This wikiHow teaches you several ways to follow to save videos from YouTube to your Mac for viewing offline. If you don't mind waiting while the video plays, you can record a video using the QuickTime screen recording feature (screen recording). If you don't have much time and want to download a third-party app, you can get videos from YouTube using VLC Media Player and ClipGrab. You can get both applications for free.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Using QuickTime
Step 1. Open the video you want to record on YouTube
Don't play the video right away; simply display it in a browser window to be ready to record.
Step 2. Open QuickTime on the computer
These apps are indicated by a gray and blue letter “Q” icon in the Launchpad or “Applications” folder.
Step 3. Click the File menu
It's in the upper-left corner of the screen in the menu bar.
Step 4. Click New Screen Recording on the menu
A screen recorder window (“Screen Recording”) will open after that.
You may see a toolbar with several icons, depending on the version of MacOS you're using
Step 5. Select Internal Microphone from the main menu
This menu is indicated by a downward-pointing arrow to the right of the red circle, in the center of the window. With this option, QuickTime can record sound from video.
If you don't see the menu, click " Options ”.
Step 6. Click the red circle button
You will see brief instructions on selecting the area of the screen you want to record.
Step 7. Click and drag the crosshair on the video
Thus, QuickTime will only record the video, and not the entire screen.
Step 8. Click Record and start playing the video
If the video sound is not turned on, make sure you turn up the volume first.
Step 9. Click the stop recording icon (“Stop Recording”) once the video is finished playing
It's in the menu at the top of the screen and looks like a black circle with a white square inside. QuickTime will stop screen recording and display the recording which is automatically saved to the “ Movies ”.
If you want to cut the beginning and/or end of the recording, click the “ Edit " and select " Trim " You can drag the yellow trim bar to select the part of the video you want to save, then click “ Trim ” to save changes.
Method 2 of 3: Using VLC Media Player
Step 1. Install VLC Media Player on the computer
If you don't already have this popular media player app, you can download it from https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html. To download the installation file:
- Click the button " Download VLC ” and save the installation DMG file to the computer.
- Double-click the downloaded DMG file in the “Downloads” folder.
- Drag the VLC icon (orange and white funnel) to the “Applications” folder.
Step 2. Copy the address of the YouTube video you want to download
If not, open the video in the desired web browser. To copy a URL, click the address bar of your browser to highlight the address, then press the shortcut Command+C to copy the address.
Step 3. Open VLC Player
You can find this application in the “Applications” folder after the application is installed.
You may need to give the app permissions to run the first time you open it
Step 4. Click the File menu
It's in the upper-left corner of the screen, in the menu bar.
Step 5. Click Open Network
The "Open Source" window will open after that.
Step 6. Click the " URL " box and press Command+V
The URL of the previously copied YouTube video will be pasted into the field.
Step 7. Click the Open button
It's in the lower-right corner of the window. The video will be added to the VLC playlist afterwards.
Step 8. Right-click the video on the playlist and select Media Information
If the video starts playing, just right click the video and select “ Media Information ”.
Step 9. Bookmark the URL "Location" and press Command+C
This URL is at the bottom of the window. After that, the URL will be copied to the computer clipboard.
Step 10. Paste the copied URL into your browser and press Return key
To paste the URL, return to your browser, click the address bar, and press Return. The video will start playing in the browser window.
Step 11. Right-click the video and select Save Video as to save it
You can name the video as you wish. Once saved, the video will be downloaded from YouTube. You can play downloaded videos on your computer, whether your computer is on or off a network.
Method 3 of 3: Using ClipGrab
Step 1. Visit and click Free Downloads.
ClipGrab is a free Mac application that allows you to download videos from YouTube to your computer. ClipGrab can be an alternative to QuickTime because you don't have to wait while the video is being recorded. Just enter the URL of the video and the app will download the video itself automatically.
Step 2. Open the ClipGrab installation file
You can click the file name at the bottom of your browser. If it is not available, double-click the installation file in the “ Downloads ”.
Step 3. Drag the ClipGrab icon to the “Applications” folder to install the program
Step 4. Open ClipGrab once the installation is complete
The application will be saved in the “Applications” folder.
Step 5. Click the Downloads tab on the ClipGrab window
This tab is near the border of the window.
Step 6. Copy the address of the YouTube video you want to download
If not, open the video in a web browser. To copy a URL, click the address bar until the URL is highlighted, then press the shortcut Command+C.
Step 7. Paste the copied URL into ClipGrab
To paste it, return to the ClipGrab window, click the typing area, then press the shortcut Command+V.
Step 8. Select MPEG4 from the "Format" menu
If you have other video file preferences, select the format you want.
Step 9. Click Grab this clip
This button is below the URL that was previously pasted into the field. ClipGrab will download YouTube videos to your computer's main downloads storage folder (“Downloads”).
