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

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 effectively. You can download YouTube videos to formats such as MP4, AVI, MPEG, and more. Or if you just need audio, you can convert YouTube videos to MP3 files.

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

Let’s get started.

Disclaimer: Please noteI may receive affiliate compensation for some of the links below at no charge to you. However, these are the best tools I’ve tested for downloading and converting YouTube videos to MP3 files. You can read my affiliate disclosure in my privacy policy.

Is Downloading YouTube Videos Legal?

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

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

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

YouTube states,”You shall 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.”

In other words, you can 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 prohibit 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 that 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 Using 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 provides great features like batch downloading, saving playlists, and downloads in 720p, 1080p, and 4k. You can even extract YouTube subtitles and save them in more than 50 languages.

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

There are some other programs out there and while there are some good free tools, the paid versions offer way higher quality.

Features to Look for in A YouTube Downloading Tool.
Quality of The Video — The converted file must have standard video quality for excellent viewing. Ideally, you should be able to control the quality of the video. It may range between low, medium, 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 cases, the use of subtitles is essential whilst 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 film director, you might want to download their entire filmography.
Multiple File 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 flexible.
Built-In Video Editor — You may want to view a specific song in the midst 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, making it an important feature in a YouTube video downloading tool. You can try out Any Video Converter (AVC) which includes a built-in editor.
Speed — The tool should have the ability to convert and download videos fast. The download times ideally shouldn’t be highly affected by fluctuations in internet and wi-fi connectivity.
Suppose you’re using an online video downloading tool. In this case, you need to visit YouTube and start the movie you want to download.

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

You can start the tool in a new tab on the exact same window. When it opens, it will display a text box for you to 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 the’Start’ option. Some sites may also have buttons saying’Go’ or’Download.’

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

Be careful about unnecessary software that you may need to download as well. Avoid those whenever possible. Some good alternatives are Keepvid, which can 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 in the Google Play Store or with different smartphones. And if you are downloading from Vimeo to watch videos offline, you will find a host of different choices to select 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. For instance, y2mate lets you choose the video format you want to download, video quality, and the file size.

 

Finally, select the option you want and click on the”Download” option.

Some of the 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 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 within the video URL you enter. So if you’re a VPN user, you might want to change the location for appropriate downloads.

When the movie gets downloaded, you can play it whenever and wherever you need.

How Can 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 directly from YouTube.

Here are the steps:

1.

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

Add’ss’ From The URL.

Simply, enter ‘ss’ after ‘www.’

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

Next, you get redirected to a free download site.

3.
Go to the Download Website

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

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

 

You also get to choose 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 Can 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 case, using add-ons in your browser is simply the solution you want.

1.

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

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

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

Here is an example of a similar add-on called’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 same for other browsers too.

 

 

In Opera, you can simply go ahead and click on the’Add to Opera’ option displayed in green color. Moreover, be certain you download the correct 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.

Next, head into the YouTube video 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 choices:

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

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

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

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

Here is how you can do it.

 

1.

First, take a look at the YouTube platform and type the title of the video that you want to view and download. Once you do this and press the’Enter’ button, then the video starts playing.

Insert”vd” To The URL.

Now the process is similar to when you directly download videos 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 this out:

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

Choose the Video Format and Quality.

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

4.

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

How Can 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’s how:

1.

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

Open VLC Media Player.

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

New Network Stream.

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

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 phase, you’ll see a page with a text editor, no matter what OS you are using. Here, paste the copied URL of the YouTube video that you need to download.

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

Codec Information.

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

When you click on the’codec info,’ a new window opens up.

Location.

The window looks something like this:

You want to copy the information of the movie in the location text box in the bottom of the page. This measure is pretty simple for Windows users.

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

8.
Copy/Paste the URL.

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

9.

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

10.

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

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

In my view, go with 4K Download — it’s the ideal tool for video quality and MP3 conversions.

This tool enables you to access your favorite YouTube videos anytime, even without an Internet connection. Downloading videos and storing them onto your computer or phone can help you never miss out on the movies you like.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BG9s1m8QAI

Downloading YouTube videos offline without having an unofficial station takes more money out of Google’s pockets and smaller video founders. There’s a good reason YouTube runs ads on their website: people really make a complete living doing this. But, obviously, you also 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 video you need from YouTube. And best of all 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 these days, which is the reason why the perfect software is so vital.

There are numerous programs out there that offer to download YouTube videos from any computer you choose. Most include free trials, but the actual paid ones usually provide a money back guarantee in case you’re not pleased with the service. You will want to check at the different 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 these programs provide something different, which is where you 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 find out which one you wanted to observe, by going to each site 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 may use the best downloader by setting up a playlist of stations that you want to see and sorting through the list to locate what you want to download.

Locating 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. The majority of the popular services offer 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 best picture and sound quality, as well as being simple to use. So look for a website that delivers everything it claims, including features like video editing, so you won’t have to spend hours learning how to create a DVD video from scratch.

If you need a simple way to burn the videos onto a DVD, then think about using a program called Videoproc. Videoproc is built-in in Windows, which makes it a breeze to convert your YouTube videos into a proper DVD format. In fact, many folks prefer using Videoproc instead of other free DVD burning programs only because it is built-in, easy to use, and a great video conversion tool. Additionally it is very fast when beginning the process, as a result of built-in video transcoding abilities.

If you’re searching for a better option for burning your videos, then check out Fimca, which is built on flash and is the fastest and most innovative video conversion program online 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 also the advantages of an FTP client, then Fimca should be your best choice. You also won’t have to worry about compatibility issues as 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 research downloading the software from the links below. Downloading the software allows you to quickly convert your videos into a top quality ripper that’s compatible with the vast majority of ordinary video players. As soon as you’ve downloaded the software, you can begin immediately. It has a simple interface, but once you get started it offers a number of helpful features including an embedding option, an interface to personalize your video players, as well as a gallery that allow you to view your videos at a timeline. Using the Download YouTube Videos Tool With Fimca will save you time, effort, and money, so you can begin downloading videos from YouTube instantly!