Buzz
This guide will show you how to download YouTube videos to your computer, phone, or tablet. However, it's important to note that while downloading most YouTube videos isn't illegal, it does violate Google's terms of service if you use third-party tools.
Steps
Using Y2Mate on a computer, phone, or tablet
Visit https://www.youtube.com using a web browser. You can use any browser on your computer, phone, or tablet for this method.
Click on the video you want to download. This will start playing the video immediately.
the video's URL. Click or tap on the web address at the top of your browser—it will be highlighted. Now, right-click (or tap and hold on a phone or tablet) on the selected address to open the menu, then click or tap .
Visit https://y2mate.com using your web browser. This free website allows you to download audio and video files from YouTube.
- This site is free but contains ads. If a pop-up suggests installing a program, close the window.
- You can use this method on any YouTube download site. For help finding a reliable one, search Google for "youtube download site" and choose one of the top results.
Paste the copied URL. Simply right-click (or tap and hold) on the bar that says "Search or paste link here" and select Paste.
Click on Start. This is the pink button next to the URL. Clicking it will refresh the page.
Click the Download button next to your preferred format. To download a video, select the green Download link next to your desired file size and type. For audio files, click the Audio tab to choose the appropriate option.
- If you want a smaller file, choose a lower resolution.
- The quality of options varies depending on the video. For very long videos, HD quality may not be available.
Save the video or audio file to your computer. If the download doesn’t start automatically, follow the on-screen instructions to save the file.
Using VLC Player on a Computer
Visit https://www.youtube.com on your computer. If your computer already has VLC Media Player installed, you can use it to download YouTube videos. Start by opening your web browser and navigating to YouTube.
- If VLC Player isn’t installed, you can download it from https://www.videolan.org or use an alternative method.
- This method works for most videos, but some may display an error message like "Your input can't be opened" during the download process.
- If the program can’t download the video, it’s likely because YouTube restricts the video’s location due to copyright content. To bypass this, use an unrestricted download site like mpgun.com or another computer program.
Navigate to the video you want to download. Use the "Search" bar at the top of the screen to find the video. It will start playing once selected.
the video's URL. Highlight the URL in the address bar at the top of your browser and press Ctrl+C (Windows) or ⌘ Command+C (Mac).
Open VLC Player. You can find this program in the Start menu on Windows or in the Applications folder on macOS. It has an orange traffic cone icon.
- If VLC isn’t installed, you can download it for free from https://www.videolan.org. VLC is an open-source media player that supports a wide range of file formats.
Open a new network stream window. This window allows you to stream content from your web browser directly into VLC. The steps differ slightly between Windows and macOS:
- Windows: Click Media, then select Open Network Stream....
- macOS: Click File and choose Open Network.
Paste the YouTube video URL into the appropriate field. Click the input field labeled "Please enter a network URL," then press Ctrl+V (Windows) or ⌘ Command+V (Mac).
Click the Play button on Windows or Open on Mac. This will start playing the YouTube video in VLC.
- If you can’t view any YouTube videos, update VLC to the latest version and try again.
- If you still can’t play YouTube videos, copy the content from this webpage, paste it into a new Notepad or TextEdit file, and save it as "youtube.lua". On Windows, navigate to "C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoLAN\VLC\lua\playlist" in File Explorer. On Mac, right-click VLC.app in Applications, select Show Contents, and go to "/MacOS/share/lua/playlist". Finally, delete the "youtube.luac" file and replace it with your saved "youtube.lua" file.
View the video's codec information. Follow these steps:
- Windows: Click Tools, then select Codec Information.
- Mac: Click Window and choose Media Information.
the information in the "Location" field. Highlight the long address below the window and copy it using these steps:
- Windows: Right-click the highlighted link and select .
- Mac: Right-click the input field and choose Open URL.
Paste the copied link into your web browser and press ↵ Enter. Mac users can skip this step as the video will already appear in the browser. Windows users should open a new browser tab, right-click the address bar, and select Paste.
Right-click the video and choose Save video as. This will open your computer's "Save" dialog box.
Download the video. Right-click the video in your browser and select Save video as from the menu. This will download the video to your computer as an MP4 file named "videoplayback".
Select the save location and click Save. The video will then download to your computer. Once the download is complete, you can view the video by double-clicking the file.
Using 4K Video Downloader on a Computer
Download the 4K Video Downloader installation file. Visit https://www.4kdownload.com/products/product-videodownloader using your computer's browser, then click Get 4K Video Downloader on the left side of the page. This will download the 4K Video Downloader setup file to your computer.
- 4K Video Downloader is compatible with both Windows and Mac computers.
Install 4K Video Downloader. Once the setup file is downloaded, follow these steps to install the program:
- Windows: Double-click the setup file, select Yes when prompted, and follow the on-screen installation instructions.
- Mac: Double-click the setup file, verify the installation if required, click and drag the 4K Video Downloader app icon into the "Applications" folder, and follow the on-screen instructions.
Visit https://www.youtube.com using your web browser.
Navigate to the video you want to download. The video will start playing immediately.
the video's URL. Click on the video's address in the browser's address bar, then press Ctrl+A (Windows) or ⌘ Command+A (Mac) to select all, then press Ctrl+C or ⌘ Command+C to copy.
Open 4K Video Downloader. If 4K Video Downloader doesn't launch automatically after installation, click its icon in the Windows Start menu or the Mac Applications folder.
Click Paste Link. This option is located in the top-left corner of the 4K Video Downloader window. This action will allow the program to process the URL you just copied.
Select a video format from the "Format" menu. If you don't see "4K" as an option for a video you know supports 4K, changing the format from MP4 to MKV often reveals the 4K option.
Select the quality. By default, the highest quality is selected, but you can check the box next to a different quality (such as 1080p) if your computer doesn't support the highest resolution.
- For example, many laptop screens don't support 4K video playback, meaning downloading a 4K video would be unnecessary.
Click Download. This option is located at the bottom of the window. The video will begin downloading to your computer immediately.
Open the video's save folder. Once the download is complete, right-click the file and select Show in Folder from the menu. This will open File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) with the downloaded video; you can now double-click the file to play it in your computer's default video player.
- On Mac, you can hold the Ctrl key while clicking the video to open the right-click menu.
Using KeepVid on iPhone or iPad
Install the Documents by Readdle app on your iPhone or iPad. Apple has made downloading files to iPhones or iPads relatively difficult, so you'll need to use the Readdle app. Download it as follows:
- Open the App Store.
- Tap Search at the bottom-right corner.
- Type readdle into the search bar at the top and tap Search.
- Tap GET or the cloud icon next to "Documents by Readdle". It's a gray "D" icon with a yellow and green corner.
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
Open YouTube on your iPhone or iPad. The app has a white icon with a red rectangle and a white triangle inside.
Navigate to the video you want to download. Tap the magnifying glass icon at the top of the screen to search, or tap Library at the bottom-right corner to find saved videos. The video will start playing once selected.
Tap Share. This is the arrow icon below the video title. Other sharing options will appear here.
Tap link. This option has a gray icon with two overlapping rectangles in the row of icons at the bottom of the screen. The video's URL will be copied to your clipboard.
Open the Documents app. This app has a gray "D" icon with a yellow and green corner. It might be located on the last page of your home screen.
- Since this is your first time using the app, tap Continue when prompted and follow the instructions until you see the word "Documents" at the top of the screen.
Tap the blue compass icon. This option is usually located at the bottom-right corner of the "Documents" screen. A web browser window will appear on your screen.
Visit https://keepvid.pro using the browser. You can do this by entering the URL into the "Go to this address" field at the top of the screen and selecting Go.
Tap the "Enter Link" field. This will bring up your device's keyboard on the screen.
Tap and hold the "Enter Link" field. After a few seconds, you'll see the options "Select All" and "Paste" appear.
Tap Paste. This will paste the copied YouTube video link into the field.
Tap the blue Download Now button. Keepvid will find the video and provide several download options below.
Scroll down and tap Best Download. This is the blue button below the video's duration. A "Save File" screen will appear.
- If you want a smaller file, tap Download Other Formats below and choose a different option.
Rename the file (optional) and tap Done. This will download the video to your iPhone or iPad. Once the download is complete, you'll return to the main screen of Documents by Readdle.
Add the Readdle folder to the Files app. If Readdle is added to the Files app, you can easily find downloaded videos. Follow these steps:
- Open the Files app with the blue folder icon on your home screen. It might be inside a folder.
- Tap Browse at the bottom.
- Tap Edit at the top-right corner.
- Toggle the "Documents" switch to the green On position.
- Tap Done at the top-right corner.
- Now you can use the Files app to locate videos downloaded via Documents by Readdle.
View the downloaded video. When you want to watch the video, follow these steps:
- Open the Files app.
- Tap Browse.
- Tap Documents.
- Tap Downloads.
- Tap the video you want to watch.
Tips
- Finding and downloading song videos in MP3 format will give you an audio file. However, the music quality won't be the best since it's extracted from a video, not a high-quality audio source.
- Be patient! Depending on your internet speed, even a one-minute video can take 2-3 minutes to download.
Warnings
- Downloading certain songs or videos may violate intellectual property laws if the content is owned by companies. To avoid this, only download YouTube content with the owner's permission. Otherwise, you may be held responsible for copyright infringement.
