You have watched a YouTube video and wish to save it, but you do not know how to do it.
The official ways to download YouTube videos are by using the official YouTube Go app or opting for YouTube premium, which is limiting.
Even with these methods, you cannot save the videos onto your storage but can only view them via the apps.
What if you want to save the video entirely on your storage (gallery) and have complete control?
Worries aside, in this article, you will discover various methods to help you download YouTube videos to your device (Mobile or desktop) for free with and without software. You can as well convert YouTube videos to mp3 so that you can listen to the audio offline.
Let’s get started!
Download YouTube Videos Using a Video Downloader Tool
YouTube downloader tools are tools that help you download videos from YouTube easily.
By using a tool, you only have to copy and paste the video link into the tool and then start the download.
What is the best YouTube downloader?
There are various downloader tools that you can use such as Y2mate. However, you must be careful with the many ads that continue to pop up on such sites. They contain misleading information and can lead you to download viruses onto your device.
I recommend 4K Download for the best YouTube downloaderāWindows, macOS, and Linux video downloading tools.
4K Download is a versatile downloader tool that enables you to download videos in your desired format from YouTube and other platforms such as TikTok.
To download a YouTube video using a YouTube Video Downloader tool;
- Head to YouTube and open the video you wish to download.
- In the address bar, copy the URL
- Paste the copied URL into the YouTube video downloader tool.
- Choose your desired format or quality and click download.
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Directly Download YouTube Videos With no Software or Tools
The method discussed in this section does not require you to have any software, app, or tool installed on your device.
Download YouTube Videos By Adding āssā to the URL of the video
Tweak the video link by adding the prefix āss‘ in this method. It will redirect you to a site where you can download the video. This can be in any format such as MP3, MP4, MPEG, or FLV.
- Head to YouTube and open the video you want to download
- Add ss to the URL. Add āssā before āyoutube.comā and hit Enter
- You will be redirected to the savefrom.net site, where you will download the video from.
- Choose a format and click download.
Note: Because of various copyright issues, this Service is not available to users in the United States.
Download YouTube Videos Via Yout Website
Similar to the previous method, you have to delete ‘ube‘ from the URL of the YouTube video that you wish to download.
- Head to YouTube and open the video you want to download
- Delete ‘ube’ from the video link and hit Enter
- You will be redirected to the Yout site, choose your desired format such as mp4, mp3, WAV
- After choosing a format click download
Download YouTube Videos Using VLC Media Player
We shall use a VLC media player in this method, a free application used for opening media files.
If you do not have VLC installed on your device, download it and have it installed to proceed with the methods below.
Method 1
- Open the video you want to download. In the address bar, copy the link or URL of the video.
- Open the VLC Media player and head to the Media tab. Click Open Network Stream from the drop-down menu.
- A dialogue box will appear. Insert the copied URL into the Network Protocol field. Click Play
- The video will start playing shortly. Meanwhile, pause the video.
- Click the Tools tab > Codec Information
- Copy the URL in the Location field. Paste the URL into a new tab of your browser.
- A video will appear. Right-click on the video and choose Save video to save the video to your computer.
Method 2
- Open the video you want to download. In the address bar, copy the link or URL of the video.
- Open the VLC Media player and head to the Media tab. Click Open Network Stream from the drop-down menu.
- A dialogue box will appear. Insert the copied URL into the Network Protocol field.
- Next to the Play button, click the drop-down arrow. Select the Stream option.
- A Stream Output window will show up. Proceed to click the Next button.
- A Destination Setup window will appear. Ensure that you set the new destination as File. Then click the Next button.
- Next, click the BrowseĀ button, select a destination to stream the video, and give the File a name. Click theĀ NextĀ button.
- Click the drop-down arrow associated withĀ Profile. Choose a file format you wish to download. Then, click theĀ NextĀ button.
- In the next window, click Stream. The VLC Media player will start streaming the video to a file. On completion, you can locate the file on your PC and play it.
I hope you have successfully downloaded your YouTube Videos using VLC Media Player.
For some, you may have encountered errors despite using both methods of downloading YouTube videos using VLC Media Player.
If you encounter issues, proceed to the next section and discover other alternative ways to download YouTube videos without using VLC Media Player.
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How To Download YouTube Videos on Mobile?
Android
If you are an android user, I recommend using InsTube for downloading YouTube videos onto your phone storage.
InsTube is free, and easy to use, with a sleek design. It supports fast high quality (up to 4K) quality) downloads giving you a variety of formats to choose from. It also supports downloading videos from various platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Tiktok e.t.c
While you are on YouTube, you can easily tap the share button and choose InsTube from the options to start the download.
iOS/iPhone
For iOS users, it is pretty impossible to download YouTube videos to your storage. It is better to opt for YouTube premium, allowing you to save videos officially.
Download YouTube Videos Using Telegram Bots
Another workaround for the restrictions is by using Telegram.
Telegram has a feature for Bots that helps to add more functionality to the Telegram app.
They are built by various codes to execute specific functions. These include converting files and downloading music from sites like Spotify, e.t.c.
Similarly, you can use YouTube video downloader bots on Telegram to download videos of your choice in your desired format.
To use this method, you must use the official apk app from the Telegram site and not the version you downloaded from the Play Store.
The file is completely safe since it is from the official Telegram website.
The Telegram app from the PlayStore has copyright limitations for bots. That is why you will need Telegram installed using the apk file.
Another upvote for the Telegram apk app is that it receives updates first before the app version on the Play Store.
To download YouTube videos using Telegram bots;
- Download the Telegram apk from the Telegram.org site, and install it.
- Open Telegram, in the search bar, type utube bot or follow this link to open the bot directly.
- Type the prefix ā@vid‘ leave a space, type the first few letters of the name/title of the video or Paste the video link into the chat area and tap send.
- It will then load the video with formats of various qualities such as 720p, 360p, and 480p, which will require you to choose from.
- After choosing your desired format, the video will then load, and it will be ready for you to download.
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Download YouTube Videos using a Virtual Desktop
This method is also similar to adding ‘ssā to the URL of the video.
- Open the video
- Add ‘vdā to the video link before āyoutube.com‘ and hit Enter in the address bar.
- You will be redirected to the site, where you will download the video from.
- Choose the format you want to save and click download.
Download YouTube Videos using Browser Add-ons/Extensions
If you prefer the process done for you with another third-party tool, you can still use a browser add-on to execute the task.
This method works for various browsers such as Opera, Safari e.t.c
It is rare to find working YouTube downloader Extensions on Chrome, they keep on getting blocked or stop working for a while.
It is easier with Opera add-ons. You can use the YouTube Video and Audio Downloader add-on to download YouTube videos.
- Head to YouTube. Open the video you want to download.
- In the extension area, click the add-on icon.
- The add-on will display the following options; Quick download, Download Panel, Conversion Panel, Settings
- Click the Quick download option and the video will be downloaded.
Some add-ons will give you chance to choose your desired format.
FAQs
How do I download and save a YouTube video to my computer?
You can use a VLC media player. Add ‘ss‘ to the URL of the video before ‘youtube.com,’ but I recommend you to use tools like the 4K Download tool to help you save a YouTube video to your computer.
Can you only download YouTube videos on mobile?
No, you can also download YouTube videos on your desktop.
Can you download a YouTube video to your desktop?
Yes, you can download a YouTube video to your desktop using VLC Media Player or video downloader tools like 4K Download. Place the video URL into the tool, choose your desired format, and click download.
How to download YouTube videos without the app?
To download videos without any software, Add ‘ss‘ to the URL of the video you wish to download before ‘youtube.com .’Hit Enter. You will be redirected to the savefrom.net site. Choose a format you want and hit the download button.
How do I download YouTube videos directly to my android?
To download YouTube videos directly to your Android, use the downloader tool called InsTube. Copy the video link you want to download into the tool and hit the download button.
Is it legal to download YouTube videos?
Technically, downloading YouTube videos is illegal since it is against YouTubeās terms.
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YouTube explicitly states that; You are not allowed to [ā¦] access, reproduce, download, distribute, transmit, broadcast, display, sell, license, alter, modify, or otherwise use any part of the Service or any Content except (a) as expressly authorized by the Service; or (b) with prior written permission from YouTube and, if applicable, the respective rights holders.
Ā
Some countries like the US, UK, and European Union countries have copyright laws that are against downloading creator content even for personal use.
Ā
Are there instances when you can download YouTube videos without infringing on laws and YouTube terms?
Ā
Yes, downloading YouTube videos for personal use has no legal consequences. Other scenarios include where you are downloading Copyleft, royalty-free, public domain, or creative commons videos.
Ā
Although downloading videos from YouTube may be against the law, YouTube has been reluctant or not taken a significant move on penalizing sites or users that affect downloading videos from its site.
If it is for personal use, you are on the right track.
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Conclusion
Summing up, I have discussed the various methods that you can use to download YouTube videos onto your storage.
These include; direct methods without the use of any software or tools, use of third-party tools, use of browser add-ons or extensions, and use of the VLC Media player.
I hope you found this article helpful. Let me know which method works for you best.
If you face any difficulty, let me know in the comments section so I can help.