Buzz
This article explains various methods to save YouTube videos to your Mac for offline viewing. If you don't mind interrupting other tasks while playing a video, you can record it using QuickTime's screen recording feature. For a quicker solution and if you're open to third-party apps, consider using free programs like VLC Media Player or ClipGrab to download videos.
Steps
Using QuickTime
Open the YouTube video you want to record. Don't start playing it immediately—just have the video page ready so you can begin playback whenever needed.
Launch QuickTime on your Mac. Look for the gray and blue "Q" icon in the Launchpad or the Applications folder.
Click on the File menu. This option is located in the top-left corner of the screen within the menu bar.
Select New Screen Recording from the menu. This action opens the Screen Recording window.
- Depending on your macOS version, you may see a toolbar with various icons.
Choose Internal Microphone from the menu. This menu is indicated by a downward arrow next to the red circle in the center of the window. This ensures the app captures the video's audio.
- If you don't see this menu, click on Options.
Click the red circle button. You'll see a quick guide on selecting the screen area to record.
Drag the crosshair icon to select the video area. This tells QuickTime to record only the video portion instead of the entire screen.
Click Record and start playing the video. If the video isn't producing sound, make sure to enable the audio now.
Click the Stop Recording icon when the video finishes. This button, located in the menu at the top of the screen, looks like a black circle with a white square inside. QuickTime will stop recording and display the completed video, which is automatically saved in the Movies folder.
- To trim the beginning or end of the video, click the Edit menu and select Trim. Drag the yellow sliders to choose the portion you want to keep, then click Trim to save the changes.
Using VLC Media Player
Install VLC Media Player on your Mac. If this popular media player isn't already installed, download it from https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html. Follow these steps to install:
- Click the Download VLC button and save the DMG file to your Mac.
- Double-click the downloaded DMG file in the Downloads folder.
- Drag the VLC icon (an orange and white traffic cone) into the Applications folder.
the URL of the YouTube video you want to download. If you haven't done this yet, open the video in your preferred browser. To copy the link, simply click on the address bar to highlight it, then press ⌘ Command+C to copy.
Launch VLC Player. You can find the program in the Applications folder after installing it on your computer.
- You may need to grant the app permission to run during its first use.
Click on the File menu. This option is located in the top-left corner of the menu bar on your screen.
Select Open Network. This will immediately bring up the "Open Source" window.
Click on the "URL" field and press ⌘ Command+V. This pastes the YouTube link into the field.
Click the Open button located at the bottom-right corner of the window. The video will then be added to VLC's playlist.
Right-click the video in the playlist and select Media Information. Once the video starts playing, right-click it and choose Media Information from the menu.
Highlight the URL in the "Location" field and press ⌘ Command+C. This is the link displayed at the bottom of the window. The URL will be copied to your clipboard.
Paste the copied link into your browser and press ⏎ Return. To paste the link, return to your browser, click on the address bar, press ⌘ Command+V, and then press ⏎ Return. The video will start playing in your browser.
Right-click the video and select Save Video as to download it. You can name the video anything you like. Once you save it, the video will be downloaded from YouTube. You can then watch the downloaded video on your Mac, whether you're online or offline.
Using ClipGrab
Visit https://clipgrab.org and click on Free Download. ClipGrab is a free Mac application that allows you to save videos directly to your computer. It's a great alternative to QuickTime because you don't have to wait while recording—just paste the link, and the app handles the rest.
Open the ClipGrab installer. You can click on the program's name at the bottom of your browser. If you don't see it, double-click the installer in the Downloads folder.
Drag the ClipGrab icon into the Applications folder to complete the installation.
Launch ClipGrab once the installation is complete. The program will be located in the Applications folder.
Click on the Downloads tab in ClipGrab. This option is located near the top of the window.
the URL of the YouTube video you want to download. If you haven't done this yet, open the video in your preferred browser. To copy the link, click on the address bar to highlight it and press ⌘ Command+C.
Paste the copied link into ClipGrab. To do this, return to ClipGrab, click on the input field, and press ⌘ Command+V to paste the link.
Select MPEG4 from the "Format" menu. If you prefer a different video file format, feel free to choose accordingly.
Click on Grab this clip. This option is located below the link you pasted into the empty field. ClipGrab will download the YouTube video to your computer's default Downloads folder.
Warning
- YouTube encourages users to watch videos online and does not support downloading videos for offline viewing. You assume all risks associated with downloading YouTube videos, and be aware that you may face penalties for such actions.
