dist folder
npm run fmt // format all files
```

There is also a combined target. npm run build runs fmt, ts and less, copies the remaining packaging files into dist, and packs dist into a zip file. When you change code and recompile, the README says you must refresh the offline-loaded extension in the browser's extension management and then refresh the Pixiv page. Offline installation itself is not in the README; it points to the Wiki page at xuejianxianzun.github.io/PBDWiki under Installation/OfflineInstallation.

Android is a separate case. The README recommends the Quetta browser, a Chromium-based mobile browser that can install extensions from the Chrome Web Store, and links a tutorial on the Wiki.

## Where the browser-extension model breaks down

The biggest limitation is the one stated plainly in the README: the tool only runs on Pixiv.net. There is no CLI, no headless mode, and no documented API for driving it from a script. If your job is to archive on a schedule on a machine with no browser, this is the wrong tool regardless of how good the filtering is.

It also inherits the fragility of any scraper that lives in a page. Pixiv can change its markup or its request shape, and the extension has to follow. The release history shows steady version bumps (19.3.0 in August 2026, 19.4.0 and 19.4.1 in early September 2026), which is consistent with that maintenance load, but the README does not publish a compatibility policy or a support window for older browser versions.

Resume support deserves scrutiny. The README says progress is saved and incomplete downloads can resume, but it does not say what happens to a partially written file, whether resume depends on the same folder and naming rules being unchanged, or what the history does when a work is later deleted on Pixiv. Those are the questions to test on a small batch before pointing it at a large collection. Finally, the README does not document rollback or downgrade steps, so pinning to a known-good version is not described.

## PixivBatchDownloader compared with PixivUtil2

PixivUtil2 is the natural comparison and it appears in the related searches for this project. The difference is where the code runs. PixivUtil2 is a Python program you run yourself, which means it can be scheduled, containerised, and operated without a browser window. Powerful Pixiv Downloader is the opposite bet: it gives up scriptability in exchange for living where you already are, with a panel that reads the page you are on and can act on the current search results or ranking without you copying URLs anywhere.

That trade decides the choice. If you want a cron job, a headless server, or a pipeline that feeds another system, a standalone downloader is the right shape. If you want to sit on Pixiv, filter what you see, and pull a curated set with your own folder structure, the extension model removes the setup work entirely. The README's feature list also covers territory a pure image downloader may not: novel export to TXT and EPUB, batch bookmarking, and tagging unclassified bookmarked works.

## Licence and upgrade cost

The repository is GPL-3.0-or-later, and package.json declares the same. For ordinary users this changes nothing about installing from the Chrome Web Store or Firefox Add-Ons. For anyone forking the code or shipping a modified build, the copyleft terms apply to the distributed work, and because the extension is loaded into a browser, the usual question of what counts as distribution is worth raising with someone qualified rather than assuming. The README does not discuss licence obligations at all.

Upgrade cost is mostly the browser's problem. Store installs update automatically, and the release cadence in the changelog is frequent, so a broken selector on Pixiv's side is likely to be fixed quickly. If you build locally, the README's own workflow is the maintenance burden: recompile, reload the unpacked extension, reload the Pixiv tab. There is no documented migration step between versions, so a major version that changes folder or filename defaults would need to be checked against your existing download history by hand.

## Conclusion

Adopt it if you browse Pixiv in Chrome, Edge or Firefox and want filtered, resumable batch downloads with your own folder and filename rules. Do not adopt it if you need a headless server job or a CLI, because the README describes a panel that only appears on Pixiv.net pages. Before committing, verify the two things the README leaves open: whether your browser can load the dist folder for offline installation, and how the extension handles a download that was interrupted mid-file, since the README claims resume support without documenting the recovery path.

## FAQ

### How do I mass download Pixiv images with Powerful Pixiv Downloader?

Install the extension from the Chrome Web Store or Firefox Add-Ons, refresh any Pixiv tabs that were already open, then open the downloader panel on a Pixiv page. From the panel you select a source such as a user's works, bookmarks, rankings or search results, apply filters, and start the batch.

### How do I use Pixiv smart downloader?

The README does not use the name smart downloader and does not describe a mode by that name. The documented flow is the same panel: open Pixiv, choose the works to download, set filters and naming rules, and let the extension save progress and history as it runs.

### Does Powerful Pixiv Downloader run on Android?

Yes, indirectly. The README recommends the Quetta browser, a Chromium-core mobile browser that can install extensions from the Chrome Web Store, and links a tutorial on the project Wiki. There is no separate Android app.

### Can I use Powerful Pixiv Downloader in Firefox?

Yes. The README lists a Firefox Add-Ons listing alongside the Chrome Web Store listing for Chromium browsers such as Chrome and Edge. The extension runs on Pixiv.net pages in the browser where it is installed.

### What formats can Powerful Pixiv Downloader save?

The README lists illustrations, manga and Ugoira for images, with Ugoira convertible to WebP, WebM, GIF or APNG. Novels are saved as TXT or EPUB, and user avatars and cover images can be saved as well.

## Sources

- [License: GPL-3.0](https://github.com/xuejianxianzun/PixivBatchDownloader/blob/master/LICENSE)
- [Project website](https://pixiv.download/)
- [README](https://github.com/xuejianxianzun/PixivBatchDownloader/blob/master/README.md)
- [Releases](https://github.com/xuejianxianzun/PixivBatchDownloader/releases)
- [xuejianxianzun/PixivBatchDownloader on GitHub](https://github.com/xuejianxianzun/PixivBatchDownloader)

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Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/xuejianxianzun-pixivbatchdownloader