How To Download Youtube Video On Pc

There are billions of hours of video on YouTube. Literally. And that's inappreciably the virtually astounding statistic near the site, which has been the go-to destination for uploading and watching video since 2005. That said, sometimes, you really want or demand to have ane of those videos on your ain computer or phone. Only when the topic of downloading YouTube videos comes upward, at that place's a side subject that must be broached: Is it legal?

On the copyright front, as long as y'all're downloading a video for your own personal offline use, you're probably okay. It's more than black and white when you consider Google's terms of service for YouTube, which read: "You are not allowed to...access, reproduce, download, distribute, transmit, broadcast, display, sell, license, alter, modify or otherwise use whatever function of the Service or any Content except: (a) equally 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. There'due south a reason YouTube runs ads: People make a living this way.

Obviously, stealing videos from YouTube is a big no-no. If y'all want to share a video, YouTube and most other video sites make it easy, from embedding to emailing to sharing via social networks. Y'all simply do not need to download a video virtually of the time.

However, yous 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—here's how.

Note: This story is updated ofttimes as the tools involved change regularly. Some of those changes are non always pleasant, such as software so total of "extras," it gets flagged as malware by antivirus tools. The same goes for the helper websites—a modify in a site'southward ad network tin also create issues with malware.

To preclude this from becoming a laundry list of programs and sites that tin download YouTube videos, nosotros came up with a few rules for inclusion. Services must:

Support 4K downloads even in the gratis version.
Work with top 3 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 audio (or offer companion software that does then).
Have an interface thatdoesn't suck.
Not collect your personal data across your email address.
Not incorporate malware. If there's even a whiff of information technology in the air, fifty-fifty a PUP, it's out.

The programs, services, and sites in this story are all free of spam/virus/issues as of this writing, but caveat emptor. Large time. Especially if you're not really emptor-ing.

YouTube Premium Downloads

At present available for subscribers of YouTube Premium—the paid version of YouTube that allows y'all to sentinel without ads—are video downloads. Kind of. At that place's one caveat with quality: All the video you download is express to 1080p quality max, or lower. No 4K.

The biggest result is, this feature doesn't actually download a video to salvage on your estimator forever. It is more than alike to the download feature plant on mobile apps for Netflix and Hulu, which makes a streaming video bachelor to watch afterward using your local storage and views information technology using the app'due south interface only. This is not a method that allows you to, say, watch a video using different software such as the VLC Media Histrion.

Yous admission the download past going to the YouTube hamburger menu and selecting Downloads to view the list of what you've grabbed. The page says "Downloads remain bachelor as long every bit your device has an active internet connexion at least one time every 30 days." This probably isn't exactly what you are looking for in a download. Just the tools below deliver exactly that.

Desktop Software

Third-party software is where you will become the best control over downloading online videos. Typically, you paste the URL for the YouTube video y'all want into the program, and it downloads the highest quality version it can find. For videos in 1080p High Definition (Hard disk drive) format, that'south usually an MP4 file. For anything higher in quality—4K or 8K—the file format is typically MKV.

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

Note that the MKV file, also called a Matroska, is a container—the file could incorporate video utilizing any number of codecs inside. The fool-proof way to play them all is to use the VLC Media Player for Windows, which plays everything. (Read more than about it below.) Every bit for the downloaders, here are the best options.

VLC Media Thespian

Costless; Windows, macOS, Linux

Nosotros mention VLC Media Thespian above because it's a fantastic tool for Windows, Mac, and Linux users that plays dorsum just nigh whatever media e'er created. It besides has the ability to download YouTube videos, albeit in a convoluted way. (If y'all run across any issues, try a full re-install of VLC and articulate your enshroud to make it work.)

Copy a URL from a YouTube video, and then open up up VLC. From the Media menu, select Open up Network Stream (Ctrl+North) and paste in the URL. Click Play. When the video is playing, go to Tools > Codec Information. There is a box at the bottom chosen "Source"—copy the URL you observe in that box.

Become dorsum to your browser and paste the URL—it'south a temporary spider web accost and will elapse eventually—in the address bar and outset playing the video. When y'all're viewing the video in the browser, click the 3-dot carte at the lower right for the download option to keep information technology locally.

Even so, it appears that VLC is merely going to relieve your file as 1080p and non any college, even if the original YouTube stream was available in 1440p or 2160p (aka 4K). Information technology also won't catechumen video to other formats. To become those options, you need the desktop software below.

4K Video Downloader

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

Multi-lingual 4K Video Downloader (4KVD) is ofttimes updated and features clear download links on the plan'southward website; no ad traps here. The software does what it advertises in a simple interface. It grabs videos up to 8K in quality and downloads to enough of formats. Simply copy a YouTube URL and click the Paste Link button to get started. 4KVD will even grab subtitles, entire playlists, and all the videos in a channel to which you lot subscribe. The sites supported are limited to the big names like YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and a few others, but that covers nigh of what you demand. Information technology does display a large banner advertisement to proceed the lights on and you're limited to 30 downloads a twenty-four hours on the free version.

I had to make a switch from MP4 to MKV format to get my test video to download in 4K. 4KVD snagged the three-minute, 229.7MB file for the motion picture trailer in near 1 minute and 20 seconds. 4KVD defaults back to 1080p Hard disk, so I made the same switch when downloading an Ultra Loftier Definition (8K) playlist.

If you enable the Smart Mode and its presets, 4KVD can perform one-click downloads to your favorite format. If you want to download more 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 Player was flawless.

The program itself has an pick to excerpt sound to MP3 format, so you don't even need the 4K YouTube to MP3 companion software.

VideoProc Converter

$59.ninety for one year, $78.90 lifetime, $119.90 family unit (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 like to Digiarty's WinX YouTube Downloader, which you can still find only is non promoted by the company these days. This makes sense, as VideoProc Converter handles a lot of downloading, supposedly supporting 4K from over 1,000 websites. With hardware acceleration, it promises some speed. Thankfully, it ofttimes offers price discounts.

To use it, y'all open the software, let it detect your hardware to run across what you have to assistance with acceleration (if anything). Click the Downloader button, click Add video to place every bit many URLs every bit you lot want to batch, and then Download Now. Or yous can become a whole YouTube playlist or live stream. Information technology grabbed our 697MB test 4K video to WEBM format in about ii minutes and 15 seconds, which isn't bad. Best of all, the trial version of VideoProc Converter, which limits conversions to five minutes, doesn't appear to limit downloads.

FlixGrab

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

Like some others, FlixGrab has several unlike programs available, many with overlapping features. For example, it has FlixGrabMS (a version yous go from the Microsoft Store to run on Windows ten/11)—only it wouldn't permit me take hold of video from YouTube. The straight download of the FlixGrab plan from the flixgrabapp.com site did work with YouTube and several other sites,. Plus information technology offers a Free YouTube Download that is specific to YouTube, yet uses the same easy-to-utilize interface. The downside, equally with others, is the high subscription cost, but information technology's the only way to get high-quality downloads. The YouTube-only version is essentially cheaper at $9.99 per year, however. Neither comes with a trial period.

5KPlayer

Free; Windows and macOS

The free 5KPlayer is a lot more 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. It is, sadly, one of the few tested that asks for a registration of your name and email—you have to do that to get the full download function across 300+ sites. Nonetheless, you can still 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 only a few download options. Click the gear icon, then the Show All button, and curl to see more than—like a 4K iii,840-by-ii,160 file in WebM format. The 227MB WebM examination download took an agonizing half-dozen.5 minutes. Grabbing playlists was possible, only you must adjust download settings 1 video at a time. The confusing interface makes information technology hard to go back to the other videos in the playlist.

5K Player likewise features DLNA server playback so videos yous catch can exist watched on any devices that back up 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 have whatever problem with the same file).

Ultimately, there'south a lot to like about 5K Actor, from the price to the features, particularly if you look at them as extras on a downloader. But the bad interface, slow download speeds, and playback issues may accept you looking elsewhere.

Helper Websites

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

The trouble is, yous tin't e'er trust them. In that location are hundreds of these types of sites out there—it seems anyone with a modicum of coding ability has set one up. Such sites easily go from useful to suspicious, especially if they get pop and the proprietor sells out to make greenbacks off your visits.

Recommended past Our Editors

Since this story was starting time published, all the helper sites nosotros recommended accept been removed for reasons like adding sexually explicit ads, no longer working, switching to pushing its download utility but, and one for going out of concern to avoid getting sued.

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

Extensions

A browser extension can salvage you a pace. Nonetheless, yous're going to see some issues with downloading video from YouTube, especially if you're using Chrome equally your primary browser.

The Chrome Web Store—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 allow YouTube directly downloads, because of Chrome Shop restrictions. In general, with Chrome extensions, the download of any RTMP protocol video (protected videos) or streaming video isn't possible. Yous can employ them on other sites with video, of class. Just not YouTube.

Want to go around information technology? Get an extension that does not come up from the Google Spider web Store. Some of the programs and helper sites offer an extension component and will spell out how to do the install without the aid the Chrome Web Store usually 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 first-class side-load capabilities. It puts a push below whatever video you're playing on YouTube, or even an embedded YouTube video, making it piece of cake to grab. Supported video quality goes upwards to 8K. You tin can also convert audio from the video to an MP3. Information technology volition fifty-fifty assistance you have video screenshots.

Video DownloadHelper

Gratuitous; Firefox, Chrome, Edge

Video DownloadHelper supports a huge number of sites—even those for adults. You'll know a video is downloadable when the icon for the extension animates when y'all're on the web folio. Video DownloadHelper for Chrome has stopped working with YouTube; that mode, it could become placement in the Chrome Spider web Store. Become around that past 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 case, InsTube – Complimentary Video and Music Downloader for Android tin only be constitute at InsTube's site. Download the APK (Android application package) file to sideload on an Android device. Observe information technology in your device's downloads and click to install. (You may have to become into your security settings and enable "Unknown sources.")

On iPhones and iPads, y'all'd think there would be no such brake since Apple and Google aren't exactly the best of pals (or perhaps they are). All the same, on the iOS apps I have tried, not only wouldn't they download from YouTube, but they're also typically not available for long. One of those apps said in its description, "Downloading from YouTube is prohibited due to its Terms of Service." Apple 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 will go "fixed" or banned. The only real selection is to jailbreak your iPhone and use sideloaded apps that download what you want.

There are workarounds. One is to subscribe to YouTube Premium; it lets you download video on your iPhone or iPad to lookout afterward, much every bit Netflix and Hulu do.

Another is using a complimentary iOS file director app like Documents by Readdle. Apply the Safari browser to visit a YouTube video, and use the Share option to find Copy Link. Then become back to Documents, and apply the built-in browser in the app to surf to a video download helper site. Paste the link into the form (hold your finger downwardly on it until you get the "Paste" bill of fare to pop up). The site will requite you the links to download, and y'all can salvage the file to Documents. Hold and elevate the file upwards, until y'all're back on the main screen, so drag information technology to the Photos binder. You'll need to requite Documents permission to access Photos the first time. You can and then access the video similar y'all would whatever video taken on the phone or tablet—in the Photos app.

Another workaround: Go back to the desktop and try AnyTrans ($39.99 for a single figurer for 1 year, Windows or macOS; $59.99 lifetime programme), a desktop file manager for iOS devices that has an integrated downloader supporting 900 sites, including YouTube and Facebook. It'll transfer the videos to the iPhone for you over the USB cable. Even if you don't pay for AnyTrans, the download option remains and is free forever.

YT Scribe

Want a truly unique way to "download" a video? YT Scribe lets y'all catch the transcription so you can read them instead. It auto-transcribes, punctuates, and paragraphs the text. The better the subtitles, the better the "article," of course. Best of all, it's totally gratuitous.

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

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