How to Download a Video from YouTube for Free
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YouTube is the third-most visited website in the world (after Google and Facebook), with users uploading more than a billion videos every day. As of June 2018, nearly 800 million registered user accounts were on YouTube. Since so many people use it, it’s also an excellent resource for learning new things about almost any topic you can think of. Reducing a video to text is one way to save it for later and feed your brain from afar — or at least until we all have telepathic abilities and can download someone’s thoughts directly into our brains. This article will teach you how to download a video from YouTube so you can watch it whenever you want without needing an internet connection.
How to Download a Video from YouTube
First, you’ll need to find a video you want to download. To do this, you can either search YouTube for the video you wish to or navigate to the page of the video you want and click the red download button like this: As you can see above, there are a few different ways to download a video from YouTube. If you’re using a browser, you’ll need to find a browser that supports downloading videos from YouTube. While almost all browsers support this, most browsers aren’t great at downloading videos.
Using Chrome
If you’re using Chrome, you have an advantage. This browser has a built-in download feature that makes saving a video as easy as clicking one button. First, you’ll need to find the video you want to download. Once you’ve found it, click the download button: You’ll see a pop-up asking if you’re going to “Save Video as MP4” or “Download as MP3.” MP4 is a video format for playing videos on a computer. MP3 is a common audio format for playing music. We’ll get into why you might want to save either of these for later. For now, select the video quality and click “Save.”
Using Firefox
If you’re using Firefox, you can also download a video. First, you’ll need to find the video you want to download. Once you’ve found the video, click the download button and see a pop-up with a few different options. Select “Save Video as MP4” and click “Save.”
Using an Extension
If neither Chrome nor Firefox works for you, you can try using an extension. Remember those options we saw when downloading a video through Firefox? Well, extensions have those features, too. We’ll go into a little more detail below, but a few of the best extensions for downloading videos from YouTube are:
– Down as MP3 – This extension can download videos from YouTube, Vimeo, and DailyMotion.
– Video down – This one is similar to Down as MP3, but it can also download GIFs from Imgur and Gfycat.
– Video Downloader Ultimate – This one supports a handful of different video websites, from YouTube to Vimeo to DailyMotion.
– SaveVID – If you’re looking for something simple, this extension can download videos from YouTube.
Using iOS (iPhone/iPad)
Suppose you’re using an iPhone or iPad. In that case, you can download a video from YouTube by opening the video and clicking the download button on the video like this: If the download button doesn’t appear, you may need to update your iOS device’s operating system. To do this, plug your device into your computer, open iTunes, and click “Check for Updates.”
Using Android
If you’re using an Android device, you can download videos from YouTube by opening the video and clicking the three dots in the top right corner like this: After clicking the three dots, select “Save Video.”
Now that you know how to download a video from YouTube, you can save time. Whether you want to watch the video when you don’t have internet or want to share the video with someone who doesn’t have internet (like your friend on a road trip or your mom), or want to watch the video offline because of poor internet service, you’ll be able to do so easily. Now, you can start downloading videos from YouTube and adding a few more videos to your queue. You may even find yourself learning a new skill or two that way.