Download YouTube Video Online for Free [Updated]

Youtube Video Download may seem unnecessary in this age of permanent internet connection. The reality is that it is very useful to save bandwidth on your cell phone and have total freedom to see them whenever you want. And on top of that, you don't have to swallow YouTube advertising every three minutes.

Downloading these videos from YouTube and other streaming services is surprisingly easy - and you can do it totally free. Even YouTube offers you tools to download videos on PC, laptop, or cell phone, but there are also other third-party tools. Here we tell you how to do it.

If you are only interested in recording audio from YouTube videos, this guide shows you how to record MP3 from YouTube videos for free.

 

Is it legal to download YouTube videos?

According to YouTube's terms of service - and depending on the state you live in - you can only watch the videos by streaming and recording them on your hard drive, exposing you to infringe copyright on the video you download.

All things considered, YouTube offers approaches to make these downloads on its own site and applications. In this guide, we explain how as well as the use of third-party applications.

 

1. Download 4K Video Downloader

To start downloading YouTube videos to your Windows PC, start by downloading and installing 4K Video Downloader. This versatile software tool is completely free and you can download complete playlists as well as 360-degree and 3D videos.

4K Video Downloader is a free and easy to use YouTube video download app (Image credit: OpenMedia LLC)

When finished installing, tap the 'Launch' box and then tap 'Finish'.

2. Copy and paste the URL of the video

• open your preferred browser and visit the video you need to download on Youtube.
• Copy the URL from the address field of your browser.
• Go back to 4K Video Downloader and hit the green button that says "Paste link" in the upper left corner.
• The program will offer you a list of the resolutions in which it is available.
• The program can download videos in 4K resolution if available - hence the name.

3. Choose the quality of the video

4K Video Downloader allows you to download video and audio in a separate file. You can choose what you want to download using the dropdown menu on the left and then select the format using the menu on the right.

We recommend that you select MP4 whenever it is available because it will offer you the best quality at the smallest file size - and it is a universal format for any device.

Then select the quality. To play on your TV or PC, we recommend that you choose the highest possible resolution supported by your device. If your TV or PC does not have 4K resolution, you do not need to choose this option because it is too much and will take up much more space on your machine.

You can also choose where you want 4K Video Downloader to download the video by pressing the "Browse" button at the bottom of the window.

4. Download the YouTube video

Once you have everything selected to your liking, press "Download".

The video will start downloading and if there are other videos on the channel 4K Video Downloader will ask if you want to download them too. You can download 24 videos simultaneously.

Once you have finished downloading the video you will find it in the folder you have selected. From there you can move it wherever you want (a USB key, for example) or leave it in place.

You can also right-click or trackpad to play directly from the list of downloaded 4K Video Downloader videos.

 

5. Activate Smart Mode

If you download videos often and always in the same format, we recommend that you use Smart Mode. It will save your preferences and automatically apply them every time you paste a URL. The video will be downloaded instantly with just one click.

 

How To Download Youtube Videos on Android?

TubemateYou can't download TubeMate from the Google Play Store, so you have to download the APK bundle independently.

1. Install TubeMate

TubeMate is one of the most popular apps for downloading YouTube videos to Android phones and with good reason: it is very easy to use and has the features you need without being silly.

Of course, TubeMate is not available in the Google Play Store because Google - the owner of YouTube - is not happy that you have control of how to see the video that is on their streaming platform even if they are not the owners. So the first thing you need to do is download the installation package directly from the source.

In order to do so, you must allow the installation of third-party applications. Be careful with this: never install apps that are not recognized and certified by reliable sources (such as TechRadar).

Follow these steps to install TubeMate:

1. Open "Settings" on your Android phone and look for "Security".

2. Search for “Unknown sources” and activate it.

3. Visit this website: TubeMate YouTube Downloader, select one of the dumped sites, and download the APK.

4. Your Android will warn you about the dangers of downloading an APK directly. Press OK.

5. Once it is downloaded, run the file and click "Install" and then "Open".

6. The program will tell you what permissions it needs, such as disk access to record files necessary to download YouTube videos. If you agree, click accept and the app will start working.

 

Add caption

2. Choose a video to download

TubeMate is a lot like the official YouTube app for Android. You can search for a video to download directly. Just enter the terms you want, choose a video and it will start playing.

On the screen, you will see a red button that says "Download" on the inside right. Press the button and the video will be downloaded to your Android phone or tablet.

3. Download the video

The next thing you will see is a list of formats, both video and audio if you only want to download the soundtrack of the video.

As with 4K Video Downloaders, here you will have to choose what resolution and quality you want. The parameters for the choice are the same: if your device has plenty of space available, choose the highest quality that allows you to reproduce your screen (generally 1080p, but check the specifications of the screen of your cell phone).

But remember, if you don't have much space you can eat it very quickly so it might be worth downloading at a lower resolution.

When you choose a format, click on the red button with the download icon. The download will be done in the background, so you can exit the application (without closing it completely) and continue using your phone without problems. Of course, while downloading, you will obviously be consuming system resources such as the life of your battery.

It also allows you to add videos to a download queue. This is especially useful if you receive links when you only have cellular connectivity and want to download them later when you have Wi-Fi available.

 

How to Download Youtube Videos On iPhone

The YouTube video download process varies slightly depending on the Apple device you are using: Mac or MacBook with macOS or iPhone, iPod, and iPad with iOS.

On iOS, the first thing to do is install a rather cunning app called Documents5. It is a file manager - it also lets you download YouTube videos. The process is a little awkward but simple.

The principal thing you ought to do is discover the video clip you need to download in the YouTube application or in your iOS program. Once you have found the video, copy the URL.

1. Now open the Documents5 app and look for the icon of your browser, which is a small compass in the lower right corner of the screen.

2. Press the button and visit savefrom.net.

3. Paste the URL of the YouTube video in the large dialog box that will appear on your screen, choose the quality option you want and your file will begin to download.

4. When finished, it will appear in the download section of the Documents app.

5. Once downloaded, just drag the file to Photos and, within Photos, to Camera Roll.

 

How to download Youtube Videos On Mac

On the Mac, there are a lot of options but the simplest of all is MacX YouTube Downloader ( also available for Windows ). All you need to do is paste the URL of the YouTube video and choose the quality option you want. You can also download multiple videos at the same time.

If you want to know what are the best download options, read on.

Download videos with YouTube Premium

If you have a subscription to YouTube Premium you will enjoy several advantages such as the ability to download videos to watch offline without needing any additional software.

You can do this with YouTube, YouTube Music, and YouTube gaming. However, the downside is that you will only be able to see the videos downloaded in the YouTube app and you cannot move them to another site - like your TV. You should likewise have a web connection in light of the fact that YouTube has to realize that you are associated with YouTube.

There are too many conditions, but at least downloading is very simple: when you start watching the video, you only have to click on the download button (the gray down arrow) and choose the quality you want. Once the video has been downloaded from YouTube successfully you will find it in your Library in the app.

What formats do I use to download YouTube videos?

YouTube video download apps will give you several options. The most common are MP4, 3GP, AVI, and MOV. Depending on the format you choose and the resolution, the image and audio quality will vary quite a bit.

If quality doesn't matter too much, the best option is 3GP. It is perfect for small screens and the files are very small, something important with the limited space of cell phones.

For other devices, MOV is Apple's format and works on any Mac or iOS device. AVI is from Microsoft and works on any PC. And MP4 is like MP3: it works anywhere. So we recommend the latter, in case you want to share the video with anyone regardless of their machine.

What quality should you choose to download YouTube videos?

The next decision is about the quality of the video, which is independent of the format you choose.

YouTube serves its videos in multiple levels of quality, from 3GP for old cell phones to 1080p, 2K, and 4K high-definition files for high-end televisions.

Leaving 3GP aside you will see that it has four ideal options for your computer. Cell phone or tablet: 360p, 480p, 720p, and 1080p. More resolution, More file size. There are things that do not require a lot of quality but the rule is that you use what best suits the screen you are going to use. If you are going to watch the video on a projector that only has 720p, why would you download the larger 1080p file? The same goes for your mobile. And also the type of content. Sometimes the quality is not important.

Audio always has the same quality regardless of video resolution, so don't worry about that.

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