XIAOHONGSHU GUIDE · WEB

How to copy a Xiaohongshu link on desktop web

Four steps — copy the full xiaohongshu.com/explore URL with xsec_token, paste on SMDownloader, preview and save.

How to copy a Xiaohongshu link on web — step by step

  1. 01

    Open the note on xiaohongshu.com or rednote.com

    In your desktop browser, click the public video or multi-photo note so its detail view opens at /explore/{id}.

  2. 02

    Copy the full address bar URL with xsec_token

    Copy the complete URL from your browser address bar or click the Share button — keep the ?xsec_token= and xsec_source= query parameters intact.

  3. 03

    Confirm it is an explore or discovery item link

    Check that the URL contains /explore/{id} or /discovery/item/{id} rather than a user profile or search feed page.

  4. 04

    Paste on www.smdownloader.com

    Paste the full URL (including xsec_token) into www.smdownloader.com and click Download to preview and save the MP4 video or original photo slides.

Accepted URL formats

  • https://xhslink.com/a/...
  • https://www.xiaohongshu.com/explore/{id}?xsec_token=...
  • https://www.xiaohongshu.com/discovery/item/{id}

Keep xsec_token & xsec_source on web links

Desktop URLs on xiaohongshu.com/explore/{id} include ?xsec_token=...&xsec_source=pc_feed. Do not strip the query string before pasting — the token authorizes public web playback for that note.

Common questions

Why should I keep the xsec_token parameter on desktop Xiaohongshu URLs?

Xiaohongshu web pages attach a temporary xsec_token and xsec_source query string when you open a note from the feed. Keeping that full URL helps our servers retrieve the note metadata reliably.

Do both xiaohongshu.com and rednote.com desktop links work?

Yes. Both domains serve the same public note IDs and resolve identically when pasted into SMDownloader.

Can I copy a link from a Xiaohongshu author profile URL?

No. Profile URLs (/user/profile/…) list many posts at once. Click the specific video or photo carousel note first, then copy its /explore/ URL.

Paste Xiaohongshu linkXiaohongshu downloader