YouTube is the largest on-demand video platform in the world.

In actuality, over 30 million people watch 5 billion videos every single day on YouTube.

If you would like to save videos to watch later, you will need to learn how to download YouTube videos efficiently. You can download YouTube videos to formats like MP4, AVI, MPEG, and much more. Or if you only need audio, you can convert YouTube videos into MP3 files.

With all these ways to download and get videos on demand, I created this resource with the most recent ways to download YouTube videos this year.

Let’s begin.

Disclaimer: Please note, I may get affiliate reimbursement for some of the links below at no cost to you. However, these are the best tools I have tested for downloading and converting YouTube videos into MP3 files.

Is Downloading YouTube Videos Legal?

YouTube has a pretty straightforward Terms of Service that delineates what a viewer can or can not do on the platform.

Downloading videos without prior permission, selling them, and committing copyright infringement are violations of their terms of service.

Whilst downloading YouTube videos is technically a criminal action, YouTube has made no desire to penalize users for downloading movies. Certain royalty-free videos on YouTube with the right licenses are legal to download. Plus, if you’re just using the video for personal use, it can be considered lawful.

YouTube states,”You will not copy, reproduce, distribute, transmit, broadcast, display, sell, license, or otherwise exploit any Content for any other purposes without the prior written consent of YouTube or the respective licensors of the Content.”

Quite simply, you can watch Youtube videos, but only from Google applications.

However, third-party programs will continue to sprout up online and let people download YouTube Videos. It’s difficult to enforce or prohibit users for exploiting them you can still watch YouTube videos when you are not signed in.

Ultimately, it is up to you to determine if downloading videos from YouTube for private use is something you should be doing.

What Are the Steps to Download Youtube Videos?

Downloading videos from YouTube is an easy and straightforward process.

The first way to download YouTube videos would be to use a video converter.

Download YouTube Videos With a Video Downloading Tool.
Working with a YouTube downloader is the quickest way to download YouTube videos. Let’s look at it step by step:

Pick a Downloading Tool/Converter.
First, pick the best possible YouTube downloading tool.

In my view, the best tool on the market is 4K Download.

4K Video Downloader
4K Download works with Windows, Mac, and Linux and offers great features like batch downloading, saving playlists, and downloads in 720p, 1080p, and 4k. You may also extract YouTube subtitles and save them in over 50 languages.

Give 4K Download a try and find a 14-day money-back guarantee.

There are various other tools out there and even though there are some decent free tools, the paid versions provide way higher quality.

Characteristics to Look for in A YouTube Downloading Tool.
Quality of The Video — The converted file should have regular video quality for excellent viewing. Ideally, you should be able to manipulate the quality of the video. It may range between low, moderate, or high. It’s even better if you can choose specific video resolution like 360p, 720p, 1080p, and more.
Subtitles — We all like videos in different languages. In such situations, the use of subtitles is vital while playing it on YouTube or YouTube Premium. Logically, you will prefer to download those particular videos along with the subtitles. If you like a particular band, you may want to download their entire discography. And if you like a movie director, you might want to download their entire filmography.
Multiple Document Format Compatibility — You might want to download and save videos in multiple formats in your file manager. Having various options to choose from, like MP3, MP4, FLAC, or AAC, allows you to be more flexible.
Built-In Video Editor — You may want to view a particular song in the middle of a video. Or you may want to edit out a particular part of a film. Video editing needs can appear at any point in time, which makes it an essential feature in a YouTube video downloading tool. You can try any Video Converter (AVC) that includes a built-in editor.
Speed — The application should have the ability to download and convert videos fast. The download times ideally should not be highly affected by fluctuations in net and wi-fi connectivity.
Copy The Video Address Bar URL From YouTube.

Suppose you’re using an online video downloading tool. In cases like this, you need to visit YouTube and start the movie that you want to download.

You can just copy and paste the link URL displayed in the box.

It is possible to open the application in a new tab on the exact same window. When it opens, it will show a text box for you to input the URL.

Here’s a screenshot from y2mate where you can download the video. You simply must paste the URL in the text box above and click on the’Start’ option.

Glue URL y2mate
In case you’re using a downloadable tool, you need to download and install it on your computer first. Once you run it, it will provide you with the very same choices to copy and paste the URL for conversion.

Be cautious about unnecessary software that you might need to download also. Avoid those whenever possible. Some good alternatives are Keepvid, which may help you download video files with Apple MacOS, iPad, iPhone, and Android devices.

You may also have to check into alternative YouTube apps that work from the Google Play Store or with unique smartphones. And if you are downloading from Vimeo to watch videos offline, there are a host of different choices to choose from.

Choose the File Format & Video Quality.

As soon as you glue the YouTube video URL into the search box, you will find a host of choices. As an example, y2mate lets you decide on the video format you want to download, video quality, and the file size.

 

Some of these tools also allow you to download YouTube videos in formats like WMV, MPG, AVI, ASF, M2TS, 3GP, 3G2, FLV, MKV, SWF, WEBM, HTML5 WEBM, HTML5 OGG, HTML5, and much more.

If you’re searching for batch downloads, you can also specify a folder in your computer to store all the videos that are downloaded. You may face some confusion if you’re using a VPN because tools usually highlight on your IP address over the video URL you enter. So if you’re a VPN user, you might want to change the place for appropriate downloads.

Once the video gets downloaded, you can play it whenever and wherever you need.

How Do You Download YouTube Videos Directly?
You don’t always have to use a YouTube video downloading tool. It’s pretty easy to download YouTube videos directly from YouTube.

Here are the steps:

Open YouTube in your browser and head into the video that you want to download.

2.
Add’ss’ In The URL.

Next, you want to edit the URL in the text editor provided by YouTube.

After you’ve entered it, simply press the’Enter’ button on your keyboard.

Next, you get redirected to a free download site.

3.
Proceed to the Download Website

Once redirected, there are loads of free services to use that you don’t have to download or install. The moment you press the’Enter’ button, you get redirected to its site.

You’ll see that the text editor currently has the video URL, so you don’t have to copy and paste any link. Your video is also prepared to get downloaded — all you will need to do is click the’Download’ button.

 

You also get to select the format and the quality of the video. Finally, click on the”download” option, and you will have your video within a few seconds.

How Do You Download YouTube Videos with Browser Add-Ons?
You might not want to tinker around with the YouTube video URL. And some of you might not want to use any third-party tool to download the videos.

In this instance, using add-ons on your browser is just the solution you need.

Choose An Add-on.
There is an add-on for practically everything you could desire.

The fantastic thing is that there are a variety of choices available to download YouTube videos.

Some of them are best suited for Firefox and Chrome, while some are standalone tools.

Here’s an example of a similar add-on known as’YouTube Video and Audio Downloader’ for Opera.

Opera Add-Ons YouTube Downloader
2.

The approach is easy in Opera. And it’s more or less the exact same for other browsers too.

 

 

In Opera, you can just go ahead and click on the’Add to Opera’ option displayed in green colour. Moreover, be certain you download the correct add-on concerning the browser you are using. They won’t work otherwise.

After the add-on gets downloaded, install it. If the add-in doesn’t work after installation, then restart your PC.

Head to YouTube.
Next, head to the YouTube video you want to download. As soon as you’re there, you will see an icon on the top right-hand side (for Opera users).

When you install this add-on, you get some options:

Quick download
Download panel
Conversion tool
Settings
Next, click on the”quick download” option, and you’ll have the video installed in your system.

You will not get the direct download option from YouTube regardless of what browser you use unless you use an add-on.

4.
Pick Your File Format.
Most add-ons provide you with a variety of choices to save the video. Choices range between multiple formats, as well as various video qualities. Ordinarily, a pop-up pops during the download option, asking for your preferences.

How Can You Download YouTube Videos with a Virtual Desktop?
Using a Virtual Desktop (VD) is another simple way to download YouTube videos.

Here’s how you can do it.

 

First, take a look at the YouTube platform and type the name of the video that you need to view and download. As soon as you do this and press the’Enter’ button, the movie begins playing.

2.

Now the practice is similar to when you directly download movies by adding’ss’ to the URL. In cases like this, you want to edit the movie address and add the words’vd’ before’youtube’ and after’www.’ .

Check out this:

After the edit, press the ‘Enter’ button.
Next, you get redirected to the Django website for the video you wish to download.

VDYouTube
3.
Select the Video Format and Quality.

On the VDYouTube site, scroll down to Pick the quality and the arrangement of the YouTube video. Based on your requirements, you can proceed.

Once you click on the”download” option, it is only a matter of seconds before it gets installed on your computer system.

How Do You Download YouTube Videos using a VLC Player?
If you don’t have the VLC media player in your computer system, then you can download it. VLC Media player is secure and makes it easier for you to download YouTube videos.

 

 

Here is how:

Head to YouTube and open the movie that you want to download. Next, copy the URL of the movie.

Open VLC Media Player.

Ideally, you shouldn’t wait for this measure to open the VLC media player. You should keep it open on the taskbar for your advantage.

New Network Stream.

Of course, this is the case when you’re using a Windows OS.

When you are using Mac, the flow is FILE > OPEN NETWORK.

4.
Open Media.

In this stage, you’ll see a page with a text editor, no matter what OS you’re using. Here, paste the copied URL of the YouTube video you need to download.

Hit The ‘Play’ Option.

When you click on the’play’ option, the video begins playing on VLC.

Codec Information.

Next, click on the ‘Tools’ option on the top right-hand corner.
There, you will find an option called’codec info.’ You can also reach the’codec information’ option by using the’CTRL + J’ command.

7.
Location.

The window looks something like this:

You want to copy the information of the movie from the location text box at the bottom of the page. This step is pretty straightforward for Windows users.

However, if you are a Mac user, you want to right-click on the field and click on the’Open URL’ option.

Copy/Paste the URL.

If you are on a Windows system, you already copied the URL. Paste it onto your web browser and click’Enter.’ The step is redundant for Mac users.

9.

At this point, the movie should be playing your browser online. Right-click on the video and select the’Save video as’ option.

10.

The video will now begin downloading. The default format is MP4, and the default title would be’videoplayback.’ Once it gets downloaded, save it with your other movies.

Although the process may seem lengthy right now, it’s pretty simple when you do it yourself.

Executive Summary.
In my view, go with 4K Download — it is the best tool for video quality and MP3 conversions.

This tool lets you access your favorite YouTube videos anytime, even without an Internet connection. Downloading videos and saving them onto your computer or telephone helps you never miss out on the movies you like.

Can you download YouTube videos?

Downloading YouTube videos offline without using an unofficial station takes more money out of Google’s pockets and smaller video creators. There’s a good reason YouTube runs ads on their site: people really make a complete living doing this. But, of course, you too have your own reasons.

If you really want to download a YouTube video without the hassles of using an illicit server or paying for a toll, then you need to use a special program for this purpose. The proper one will make it very easy to download any video you need from YouTube. And on top of that it will do it quickly. In less than a few minutes, the job will be finished. Downloading videos from the internet is getting more difficult nowadays, which is why the perfect software is so important.

There are many programs out there that offer to download YouTube videos from any computer you choose. Most include free trials, but the real paid ones usually offer a money back guarantee in case you’re not pleased with the service. You will want to look at the various services available, including some of the better known names in the downloading field, such as Winx Media Player, Ultra Handy Mariner and the always reliable download manager, WinVera. All these programs provide something different, which is where you will need to divide the wheat from the chaff.

The best downloads will offer not only a single service for downloading movies to your computer, but a bunch of them. This means that you can save time by downloading multiple videos, rather than having to figure out which one you wanted to watch, by going to each website individually. There should also be tools available to help you organize your files. Tools like SavesDL allow you to organize your videos in folders, while other services, such as Zumob, permit you to do similar with music and pictures. Even if you don’t have a lot of space, you can use the best downloader by setting up a playlist of channels that you wish to view and sorting through the list to find what you wish to download.

Finding the best downloader tool for downloading videos from YouTube is just half the battle, since you also need a good program for burning these videos to DVD. The majority of the popular services offer you this but not all of them, which is why you’ll want to be cautious. The superior free video download tools have the capability to make a perfect video for burning to DVD with the greatest picture and audio quality, as well as being easy to use. So look for a website that delivers everything it claims, including features like video editing, so you won’t need to spend hours learning how to create a DVD video from scratch.

If you want a simple way to burn the videos onto a DVD, consider using a program called Videoproc. Videoproc is built-in in Windows, making it a breeze to convert your YouTube videos into the right DVD format. In actuality, many folks prefer using Videoproc instead of other free DVD burning programs simply because it is built-in, easy to use, and a great video conversion tool. It is also very fast when beginning the process, as a result of built-in video transcoding abilities.

If you’re looking for a better option for burning your movies, then check out Fimca, which is built on flash and is the fastest and most advanced video conversion program on the web today. Fimca is also a excellent tool for downloading videos from YouTube, but not so much for burning. If you will need the flexibility of a web browser and the benefits of an FTP client, then Fimca should be your best option. You also won’t have to worry about compatibility issues since it’s designed to run well on every computer and web browser, regardless of its platform.

If you’re still having difficulty figuring out how to convert your videos into a fantastic format for burning, then look into downloading the software from the links below. Downloading the software permits you to quickly convert your videos into a top quality ripper which is compatible with the majority of common video players. As soon as you’ve downloaded the program, you can begin immediately. It has a very simple interface, but once you get started it provides a variety of useful features including an embedding option, an interface to customize your video players, in addition to a gallery that allow you to view your videos in a timeline. Using the Download YouTube Videos Tool With Fimca will save you time, effort, and money, so you can start downloading videos from YouTube instantly!