YouTube is the largest on-demand video platform on earth.

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

If you would like to save videos to watch later, you will need to understand how to download YouTube videos effectively. You may download YouTube videos to formats like MP4, AVI, MPEG, and more. Or if you only need music, you can convert YouTube videos into MP3 files.

With so many ways to download and get videos on demand, I created this resource with the latest ways to download YouTube videos this year.

Let’s begin.

Disclaimer: Please be aware I may get affiliate reimbursement for some of the links below at no charge to you. However, these are the best tools I have tested for downloading and converting YouTube videos into MP3 files. You can read my affiliate disclosure in my privacy policy.

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

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

While 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 are just using the video for personal use, it can be considered lawful.

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

Quite simply, it is possible to watch Youtube videos, but just from Google applications.

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

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

Downloading videos from YouTube is a simple and straightforward process.

The first method to download YouTube videos is to use a video converter.

Download YouTube Videos Using a Video Downloading Tool.
Working with a YouTube downloader is the fastest way to download YouTube videos.
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.

You can even 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 some other programs out there and while there are some decent free tools, the paid versions provide way higher quality.

Features to Look for in A YouTube Downloading Tool.
Quality of The Video — The transformed file should have regular video quality for excellent viewing. Ideally, you should be able to control the quality of the video. It might 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 that are in various languages. In such situations, the use of subtitles is essential while playing with it on YouTube or YouTube Premium. Logically, you’ll prefer to download those special videos together with the subtitles. If you like a specific band, you might want to download their entire discography. And if you like a film director, you might want to download their entire filmography.
Multiple Document Format Compatibility — You might choose 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 elastic.
Built-In Video Editor — You may want to view a specific song in the midst of a video. Or you might want to edit out a specific portion of a film. Video editing needs can appear at any point in time, which makes it an important feature in a YouTube video downloading tool. You may try out Any Video Converter (AVC) which comes with a built-in editor.
Speed — The application should be able to convert and download videos fast. The download times ideally shouldn’t 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 this case, you will need to head to YouTube and start the movie you want to download.

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

You can open the application in a new tab on the same window. When it opens, it will display a text box that you input the URL.

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

Paste URL y2mate
In case you’re using a downloadable tool, you need to download and install it on your computer . As soon as you run it, it will provide you with the very same options to copy and paste the URL for conversion.

Be careful about unnecessary software you may have to download as well. Avoid those whenever possible. Some good options are Keepvid, which may help you download video files with Apple MacOS, iPad, iPhone, and Android devices.

You may also have to look into alternative YouTube apps that work from the Google Play Store or with different smartphones. And if you’re downloading from Vimeo to watch videos offline, you will find a host of different choices to choose from.

Once you paste the YouTube video URL into the search box, you’ll get a host of alternatives. As an example, y2mate lets you choose the video format you wish to download, video quality, and also the file size.

 

If you’re looking for batch downloads, you can also specify a folder in your computer to save 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 within the video URL you enter. So if you’re a VPN user, you might want to change the place for proper 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 simple to download YouTube videos straight from YouTube.

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

Add’ss’ In The URL.

Next, you want to edit the URL in the text editor provided by YouTube. Simply, enter ‘ss’ after ‘www.’ but before ‘youtube.com.’

After you have entered it, simply press the’Enter’ button on your computer.

3.
Go to the Download Site

Once redirected, there are loads of free services to use that you don’t need to install or download. As soon as you press the’Enter’ button, you get redirected to its site.

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

 

You also get to choose the format and the quality of the video. Lastly, click on the”download” option, and you’ll have your video in a couple of seconds.

How Do You Download YouTube Videos with Browser Add-Ons?
You may 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 in your browser is simply the solution you need.

There’s an add-on for practically everything you could desire.

The good thing is that there are an assortment of choices available to download YouTube videos.

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

Here is an example of a similar add-on called’YouTube Video and Audio Downloader’ for Opera.

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

 

 

In Opera, you can simply go ahead and click on the’Add to Opera’ option displayed in green colour. Moreover, be certain you download the right add-on concerning the browser you’re 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 that you want to download. As soon as you’re there, you’ll see an icon on the top right-hand side (for Opera users).

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

Fast download
Download panel
Conversion tool
Settings
Next, click on the”fast download” option, and you will have the video installed in your system.

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

4.
Pick Your File Format.
Most add-ons supply you with a variety of choices to save the movie. Alternatives range between multiple formats, in addition to various video qualities. Usually, a pop-up pops during the download option, asking for your tastes.

How Do You Download YouTube Videos using a Virtual Desktop?
Working with a Virtual Desktop (VD) is another easy way to download YouTube videos.

Here is how you can do it.

 

First, visit the YouTube platform and type the name of the video that you need to see and download. As soon as you do this and press the’Enter’ button, the video begins playing.

Insert”vd” To The URL.

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

Check this out:

Next, you get redirected to the Django site for the video you wish to download.

Choose the Video Format and Quality.

On the VDYouTube site, scroll down to choose the quality and the arrangement of the YouTube video. Based on your needs, you can go ahead.

4.

Once you click on the”download” option, it’s simply a matter of seconds until it gets installed on your computer system.

How Can You Download YouTube Videos with 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:

1.
Head To YouTube Video & Copy The URL.

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

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

3.
New Network Stream.

When you start the VLC media player, head over to the’Media’ option, and click on it.

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

When you are using Mac, the stream 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 that you want to download.

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

Codec Information.

There, you’ll find an option called’codec info.’ You can also reach the’codec data’ 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 measure is pretty simple 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.

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

9.
Save the Video.

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

10.
Download The Video.

The movie will now start downloading. The default format is MP4, and the default name would be’videoplayback.’ Once it gets downloaded, save it with your other videos.

Although the process might seem lengthy at the moment, it’s pretty easy when you do it yourself.

There you have it — some of the best ways to download YouTube videos.
In my view, go with 4K Download — it’s the ideal 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 storing them onto your computer or phone helps you never lose out on the videos you like.

Do you download YouTube videos? Which tool do you use? Let me know in the comments below.

Downloading YouTube videos offline without using an unofficial channel takes more money out of Google’s pockets and smaller video founders. There is a good reason YouTube runs ads on their site: people actually make a complete living doing this. But, obviously, 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 want to use a special program for this purpose. The proper one will make it very easy to download any movie you need from YouTube. And on top of that it will do it quickly. In less than a couple of minutes, the job will be finished. Downloading videos from the web is getting more difficult nowadays, which is the reason why the right software is so vital.

There are numerous programs out there that offer to download YouTube videos from any computer you choose. Most come with free trials, but the real paid ones usually offer a money back guarantee in case you’re not satisfied with the service. You will want to look at the various services available, such as some of the better known names in the downloading area, such as Winx Media Player, Ultra Handy Mariner and the always reliable download manager, WinVera. All of 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 one single service for downloading movies to your computer, but a lot of them. This means that you can save time by downloading many videos, instead of having to figure out which one you wanted to watch, by going to each site individually. There should also be tools available to help you organize your documents. 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 establishing a playlist of channels that you want to view and sorting through the list to find what you want to download.

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

If you want a simple way to burn the videos onto a DVD, think about using a program named Videoproc. Videoproc is built-in in Windows, which makes it a cinch to convert your YouTube videos into the right DVD format. In actuality, a lot of people prefer using Videoproc instead of other complimentary DVD burning programs only because it’s built-in, simple 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 great tool for downloading videos from YouTube, but not so much for burning. If you will need the flexibility of a web browser and also the advantages of an FTP client, then Fimca should be your top choice. You also won’t have to be concerned about compatibility issues as it is designed to run well on every computer and web browser, regardless of its platform.

If you are still having trouble 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 high quality ripper that’s compatible with the vast majority of ordinary video players. Once you’ve downloaded the software, you can get started right away. It has a simple interface, but once you get started it offers a number of helpful features including an embedding choice, an interface to customize your video players, as well as a gallery that let you view your videos at 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!