There are six ways to run a Wattpad downloader on Linux: wpd.my, wpdl-py-cross (precompiled), wpdl-py-cross (Python), Wattpad_Downloader, Google Colab, and Docker.

All of these methods have been tested on Linux Mint 22.1 only. While they will most likely work on other distros, there’s no guarantee.

wpd.my

wpd.my is TheOnlyWayUp’s public instance of their project, WattpadDownloader.
Note: this website is liable to be removed by Wattpad at any time.

wpdl-py-cross (precomiled):

Using the wpdl-py-cross (precompiled) method if by far the easiest way to download stories from Wattpad. Choose this option if you aren’t sure what to pick.

This method involves running a precompiled version of ZhiFenBL’s wpdl-py-cross.

  1. Download the Linux .zip from Github.

  2. Extract the .zip file.

  3. Run the wpdl_py_desktop file.

wpdl-py-cross (Python):

This method involves running ZhiFenBL’s wpdl-py-cross using a python virtual environment.

The following guide is written using apt. For non Debian-based distros, use your native package manager. Please note that package names may differ.

  1. Install Python and Git:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python3 python3-venv git
  1. Clone wpdl-py-cross:
git clone https://github.com/ZhiFenBL/wpdl-py-cross
cd wpdl-py-cross
  1. Create a Python virtual environment:
mkdir venv
python3 -m venv venv
  1. Activate the virtual environment:
source venv/bin/activate
  1. Install uv:
pip install uv
  1. Run wpdl-py-cross:
uv run flet run

Follow steps 4 and 6 to run wpdl-py-cross again

Wattad_Downloader:

This method involves running AaronBenDaniel’s Wattpad_Downloader using a python virtual environment.

The following guide is written using apt. For non Debian-based distros, use your native package manager. Please note that package names may differ.

  1. Install Python and Git:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python3 python3-venv python3-tk git
  1. Clone Wattpad_Downloader:
git clone https://github.com/AaronBenDaniel/Wattpad_Downloader
cd Wattpad_Downloader
  1. Create a Python virtual environment:
mkdir venv
python3 -m venv venv
  1. Activate the virtual environment:
source venv/bin/activate
  1. Install requirements:
pip install -r requirements.txt
  1. Run Wattpad_Downloader:
python src/main.py

Follow steps 4 and 6 to run Wattpad_Downloader again

Google Colab:

This guide has a video example.

This method involves hosting an instance of TheOnlyWayUp’s WattpadDownloader on a Google Colab virtual machine.

Note: This method requires a Google Account. If your account is part of a managed organization (work, school, etc) you may not be able to use Google Colab.

Disabling third-party cookies can interfere with this method, make sure to enable them when you use this script.

  1. Open colab.research.google.com/drive/15BVtjtboLrzTrnZ-9lQIKQaiMPR49H9g.

  2. Click the triangle “run” button in the top left.

  3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and WAIT. The server needs a few minutes to start up.

The WattpadDownloader interface should appear after a few minutes and can be used as normal.

It may sometimes fail on its first run. If the interface has not appeared and the output tells you it should have, try stopping the program and starting it again.

To stop the downloader, close the tab. To start it again, follow these steps again.

Docker:

This method involves hosting an instance of TheOnlyWayUp’s WattpadDownloader natively on your own machine.

  1. Install Docker Engine

Docker provides their own installation guide, follow it.

  1. Run WattpadDownloader:
sudo docker run --rm -p 5042:80 sowansow/wattpaddownloader:latest

You will need to run this command again every time you want to run the downloader. If you want to have the downloader permanently run in the background, run this command instead. You will not see the output mentioned below.

sudo docker run --restart=unless-stopped -d -p 5042:80 sowansow/wattpaddownloader:latest

This command will automatically download WattpadDownloader and run it.

Once you’ve completed these steps, if everything worked right you should see something like this:

INFO:     Uvicorn running on http://0.0.0.0:80 (Press CTRL+C to quit)
INFO:     Started parent process [1]
INFO:     Started server process [100]
INFO:     Waiting for application startup.
INFO:     Application startup complete.
INFO:     Started server process [93]
INFO:     Waiting for application startup.
INFO:     Application startup complete.
...

If you see that, you can access your self-hosted instance of WattpadDownloader by going to localhost:5042.