There’s a good chance you’ve used — and uploaded content to — YouTube. According to research from the digital marketing firm Global Media Insight, over 2.7 billion people use the online video platform every month. YouTube says over 20 billion total videos have been uploaded to its platform, with over 20 million videos uploaded every day.
If you’re going somewhere with limited internet or trying to conserve data — like hopping on a plane — you might want to download some YouTube videos to entertain yourself. Subscribing to YouTube Premium ($14 a month) is the easiest and most legitimate way to download videos to your device. However, this method can limit how you access and watch those videos, restricting you to a single device and browser or app. So, depending on your needs, you might have to resort to a different technique.
There are other ways to watch YouTube videos offline, but you should be concerned about the legal ramifications of using these methods. Downloading and using copyrighted material can be illegal, like when you’re directly profiting off the video. But there are some cases where using a video could be legal, like using a video for non-profit, educational purposes under fair use. If you’re downloading a video of your own from YouTube — maybe you deleted the original copy and need to edit a section, then re-upload — you’d want a version of the video that you could freely transfer.
What YouTube’s Terms of Service say about downloading videos
YouTube’s terms of service sound harsh. According to the terms of service, you’re not allowed to «access, reproduce, download, distribute, transmit, broadcast, display, sell, license, alter, modify or otherwise use any … Content except: (a) as expressly authorized by the Service; or (b) with prior written permission from YouTube and, if applicable, the respective rights holders.»
In other words, don’t steal videos from YouTube. Or anywhere else, for that matter. You don’t want to tango with YouTube and Google’s lawyers, and the legal repercussions can be severe.
Here’s how to download YouTube videos to view offline.
YouTube Premium is the easiest, most legit way to save videos for offline viewing
YouTube Premium is more than just an ad-free way to watch your favorite content creators. For $14 a month, you can access YouTube Music, play videos in the background on mobile while using other apps and download videos to watch later, even while offline.
There is a YouTube Premium Lite subscription plan that costs $8 a month, but that tier only lets you watch videos ad-free, so you can’t download videos for offline viewing.
Here’s how to download a YouTube video on desktops and laptops with a premium subscription.
1. Open a browser and log in to your YouTube account if you’re not already.
2. Navigate to a video you want to watch offline, like everything Apple revealed at WWDC.
3. Click the three dots (…) near the bottom right corner of the video.
4. Click Download.
Once the video downloads, you can access it by clicking the hamburger icon (three horizontal lines stacked) in the top left corner of your screen next to the YouTube Premium logo and clicking Downloads. This is where all your downloaded videos can be found when you have an internet connection.
If you don’t have an internet connection, certain browsers, including Chrome and Firefox, can still access YouTube. You can get to YouTube by typing youtube.com into your search bar, and when the site loads, you’ll see all your downloaded videos instead of the usual recommended videos.
Downloading YouTube videos to your phone or tablet is similar. Here’s how to save videos on the YouTube mobile app.
1. Open your YouTube app and log in to your account if you’re not logged in.
2. Search for a video you want to watch offline, like how the iPad could dominate the Mac with one change.
3. Without tapping into the video, tap the three dots (…) near the bottom right corner of the video.
4. Tap Download video.
If you tap into a video, there should be a Download button beneath the title to the right of the thumbs up and down, share, remix and (in some cases) thanks buttons. You might have to scroll right to see the button.
You can access your downloaded videos on mobile by tapping your account logo in the bottom right corner of your screen and tapping Downloads. If you don’t have reception or Wi-Fi, your downloaded videos will populate automatically when you open your YouTube app. YouTube says you can access these downloads for 30 days without an internet connection. That means as long as you connect to the internet at least once a month, you can keep those downloads for a long time.
YouTube Premium is easy, but it’s not the cheapest or most flexible
While YouTube Premium is the easiest method of saving videos for offline viewing, there are some limitations you should know about. The first is that you can’t watch downloaded videos in another app or program, like VLC media player.
Next, you can only watch your downloaded videos in whatever browser or app you downloaded them in, and specifically on that device. So if you download a video in Chrome on your laptop, you can’t access that video on your YouTube app on your smartphone, or even in another browser on your laptop.
YouTube Premium costs $14 a month and while it’s not the most expensive streaming service, it might not fit your budget.
If you can’t download YouTube videos with a subscription or the limitations don’t work for your use case, there are some online services and apps you might find useful.
Other services can download YouTube videos with fewer restrictions, but keep copyright in mind
Stealing videos from YouTube is illegal, as is using copyrighted material without authorization.
However, there could be instances where you might want to use another service to download a YouTube video, like if you can’t access your account and need to download a video you own and posted on YouTube. Or using a clip of a video for educational purposes under fair use.
Here are a few services you could use to download videos from YouTube without as many restrictions as YouTube Premium.
4K Video Downloader
You can use 4K Video Downloader to save videos from major sites like YouTube, Facebook and even TikTok right to your device. You can either paste a link directly into the downloader by clicking Paste Link, or you can navigate to the video’s URL within the software and download the video from the page.
You can select the quality of the video as well as what device you plan to watch the video on. That means you can download a video on your PC, but specify you’re going to watch it on your Android later, and the software will format the video accordingly.
The basic version of this desktop software is free, and there are paid versions that cost $15, $25 and $42 a year. But for most people, the free version will suffice. 4K Video Downloader is available for Windows, MacOS, Linux and Android.
Check out 4K Video Downloader.
YT1D
YT1D is a free site that lets you easily download videos from YouTube with just the video’s URL.
You’ll paste the URL into the site’s search bar, and it’ll give you options to download the video in different video qualities, like 1080p and 720p. You’ll also be able to download the video’s audio as an MP3 for an audio-only version.
Click Download next to the version of the video you want, and you’re all set. On some devices and in certain browsers, you may have to right-click and select «Save Link As».
You can check out YT1D.
YouTube Video Downloader extension
This free browser extension works in Chrome, Microsoft Edge and a few other browsers. After you add the extension to your browser, it’s pretty intuitive.
To download a video using the extension, go to the YouTube video you want to download and click the new Download button beneath the video player — this download button is to the left of the thumbs up/down buttons. Then you can watch the video in your media player of choice.
Here’s where to check out the YouTube Video Downloader extension.
Downloading Creative Commons videos from YouTube might be another solution
If you want to download videos from YouTube to use for a podcast or some other means, downloading Creative Commons videos might be another, safer option.
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that provides licenses and public domain tools to everyone in the world for free.
«Creative Commons has supported a global movement built on a belief in the power of open access to knowledge and creativity,» the organization writes online. «Our licenses enable collaboration, growth, and generosity in a variety of media.»
Here’s how to find videos with a Creative Commons license.
1. Open YouTube.
2. Search for a video.
3. Click Filters in the top right corner of your screen underneath your profile.
4. Click Creative Commons under Features.
Now, the videos you see in your search results should have this license. However, it’s still a good idea to check that the video is licensed correctly.
You will also still need to use an app, website or plugin to download Creative Commons videos. Downloading these videos with a YouTube Premium subscription won’t help since you can’t access videos outside of your browser or app.
There are multiple ways to download YouTube videos, depending on your needs
If you’re going to download videos from YouTube, subscribing to YouTube Premium is the easiest and most legitimate way to save videos for offline viewing. But its limitations — like not being able to freely transfer files or having downloads shared across apps and browsers — makes YouTube Premium restrictive. Plus, the $14 a month price tag could price some people out.
For some situations, an app, website or plugin might work, but remember, illicit activity is still illicit, even if you think you’re not going to get caught.
And if you are concerned about getting the appropriate permissions for a video, you should look for videos under the Creative Commons license.
Stealing YouTube videos is illegal. If you’re going to download videos from YouTube, please subscribe to YouTube Premium and follow the law in your area.
For more on YouTube, here’s what to know about YouTube Premium and Premium Lite.
