If you are wondering how to download youtube videos for whatever reason, you are advised to give this article a good read before you try to do so. Given that YouTube is the internet’s largest video repository, it should come as no surprise that millions of people visit the site every day, not only to watch videos but also to download them. However, YouTube’s terms of service explicitly forbid unauthorized downloading and distribution of videos. So what should you do if you want or need to download a video from YouTube?
You can’t just download videos willy-nilly from YouTube; that’s asking for a world of trouble. There are rules, and you would not want to break them. In simpler words, if it’s not yours, don’t take it.
But let’s say you need to watch a video offline on your phone while you are on vacation in an area without Wi-Fi. Perhaps you need to save one of your own videos from a previous account, or maybe for some other valid reasons; who knows? We are not here to judge. We just want to help.
Luckily for you, we are about to lay down the detailed procedure for how to download YouTube videos below, so do not skip until the end.
Table of Contents
How to Download Youtube Videos?
YouTube is not just a great place to watch videos, but it is also an excellent destination to download them. There are two options available to download videos for offline viewing on YouTube. However, the contents available on Youtube’s free version, which most of us use, are highly limited, and you can’t download every video you want, except for a few ones that are allowed to be downloaded. Or, if you want to view your favorite videos without using or losing data, then you will have to opt for the premium membership by paying a monthly fee.
If you have opted for the regular version of YouTube without any paid subscription and downloaded some videos, then you will be able to watch them only for up to 48 hours. After that time period ends, you will again have to use your device’s mobile data or a Wi-Fi connection to rewatch them. Any non-music video will be viewable offline for 29 days, even with no internet connectivity from your end.
From native YouTube app:
Downloading videos on your phone using the official Youtube application is easy! Here’s how:
- First, make sure you are in a supported region. You can check the full list of supported countries.
- Next, open the YouTube app and go to the video you want to download. You will notice a “Download” option just below the video. Tap on it.
- You will now be asked to select a quality for your video. Choose your desired option and tap “OK“.
- Finally, check out your downloads on the downloads tab.
Using a third-party site
Many sites allow you to download videos from YouTube. But, if you want a straightforward way without going through a complicated process or lots of ads, you will need to use a service like Savefrom.net.
Here we will walk you through how to save your favorite videos from YouTube using Savefrom.net.
Step 1: Open the site on your browser. Here you will see a large box that clearly instructs you to “paste your video link here,” where you copy-paste the URL of the YouTube video you want to download.
Step 2: To select a specific video format, click the green “Download” button, and you can choose your preferred option. We recommend MP4 because it has excellent sound and image quality and is compatible with most devices. If your device does not support this format, you can select one of the other options (MP3 or 3GP).
Step 3: Now, you will be prompted for a location to save your file; be sure to select a folder you can remember later. Or, in some devices, the video will automatically save to the primary download folder based on the settings. At this point, the video will start downloading. Once finished, you can watch your videos when not connected to the internet. The site works on most common browsers like Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and any others your device comes with.
How to Download Youtube Videos on iPhone?
If you are a YouTube addict, then you are probably familiar with the struggle of finding a stable internet connection when you just want to watch a video without buffering. And if you have kids, those videos become even more important when you need them to be entertained for a few moments.
So it makes sense that we would want to download YouTube videos to watch them whenever and wherever we want, even without an internet connection. The problem is, like most good things in life, the regular YouTube version does not allow us to save videos directly on our iPhones. But that does not mean there is no workaround.
We will look at two different ways to accomplish this – with YouTube Premium and a third-party app called Documents by Readdle. Let’s get started.
YouTube Premium
If you want to download a video from YouTube, the safest way is to use YouTube Premium. This will set you back for $11.99 a month, which may seem expensive if all you want to do is save some videos for later. But it does come with a number of other perks, including the ability to play YouTube in the background on your iPhone. Plus, with YouTube Premium’s cloud storage feature, you will never have to worry about losing those special moments in life again. Here’s what to do:
Grab the YouTube app on your iPhone and go to its Settings. Then tap Downloads. Choose your video quality.
Now, whenever you find a video you would like to download, tap on the Download button in the same row with the Share and Like/Dislike buttons. A blue tick next to the Download icon can be noticed immediately after the video has been saved in your local storage.
To view all of your downloaded content, tap Library in the bottom right corner and look under Downloads.
Documents by Readdle
If you are looking to download YouTube videos on your iPhone or iPad, you will have to think outside the box. The default YouTube iOS app without a premium subscription does not allow downloads, but there is a third-party app called Documents by Readdle, which lets you save videos for offline viewing.
You will need Documents by Readdle, a free browser, and a download manager for iPhone and iPad. It has a built-in web browser that lets you navigate to YouTube and other video sites on the internet. Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Download and install the Readdle Documents app for iOS.
Step 2: Go to Savefrom.net using the Documents web browser, and paste a YouTube video URL in the box.
Step 3: Tap the “Download” button.
Step 4: You will see a couple of file formats and their respective video qualities. Choose one as per your requirement.
Step 5: Tap on “Save Video,” select a download folder, and tap on “Add” to finally store the video on your device.
How to Download Youtube Videos on Mac?
Whether you want to download videos that you are making yourself or just want to save your favorite content, there are a few ways to download YouTube videos on Mac. Here, we will show you how to do it using the “4K Video Downloader“.
- First, make sure you have the most recent version of macOS installed. It’s also a good idea to update any software you might be using during the process below, if possible.
- Then, download and install the “4K Video Downloader” on your Mac from the program’s official website, which you can access by following the link here https://www.4kdownload.com/products/product-videodownloader. The tool will allow you to download 30 high-quality videos every day for free. If you need more, there are several affordable subscription plans available for you to choose from.
- Once installed, open it up to see the main interface. At the top of the window, enter the link to the video you want to download. Then below that, pick the format you want (MP4 is recommended) and quality. 4K Video Downloader supports resolutions all the way up to 8K (if available), so select whatever works best for you.
- After that, just press “Download” to save the file on your Mac. You can also play around with other options like selecting a specific subfolder or creating a rule for where downloaded files should be saved by default.
How to Download Youtube Videos on PC?
So, you want to download a YouTube video on your PC but don’t know how? Don’t worry; we will show you how to do it in just a few easy steps. It’s not as scary as it sounds, promise!
- You will need to download and install a specific program called YTD Video Downloader on your Windows PC if it’s not already installed. One can find the software here https://www.ytddownloader.com.
- Once that is done, open the YouTube video you want to download on your favorite browser and copy its address. Then fire up YTD and paste the video URL into its URL field.
- YTD will save the file as an MP4 in your PC’s Documents folder by default unless you want it somewhere else. In that case, click on the folder icon next to “Save To” and choose another location (like your desktop). The program will show you how much space is left on your selected drive while it downloads. Depending on how long the video is, it might take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes.
- Now, after it’s done downloading, there is just one more important thing left for you to do: enjoy the video!
Conclusion
Thanks for reading! There are plenty of ways to download videos from YouTube. Which way you choose depends on what types of videos you watch, how many you download, and how much time you want to spend doing it. We hope these tools can help you download your favorite videos from YouTube. If you want to read more such quality information, don’t forget to check out other articles and how-to methods on this site.