How Do I Download A Youtube Video To My Computer

There are billions of hours of video on YouTube. Literally. And that'southward hardly the most astounding statistic well-nigh the site, which has been the go-to destination for uploading and watching video since 2005. That said, sometimes, you actually want or need to take one of those videos on your own computer or telephone. Simply when the topic of downloading YouTube videos comes up, there'due south a side subject that must be broached: Is it legal?

On the copyright front, every bit long equally y'all're downloading a video for your own personal offline utilise, y'all're probably okay. It's more black and white when you consider Google'south terms of service for YouTube, which read: "You are not allowed to...access, reproduce, download, distribute, transmit, broadcast, display, sell, license, modify, change or otherwise use any office of the Service or whatsoever Content except: (a) as expressly authorized by the Service; or (b) with prior written permission from YouTube and, if applicative, the respective rights holders."

Watching YouTube videos offline through unofficial channels takes money from Google and video creators. In that location's a reason YouTube runs ads: People make a living this way.

Obviously, stealing videos from YouTube is a big no-no. If you want to share a video, YouTube and most other video sites make it easy, from embedding to emailing to sharing via social networks. You simply practise non need to download a video about of the time.

Notwithstanding, you have your reasons. If you must download a YouTube video—absolutely need to, just for yourself, and not for dissemination, and non to be a total douche-nozzle—hither's how.

Notation: This story is updated frequently as the tools involved change regularly. Some of those changes are not always pleasant, such equally software so total of "extras," information technology gets flagged as malware by antivirus tools. The same goes for the helper websites—a change in a site'due south ad network tin can also create bug with malware.

To prevent this from becoming a laundry list of programs and sites that can download YouTube videos, we came upwards with a few rules for inclusion. Services must:

Support 4K downloads even in the free version.
Work with top three video sites:YouTube, Facebook, and Vimeo.
Download entire playlists or channels in a batch (on YouTube), at least with a paid version.
Output to MP3 for sound (or offer companion software that does and so).
Take an interface thatdoesn't suck.
Non collect your personal information beyond your email address.
Not incorporate malware. If there's even a whiff of it in the air, even a PUP, it's out.

The programs, services, and sites in this story are all free of spam/virus/problems equally of this writing, but caveat emptor. Large time. Particularly if yous're non really emptor-ing.

YouTube Premium Downloads

Now available for subscribers of YouTube Premium—the paid version of YouTube that allows you to watch without ads—are video downloads. Kind of. There's one caveat with quality: All the video yous download is limited to 1080p quality max, or lower. No 4K.

The biggest consequence is, this feature doesn't really download a video to relieve on your computer forever. It is more than akin to the download feature found on mobile apps for Netflix and Hulu, which makes a streaming video bachelor to spotter afterward using your local storage and views information technology using the app'southward interface merely. This is not a method that allows you to, say, sentinel a video using different software such every bit the VLC Media Role player.

You lot admission the download by going to the YouTube hamburger menu and selecting Downloads to view the list of what yous've grabbed. The page says "Downloads remain bachelor as long as your device has an active internet connection at least once every xxx days." This probably isn't exactly what you lot are looking for in a download. But the tools below deliver exactly that.

Desktop Software

Third-party software is where you will get the best control over downloading online videos. Typically, y'all paste the URL for the YouTube video you want into the program, and it downloads the highest quality version information technology tin discover. For videos in 1080p High Definition (HD) format, that's usually an MP4 file. For annihilation higher in quality—4K or 8K—the file format is typically MKV.

In the past, YouTube videos were Flash-based, and so your download was an FLV file, but those tend to be harder to play back. MP4 (short for MPEG-4 Part 14 multimedia format) plays everywhere

Note that the MKV file, as well chosen a Matroska, is a container—the file could contain video utilizing any number of codecs inside. The fool-proof fashion to play them all is to use the VLC Media Player for Windows, which plays everything. (Read more about it below.) As for the downloaders, here are the best options.

VLC Media Actor

Gratuitous; Windows, macOS, Linux

We mention VLC Media Player to a higher place because it's a fantastic tool for Windows, Mac, and Linux users that plays dorsum just about any media ever created. Information technology also has the ability to download YouTube videos, albeit in a convoluted way. (If y'all meet any problems, endeavor a full re-install of VLC and articulate your cache to make it work.)

Re-create a URL from a YouTube video, and then open up upwardly VLC. From the Media bill of fare, select Open Network Stream (Ctrl+N) and paste in the URL. Click Play. When the video is playing, go to Tools > Codec Data. There is a box at the lesser called "Source"—copy the URL you find in that box.

Go dorsum to your browser and paste the URL—it's a temporary web address and will expire eventually—in the address bar and first playing the video. When you lot're viewing the video in the browser, click the 3-dot card at the lower right for the download choice to go on it locally.

However, it appears that VLC is only going to save your file as 1080p and not any higher, even if the original YouTube stream was bachelor in 1440p or 2160p (aka 4K). Information technology also won't catechumen video to other formats. To go those options, yous need the desktop software below.

4K Video Downloader

Free or $fifteen for lifetime license on 3 computers; Windows, macOS, Ubuntu Linux, Android

Multi-lingual 4K Video Downloader (4KVD) is frequently updated and features clear download links on the program'south website; no ad traps hither. The software does what it advertises in a unproblematic interface. It grabs videos upward to 8K in quality and downloads to plenty of formats. Simply copy a YouTube URL and click the Paste Link push button to become started. 4KVD will even catch subtitles, entire playlists, and all the videos in a aqueduct to which you subscribe. The sites supported are express to the big names similar YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and a few others, simply that covers most of what you need. It does display a big banner advertizing to keep the lights on and yous're limited to xxx downloads a day on the free version.

I had to brand a switch from MP4 to MKV format to get my test video to download in 4K. 4KVD snagged the 3-minute, 229.7MB file for the movie trailer in about i minute and 20 seconds. 4KVD defaults back to 1080p Hard disk, so I made the aforementioned switch when downloading an Ultra High Definition (8K) playlist.

If you enable the Smart Style and its presets, 4KVD can perform i-click downloads to your favorite format. If you desire to download more than 25 videos at a time or subscribe to YouTube channels to instantly download the latest, that requires the paid version. Playback of the resulting MKV files via VLC Media Thespian was flawless.

The programme itself has an pick to excerpt audio to MP3 format, and then you don't fifty-fifty need the 4K YouTube to MP3 companion software.

VideoProc Converter

$59.90 for ane yr, $78.90 lifetime, $119.ninety family (2-5 PCs); Windows, macOS

The powerful VideoProc from Digiarty comes in an editor edition and this converter, which besides provides editing and effects. The downloading aspect is great, a version similar to Digiarty's WinX YouTube Downloader, which you can still find only is not promoted by the company these days. This makes sense, equally VideoProc Converter handles a lot of downloading, supposedly supporting 4K from over one,000 websites. With hardware dispatch, it promises some speed. Thankfully, it frequently offers price discounts.

To use information technology, yous open the software, let it notice your hardware to see what you take to help with acceleration (if anything). Click the Downloader push button, click Add video to place as many URLs as you want to batch, and and so Download Now. Or you lot tin can get a whole YouTube playlist or live stream. It grabbed our 697MB test 4K video to WEBM format in about ii minutes and 15 seconds, which isn't bad. All-time of all, the trial version of VideoProc Converter, which limits conversions to 5 minutes, doesn't appear to limit downloads.

FlixGrab

1-year license $44.99 plus tax (or $nine.99 for Free YouTube Download); Windows

Like some others, FlixGrab has several different programs available, many with overlapping features. For example, it has FlixGrabMS (a version you get from the Microsoft Store to run on Windows 10/11)—but it wouldn't let me grab video from YouTube. The straight download of the FlixGrab plan from the flixgrabapp.com site did piece of work with YouTube and several other sites,. Plus it offers a Costless YouTube Download that is specific to YouTube, yet uses the same easy-to-use interface. The downside, as with others, is the high subscription price, but information technology's the just way to go high-quality downloads. The YouTube-only version is essentially cheaper at $9.99 per twelvemonth, however. Neither comes with a trial period.

5KPlayer

Free; Windows and macOS

The costless 5KPlayer is a lot more than than a downloader, but information technology's got a heck of an integrated downloader. Promising no viruses, ads, or plug-in requirements is a good first. Information technology is, sadly, one of the few tested that asks for a registration of your name and electronic mail—you have to do that to get the full download function across 300+ sites. However, you can yet nab 4K vids from YouTube without registering.

When downloading, the programme does try to hide some things. Paste in the URL for a YouTube video and the analysis engine runs and shows simply a few download options. Click the gear icon, then the Show All button, and gyre to meet more—like a 4K 3,840-by-ii,160 file in WebM format. The 227MB WebM test download took an agonizing 6.v minutes. Grabbing playlists was possible, merely you must adapt download settings one video at a time. The confusing interface makes it hard to go back to the other videos in the playlist.

5K Player also features DLNA server playback so videos you take hold of tin can be watched on any devices that support DLNA, plus it supports AirPlay for quick playback to Apple devices. Pick a video in the library for quick conversion to MP4, MP3, or even ACC (the audio format preferred past iOS). The player didn't like playing back the overly large 4K file, though, and experienced buffering issues (VLC didn't accept any problem with the same file).

Ultimately, there's a lot to similar about 5K Player, from the price to the features, peculiarly if you wait at them every bit extras on a downloader. But the bad interface, slow download speeds, and playback bug may take you looking elsewhere.

Helper Websites

Exercise you lot want to avert installing software? Video download helper sites are supposed to do the download piece of work for you. All of them do one basic thing: Y'all give them a YouTube URL (or another video site, if supported), they parse it, give you a selection of what size download yous want, and provide a link to said download. They work on any platform, sometimes even on mobile devices. You don't have to install anything on your PC. It tin take a lot longer, depending on the size and quality of the video you want, but you can't vanquish the convenience.

The problem is, y'all can't always trust them. There are hundreds of these types of sites out there—it seems anyone with a modicum of coding ability has set one upwards. Such sites easily go from useful to suspicious, specially if they get popular and the proprietor sells out to brand cash off your visits.

Recommended past Our Editors

Since this story was first published, all the helper sites we recommended take been removed for reasons similar adding sexually explicit ads, no longer working, switching to pushing its download utility only, and one for going out of business to avoid getting sued.

For that reason, we're not recommending any helper sites at the moment. Try one if you lot find it, but if your browser, antivirus, or instincts throw upwardly warnings, avoid and motion on.

Extensions

A browser extension tin can save you lot a step. However, you're going to run into some issues with downloading video from YouTube, especially if you're using Chrome as your primary browser.

The Chrome Web Shop—where you get Chrome browser extensions—is controlled by YouTube's owner Alphabet/Google. Even an extension ostensibly for this purpose isn't going to permit YouTube direct downloads, because of Chrome Store restrictions. In general, with Chrome extensions, the download of any RTMP protocol video (protected videos) or streaming video isn't possible. You tin use them on other sites with video, of course. Just not YouTube.

Want to go around it? Get an extension that does not come from the Google Web Store. Some of the programs and helper sites offer an extension component and will spell out how to do the install without the help the Chrome Web Store unremarkably provides. Hither are a couple.

YouTube Video Downloader

Free; Chrome, Opera, Border, Vivaldi, UCBrowser

YouTube Video Downloader from Addoncrop is on multiple browsers but with splendid side-load capabilities. It puts a button below whatever video y'all're playing on YouTube, or even an embedded YouTube video, making it piece of cake to grab. Supported video quality goes up to 8K. Yous tin can also catechumen audio from the video to an MP3. It will even help you have video screenshots.

Video DownloadHelper

Costless; Firefox, Chrome, Edge

Video DownloadHelper supports a huge number of sites—even those for adults. Yous'll know a video is downloadable when the icon for the extension animates when you're on the web page. Video DownloadHelper for Chrome has stopped working with YouTube; that way, it could get placement in the Chrome Web Store. Go around that by using the Video DownloadHelper extension on Firefox or Edge instead.

Mobile

Downloading from YouTube using an Android app from the Google Play Store is a challenge, given that Google has a tight grip on the site it owns, and offers the paid YouTube Premium service that supports offline viewing.

That said, with Android, itis possible to install apps without going through Google. For example, InsTube – Free Video and Music Downloader for Android tin can only be found at InsTube's site. Download the APK (Android application package) file to sideload on an Android device. Detect it in your device'southward downloads and click to install. (You may have to go into your security settings and enable "Unknown sources.")

On iPhones and iPads, y'all'd think in that location would be no such restriction since Apple and Google aren't exactly the best of pals (or maybe they are). However, on the iOS apps I have tried, non only wouldn't they download from YouTube, merely they're too typically non available for long. One of those apps said in its description, "Downloading from YouTube is prohibited due to its Terms of Service." Apple tree is ensuring that app makers play by the rules—even Google's rules.

Chances are, the infinitesimal you find an iOS app that can download YouTube videos, it volition get "fixed" or banned. The but real option is to jailbreak your iPhone and apply sideloaded apps that download what you want.

There are workarounds. One is to subscribe to YouTube Premium; it lets y'all download video on your iPhone or iPad to spotter afterwards, much equally Netflix and Hulu do.

Another is using a gratuitous iOS file manager app like Documents past Readdle. Utilise the Safari browser to visit a YouTube video, and utilise the Share option to notice Copy Link. Then become back to Documents, and utilise the built-in browser in the app to surf to a video download helper site. Paste the link into the class (hold your finger downwards on it until you get the "Paste" bill of fare to pop up). The site will requite you the links to download, and you can salve the file to Documents. Hold and drag the file upwards, until you're back on the main screen, so drag it to the Photos binder. You'll need to give Documents permission to access Photos the beginning time. You tin can and so access the video like y'all would any video taken on the phone or tablet—in the Photos app.

Another workaround: Go back to the desktop and effort AnyTrans ($39.99 for a single computer for one twelvemonth, Windows or macOS; $59.99 lifetime program), a desktop file manager for iOS devices that has an integrated downloader supporting 900 sites, including YouTube and Facebook. Information technology'll transfer the videos to the iPhone for y'all over the USB cablevision. Even if y'all don't pay for AnyTrans, the download choice remains and is complimentary forever.

YT Scribe

Want a truly unique way to "download" a video? YT Scribe lets you lot grab the transcription so y'all can read them instead. Information technology machine-transcribes, punctuates, and paragraphs the text. The meliorate the subtitles, the better the "article," of course. All-time of all, it's totally free.

Like What You're Reading?

This newsletter may comprise advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Y'all may unsubscribe from the newsletters at whatsoever fourth dimension.

Source: https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-download-youtube-videos

Posted by: rosspeat1973.blogspot.com