A YDL file is most often a private data file to track items, progress states, or settings so the app can resume tasks or load faster, with some versions being plain text (JSON/XML, URLs, key=value) and others being binary formats meant only for the original software; determining which type you have is quickest by checking the file’s origin, location, size, and assigned opener so you can load or export it properly through the app that created it.

When people refer to a YDL file as a "data/list file," they mean it serves as a machine-oriented list rather than something meant for casual viewing, operating like an inventory or queue of items—download URLs, batch job files, playlist entries—together with metadata like titles, IDs, sizes, timestamps, status codes, retry attempts, and output paths so the app can restore state, avoid redundant scanning, and stay consistent; sometimes the list is readable in JSON/XML or plain text, but it may also be binary to reduce errors and load faster, with the point being that it guides what the program does next instead of acting as a read-only document.

Common examples of what a YDL file might store include entries the software cycles through such as download URLs, filenames, or record IDs, plus metadata (titles, sizes, timestamps, paths, tags) and relevant settings like chosen formats, output folders, filters, and retry limits, allowing the app to resume without losing state, sometimes also serving as a cached map to speed reloading and track outcomes—pending, succeeded, failed—so overall it becomes a machine-friendly record of items and context rather than something intended for direct reading.

A YDL file is most often a program-made "working file" that maintains workflow information instead of being a standard document, generally acting as a combined list and state record for downloads, media objects, batch inputs, or library items, along with metadata—IDs, source paths, URLs, names, sizes, timestamps, settings, progress states—and appearing alongside logs and caches to let the app reopen, resume, and avoid duplicate work; whether text-based or binary, the YDL’s core purpose is to serve as a machine-friendly container holding items and the info the software needs to process or restore them.

In real life, a YDL file is usually a background helper that maintains continuity across sessions, from downloaders tracking URLs, filenames, destinations, and progress, to media apps storing collections with metadata like titles, durations, thumbnails, and tags; some tools encode batch-job choices or use YDL as a cache/index to bypass heavy rescans, and the unifying purpose is that the YDL feeds the originating software enough information to restore lists, sessions, and consistency—without being intended for direct viewing Here's more about YDL file type look into the web site. .