There are billions of hours of video on YouTube. Literally. And that'due south hardly the most astounding statistic nearly the site, which has been the become-to destination for uploading and watching video since 2005. That said, sometimes, you actually desire or need to have one of those videos on your own computer or phone. But when the topic of downloading YouTube videos comes upward, there'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 ain personal offline employ, you're probably okay. It's more black and white when you consider Google's terms of service for YouTube, which read: "Yous are not allowed to...access, reproduce, download, distribute, transmit, broadcast, brandish, sell, license, modify, modify or otherwise use whatsoever part of the Service or whatsoever Content except: (a) as expressly authorized by the Service; or (b) with prior written permission from YouTube and, if applicable, the respective rights holders."

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

Obviously, stealing videos from YouTube is a big no-no. If you want to share a video, YouTube and nigh other video sites make it easy, from embedding to emailing to sharing via social networks. Yous merely do not demand to download a video most of the time.

Still, you take your reasons. If you must download a YouTube video—admittedly need to, merely for yourself, and not for dissemination, and not to be a total douche-nozzle—hither'south how.

Annotation: This story is updated frequently equally the tools involved change regularly. Some of those changes are not always pleasant, such as software so full of "extras," it gets flagged as malware past antivirus tools. The same goes for the helper websites—a change in a site's ad network can besides create problems with malware.

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

Support 4K downloads even in the free version.
Piece of work with acme iii 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 then).
Take an interface thatdoesn't suck.
Not collect your personal data beyond your email address.
Not contain 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/problems every bit of this writing, but caveat emptor. Large fourth dimension. Especially if y'all're not really emptor-ing.

YouTube Premium Downloads

Now available for subscribers of YouTube Premium—the paid version of YouTube that allows y'all to picket without ads—are video downloads. Kind of. There's 1 caveat with quality: All the video you download is limited to 1080p quality max, or lower. No 4K.

The biggest outcome is, this characteristic doesn't really download a video to save on your computer forever. Information technology is more akin to the download feature establish on mobile apps for Netflix and Hulu, which makes a streaming video available to watch after using your local storage and views it using the app'due south interface only. This is not a method that allows y'all to, say, watch a video using dissimilar software such equally the VLC Media Thespian.

You lot admission the download by 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 as your device has an active net connectedness at least once every 30 days." This probably isn't exactly what you are looking for in a download. But the tools below evangelize exactly that.

Desktop Software

Third-party software is where y'all will become the all-time control over downloading online videos. Typically, you paste the URL for the YouTube video you desire into the program, and it downloads the highest quality version information technology can find. For videos in 1080p Loftier 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 by, YouTube videos were Wink-based, and then your download was an FLV file, just those tend to be harder to play dorsum. MP4 (curt for MPEG-iv Part 14 multimedia format) plays everywhere

Note that the MKV file, also called 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 employ the VLC Media Player for Windows, which plays everything. (Read more than nearly information technology beneath.) Every bit for the downloaders, here are the best options.

VLC Media Histrion

Gratuitous; Windows, macOS, Linux

We mention VLC Media Player above because it's a fantastic tool for Windows, Mac, and Linux users that plays dorsum just about any media always created. It also has the ability to download YouTube videos, albeit in a convoluted way. (If you lot run across any problems, try a total re-install of VLC and articulate your cache to go far work.)

Copy a URL from a YouTube video, then open up VLC. From the Media carte du jour, select Open up Network Stream (Ctrl+N) and paste in the URL. Click Play. When the video is playing, go to Tools > Codec Information. There is a box at the bottom called "Source"—re-create the URL you find in that box.

Go dorsum to your browser and paste the URL—it'southward a temporary spider web address and volition expire eventually—in the address bar and starting time playing the video. When y'all're viewing the video in the browser, click the 3-dot menu at the lower right for the download option to go along information technology locally.

However, information technology appears that VLC is only going to salve your file as 1080p and non any higher, even if the original YouTube stream was available in 1440p or 2160p (aka 4K). Information technology also won't convert video to other formats. To get those options, you need the desktop software below.

4K Video Downloader

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

Multi-lingual 4K Video Downloader (4KVD) is oftentimes updated and features clear download links on the program's website; no advertisement traps here. The software does what information technology advertises in a uncomplicated interface. It grabs videos upwards to 8K in quality and downloads to plenty of formats. Simply re-create a YouTube URL and click the Paste Link button to get started. 4KVD volition fifty-fifty grab subtitles, unabridged playlists, and all the videos in a channel to which you subscribe. The sites supported are limited to the large names like YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and a few others, but that covers nearly of what you need. It does display a large banner advertisement to proceed the lights on and you're express to 30 downloads a day on the free version.

I had to make a switch from MP4 to MKV format to get my examination video to download in 4K. 4KVD snagged the 3-minute, 229.7MB file for the picture trailer in about 1 infinitesimal and 20 seconds. 4KVD defaults back to 1080p HD, so I made the same switch when downloading an Ultra High Definition (8K) playlist.

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

The plan itself has an option to excerpt audio to MP3 format, so you lot don't fifty-fifty need the 4K YouTube to MP3 companion software.

VideoProc Converter

$59.90 for one year, $78.xc lifetime, $119.90 family (2-5 PCs); Windows, macOS

The powerful VideoProc from Digiarty comes in an editor edition and this converter, which also provides editing and effects. The downloading aspect is not bad, a version similar to Digiarty's WinX YouTube Downloader, which y'all tin still find but is not 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 frequently offers toll discounts.

To apply it, you open up the software, let it discover your hardware to meet what y'all have to help with acceleration (if annihilation). Click the Downloader button, click Add video to place as many URLs as you desire to batch, and and so Download Now. Or you can get a whole YouTube playlist or live stream. It grabbed our 697MB test 4K video to WEBM format in most 2 minutes and 15 seconds, which isn't bad. Best of all, the trial version of VideoProc Converter, which limits conversions to 5 minutes, doesn't appear to limit downloads.

FlixGrab

i-year license $44.99 plus tax (or $9.99 for Gratis YouTube Download); Windows

Like some others, FlixGrab has several different programs available, many with overlapping features. For example, it has FlixGrabMS (a version you lot get from the Microsoft Shop to run on Windows ten/11)—but it wouldn't allow me grab video from YouTube. The direct download of the FlixGrab program from the flixgrabapp.com site did work with YouTube and several other sites,. Plus it offers a Free YouTube Download that is specific to YouTube, yet uses the same like shooting fish in a barrel-to-apply interface. The downside, equally with others, is the high subscription price, only it'southward the only way to get high-quality downloads. The YouTube-simply version is substantially cheaper at $9.99 per year, yet. Neither comes with a trial menses.

5KPlayer

Free; Windows and macOS

The complimentary 5KPlayer is a lot more than than a downloader, but it'due south got a heck of an integrated downloader. Promising no viruses, ads, or plug-in requirements is a good offset. Information technology is, sadly, ane of the few tested that asks for a registration of your name and email—yous have to do that to get the full download function beyond 300+ sites. All the same, you can all the same 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 assay engine runs and shows only a few download options. Click the gear icon, so the Prove All push button, and scroll to run into more—like a 4K iii,840-by-2,160 file in WebM format. The 227MB WebM examination download took an agonizing six.five minutes. Grabbing playlists was possible, but you must accommodate download settings one video at a time. The confusing interface makes it hard to go dorsum to the other videos in the playlist.

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

Ultimately, there'southward a lot to similar about 5K Player, from the cost to the features, especially if you look at them as extras on a downloader. But the bad interface, slow download speeds, and playback issues may have you looking elsewhere.

Helper Websites

Do y'all desire to avoid installing software? Video download helper sites are supposed to practice the download work for you. All of them do one basic affair: You give them a YouTube URL (or another video site, if supported), they parse information technology, give you a choice of what size download you want, and provide a link to said download. They work on any platform, sometimes fifty-fifty on mobile devices. You lot 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 beat the convenience.

The problem is, you tin can't e'er trust them. There are hundreds of these types of sites out at that place—information technology seems anyone with a modicum of coding power has fix one up. Such sites hands go from useful to suspicious, specially if they get popular and the proprietor sells out to brand greenbacks off your visits.

Recommended by Our Editors

Since this story was first published, all the helper sites nosotros recommended have been removed for reasons like calculation sexually explicit ads, no longer working, switching to pushing its download utility just, and ane for going out of business to avert getting sued.

For that reason, we're not recommending any helper sites at the moment. Endeavor one if y'all discover it, only if your browser, antivirus, or instincts throw up warnings, avoid and motion on.

Extensions

A browser extension tin salvage you a footstep. However, y'all're going to run into some issues with downloading video from YouTube, peculiarly if you're using Chrome as your main browser.

The Chrome Spider web Shop—where you go 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 full general, with Chrome extensions, the download of any RTMP protocol video (protected videos) or streaming video isn't possible. You can use them on other sites with video, of course. Merely not YouTube.

Want to get around it? Get an extension that does non come up from the Google Web Store. Some of the programs and helper sites offer an extension component and will spell out how to exercise the install without the assistance the Chrome Web Store usually provides. Here are a couple.

YouTube Video Downloader

Free; Chrome, Opera, Border, Vivaldi, UCBrowser

YouTube Video Downloader from Addoncrop is on multiple browsers but with excellent side-load capabilities. It puts a push below whatever video yous're playing on YouTube, or even an embedded YouTube video, making information technology like shooting fish in a barrel to grab. Supported video quality goes upward to 8K. You lot tin also catechumen audio from the video to an MP3. It volition fifty-fifty help you take video screenshots.

Video DownloadHelper

Gratis; Firefox, Chrome, Border

Video DownloadHelper supports a huge number of sites—even those for adults. Y'all'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 fashion, it could go placement in the Chrome Web Shop. Get 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 Shop is a claiming, given that Google has a tight grip on the site information technology 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 – Free Video and Music Downloader for Android can only be found at InsTube'south site. Download the APK (Android awarding package) file to sideload on an Android device. Find it in your device's downloads and click to install. (Y'all may have to go into your security settings and enable "Unknown sources.")

(Instube)

On iPhones and iPads, you'd remember in that location would exist no such restriction since Apple tree and Google aren't exactly the best of pals (or maybe they are). Still, on the iOS apps I accept tried, not only wouldn't they download from YouTube, but they're as well typically not available for long. One of those apps said in its clarification, "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 tin download YouTube videos, it will become "stock-still" or banned. The only real option is to jailbreak your iPhone and use sideloaded apps that download what you want.

There are workarounds. One is to subscribe to YouTube Premium; information technology lets y'all download video on your iPhone or iPad to watch later on, much every bit Netflix and Hulu do.

Another is using a free iOS file manager app like Documents by Readdle. Utilize the Safari browser to visit a YouTube video, and use the Share option to notice Copy Link. Then go dorsum to Documents, and use the built-in browser in the app to surf to a video download helper site. Paste the link into the form (concord your finger down on information technology until you become the "Paste" carte to pop up). The site will give you the links to download, and you can save the file to Documents. Concur and elevate the file up, until you're back on the main screen, so drag it to the Photos binder. You lot'll need to give Documents permission to access Photos the first fourth dimension. You can and then access the video similar y'all would whatsoever video taken on the phone or tablet—in the Photos app.

Another workaround: Go back to the desktop and endeavour AnyTrans ($39.99 for a single computer for 1 year, Windows or macOS), 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 you grab the transcription so y'all tin read them instead. It auto-transcribes, punctuates, and paragraphs the text. The meliorate the subtitles, the improve the "article," of course. Best of all, information technology's totally free.

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