This wikiHow teaches you how to download YouTube videos to your computer, phone, or tablet. While downloading most videos from YouTube isn't illegal, keep in mind that this activity violates Google's terms of service.
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Method 1 of 5: Via KeepVid on Computer
Step 1. Go to https://www.youtube.com using a web browser
You can use free YouTube video download sites like KeepVid to download YouTube videos to your computer. However, open the video you want to download first before accessing KeepVid.
Step 2. Find the video you want to download
You can select available videos on the main page or search for specific videos using the “Search” bar at the top of the screen. Once selected, the video will play immediately.
Step 3. Select the Share icon
This gray arrow button is shown below the video window. Several video sharing options will load afterwards.
Step 4. Click the blue COPY link next to the video URL
After that, the video link will be copied to the computer clipboard.
Step 5. Go to
You can open the site from the same tab if you want.
Step 6. Right-click the "Enter Link" column
You can see this column at the top of the KeepVid page.
Step 7. Select Paste
Step 8. Select the blue Download Now button
KeepVid will extract the video from the link and display several video format options.
Step 9. Select the video format you want
To download the highest quality video available, select the “ Best Downloads ” is blue next to the selected video. To download a lower quality (and smaller size) file, select “ Download Other Formats ” and click the option you want. The video file will be downloaded to the computer afterwards.
Specify the storage directory and select “ Save ”, “ Download ", or " OK ” when prompted. Once the video is finished downloading, you can watch it by double-clicking the file icon on your computer.
Method 2 of 5: Using 4K Video Downloader on Computer
Step 1. Download the installation file of the 4K Video Downloader program
Visit https://www.4kdownload.com/products/product-videodownloader using a computer browser, then select the link “ Get 4K Video Downloader ” on the left side of the page. After that, the installation file for the 4K Video Downloader program will be downloaded to your computer.
4K Video Downloader is available for Windows and Mac computers
Step 2. Install 4K Video Downloader
Once the 4K Video Downloader installation file has finished downloading, you can install the program by following these steps:
- Windows: Double-click the program installation file, select “ Yes ” when prompted, then follow the on-screen installation instructions.
- Mac: Double-click the program's installation file, verify the installation if necessary, select and drag the 4K Video Downloader application icon to the " Applications " folder, then follow the on-screen instructions.
Step 3. Visit https://www.youtube.com via a web browser
Step 4. Find the video you want to download
The video will play immediately once selected.
Step 5. Copy the video address
Click the video's address in the bar at the top of your browser window, then press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Command+A (Mac) to select the full URL and use Ctrl+C or Command+C to copy it.
Step 6. Open the 4K Video Downloader program
If 4K Video Downloader does not open automatically after installation, click the program icon or link in the Windows “Start” menu or folder “ Applications ” on a Mac computer.
Step 7. Click Paste Link
You can see the button on the top left side of the 4K Video Downloader window. Once the button is clicked, 4K Video Downloader will extract the video from the copied address.
Step 8. Specify the video format you want to download from the "Format" menu
If you don't see the " 4K " option in the list of video quality options that do support 4K resolution, you can usually display the " 4K” option by changing the video format from MP4 to MKV.
Step 9. Select the video quality
By default, the program will select the highest quality available. However, you can check the box next to a different option (eg. 1080p ”) if the computer does not support playback of the highest quality video.
For example, most laptop screens don't support 4K video, so downloading videos at that resolution would be a waste
Step 10. Click Download
It's at the bottom of the window. After that, the video will be downloaded to the computer.
Step 11. Open the downloaded video storage folder
After the video has finished downloading, right-click the video on the download list and select “ Show in Folder ” from the drop-down menu. A File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) window will open and display the downloaded video file. You can double-click the video file afterwards to play it in your computer's main video player program.
On Mac computers, you can hold down the Ctrl key while clicking a video in the download list to display a right-click menu
Method 3 of 5: Using VLC Player on a Computer
Step 1. Go to https://www.youtube.com on your computer
If you have VLC Media Player installed on your computer, you can use it to download videos from YouTube. Start by accessing YouTube through a browser first.
- If VLC Player is not already available on your computer, you can download it from https://www.videolan.org or use another method.
- You can follow this method for most videos from YouTube. However, a "Your input can't be opened" error message may be displayed during the downloading process of some videos.
- If VLC Player won't play the video, it's because YouTube restricts the location of the video on the web if the video contains copyrighted content. The only way to get around this is to use a website that isn't subject to these restrictions (eg mpgun.com) or another program.
Step 2. Find the video you want to download
You can search for videos using the “Search” bar at the top of the page. Once selected, the video will play immediately.
Step 3. Copy the video URL
You can mark the address in the bar at the top of your browser window and press Ctrl+C (PC) or Command+C (Mac).
Step 4. Open the VLC Player program
Programs are available in the “Start” menu (Windows) or the “Applications” folder (Mac). VLC Player is indicated by an orange traffic funnel icon.
If you don't have VLC Player, you can download it for free from https://www.videolan.org. VLC is an open source video player program that has a lot of powerful features for playing different types of files
Step 5. Open a new network stream
The “network streams” feature allows you to play content from your browser via VLC. The steps to follow are slightly different between Windows and MacOS computers:
- Windows: Click “ Media " and select " Open Network Stream… ”.
- MacOS: Click “ File " and select " Open Network ”.
Step 6. Paste the URL of the video from YouTube that was previously copied into the field
Select the " Please enter a network URL " text field and press Ctrl+V (PC) or Command+V (Mac).
Step 7. Select Play (PC) or Open (Mac).
Selected videos from YouTube will play in VLC.
- If you can't play any videos from YouTube, please update VLC to the latest version and try again.
- If you still can't play any video from YouTube, copy text on this webpage and paste it into a new Notepad or TextEdit document. Save the file as " youtube.lua". On Windows, visit " C:\Program Files (x86)\VideoLAN\VLC\lua\playlist " via File Explorer. On Mac, right-click VLC.app on the folder " Applications " and click " Show Contents " After that, access the directory " /MacOS/share/lua/playlist ". Delete the " youtube.luac " file and replace it with the new " youtube.lua " file you saved.
Step 8. Review the video codec information
To review the information:
- Windows: Click “ Tools " and select " Codec Information ”.
- Mac: Click “ windows " and select " Media Information ”.
Step 9. Copy the entry in the "Location" field
You can see the long address that needs to be copied at the bottom of the window. Mark the address in full and follow these steps to copy it:
- Windows: Right-click the selected address and select “ Copy ”.
- Mac: Right-click the column and select “ Open URL ”.
Step 10. Paste the copied address into your browser and press Enter
You can skip this step on Mac computers as the video is already showing in the browser. If you are using a Windows computer, open a new tab, right-click the address bar, and select “ Paste ”.
Step 11. Right-click the video window and select Save video as
After that, the "Save" dialog window will load.
Step 12. Download the preloaded video
Right-click the video window in the browser and select the option “ Save video as ” from the drop-down menu. The video will be downloaded to the computer as an MP4 file with the name " videoplayback ".
Step 13. Specify the file storage directory and click Save
The video will be downloaded to the computer. Once the video is finished downloading, you can watch it by double-clicking the video file.
Method 4 of 5: Using TubeMate on Android Device
Step 1. Open https://tubemate.net using your device's web browser
Tubemate is a free app that you can use to download videos from YouTube to your Android device. TubeMate is not available on Play Store. However, you can download the app's APK file and install it manually.
Downloading APK files is always risky, but Tubemate is a popular app that has many trusted users
Step 2. Select APKMirror to download the APK file of the app
After that, you will be directed to the APKMirror download site.
Step 3. Scroll the page and select the red DOWNLOAD APK button
The page you are accessing contains many other links so make sure you select the link with the caption. A pop-up window will load at the bottom of the screen to confirm saving the file.
Step 4. Select OK from the pop-up window
After that, the file will be downloaded to your Android device. Once the file has finished downloading, a pop-up window will appear and contain an "Open" button.
Step 5. Select Open in the pop-up window
After that, a confirmation message will load.
Step 6. Select INSTALL
Once the option is selected, TubeMate will be installed to the device.
Step 7. Select OPEN after installation is complete
This option appears at the bottom right of the confirmation message.
Step 8. Read the terms of use and select AGREE
By selecting AGREE ”, you agree that you will download the videos for personal use only.
Step 9. Select OK from the “Permissions” pop-up window
This window only shows the permissions you need to grant in order for TubeMate to run.
Step 10. Follow the on-screen prompts to give TubeMate permission
You need to allow apps to save files to your device and “paste” changes or settings into other apps. Other permissions are optional.
When prompted to enable the "Drawing over apps" permission, simply slide the switch to the on or “On” position, then select the back button to access the TubeMate page which looks like a YouTube page
Step 11. Find the video you want to download
TubeMate will load a new page identical to the YouTube main page. After completing the short tutorial, use the search field at the top of the screen to find the video you want to download.
Step 12. Select the red arrow icon
You can see this icon on the bottom right side of the screen. A list of download options for the selected video will load.
Step 13. Select the file size and format you want
Video formats load in the top half of the screen and audio options in the bottom half. Touch one of the “ MP4 ” if you want to download videos.
The largest resolution option (“1900 x 1080”) has the largest file size. You can see detailed file sizes on the right side of each resolution option
Step 14. Select the red arrow icon
This button is displayed on the right side of the screen. After that, the video will be downloaded to the device. When the video is finished downloading, you can watch it through the app Photos or Gallery, like when you are about to watch other videos.
If an unfamiliar pop-up window appears asking you to download something, touch the option “ No " This window looks like a warning from the system, but actually functions as an ad that will redirect you to the Play Store. These ads won't install malicious apps, but don't be fooled into downloading additional unneeded apps.
Method 5 of 5: Via KeepVid on iPhone or iPad
Step 1. Install the Documents by Readdle app on your iPhone or iPad first
Apple makes it difficult for users to download files directly to an iPhone or iPad, so you have to use the Readdle app. Follow these steps to download the app:
- open App Store.
- Select icon " Search ” at the bottom right of the screen.
- Type readdle into the search bar at the top of the screen and select Search.
- Choose " GET ” or the cloud icon next to " Documents by Readdle ". Documents by Readdle is marked by a gray “D” icon with yellow and green accents.
- Follow the instructions on the screen.
Step 2. Open YouTube on iPhone or iPad
The YouTube app has a white icon with a red rectangle and a white triangle inside.
Step 3. Find the video you want to download
Select the magnifying glass button at the top of the screen to search for videos or tap “ Library ” at the bottom right of the screen to browse for the videos you've saved to your account. Once you find and select the video you want, it will play immediately.
Step 4. Select Share
This option is indicated by an arrow icon displayed below the video title. After that, some video sharing options icons will load.
Step 5. Select Copy link
This option is indicated by a gray icon with two rectangles stacked on the bottom row of icons. After that, the video URL will be copied to the clipboard.
Step 6. Open Documents
The app has a gray “D” icon with yellow and green accents. The icon occupies the position of the last icon on the home screen.
Since this is your first time using the app, select “ Continue ” when prompted and skip through the displayed pages until you arrive at the page with the text " Documents " on it.
Step 7. Select the blue compass icon
You can see this icon on the bottom right side of the " Documents " page. The browser will be opened in the application afterwards.
Step 8. Open https://keepvid.pro in a browser
You can manually type the URL into the " Go to this address " bar at the top of the screen and select the Go button.
Step 9. Select the "Enter Link" field
After that, the device keyboard will be displayed on the screen.
Step 10. Select and hold the “Enter Link” column
After a few seconds, the "Select All" and "Paste" options will load.
Step 11. Select Paste
The URL of the YouTube video that you previously copied will be added to the field.
Step 12. Select the blue Download Now button
After that, Keepvid will search for the video from the URL and display several download options under the video window.
Step 13. Scroll the screen and select Best Download
You can see this blue button below the video duration marker. After that, the "Save File" page will load.
If you want a smaller file size, select the “ Download Other Formats ” and touch another option.
Step 14. Rename the video file (optional) and select Done
The selected video will be downloaded to the device. Once the video is downloaded, you will be redirected to the main Documents by Readdle page.
Step 15. Add the “Readdle” directory to Files
You can easily access your downloaded videos if you add the Readdle directory to the Files app. Follow these steps:
- open Files (marked by a blue folder icon on the device's home screen). This icon may be stored in another folder.
- Choose " Browse ” below the screen.
- Choose " Edit ” at the top right of the screen.
- Slide the " Documents " switch to the “On” or active position (green).
- Choose " Done ” at the top right of the screen.
- At this stage, you can already use Files to access or open downloaded videos using Documents by Readdle.
Step 16. Enjoy your downloaded videos
Follow these steps when you want to watch downloaded videos:
- open Files.
- Choose " Browse ”.
- Choose " Documents ”.
- Touch " Downloads ”.
- Select the video you want to watch.
Tips
- You will get music files when you search for music videos and download them in MP3 format. However, because it's extracted from a video (and not downloaded in a high-quality audio format in the first place), the music file may not be of the best quality.
- Be patient. To download a one minute video, it may take 2-3 minutes, depending on the speed of your internet connection.
