How to Download or Save a YouTube Video to My Computer
youtube is designed solely to allow users to watch and view (stream) videos and movies on your website. Many users want to download or save youtube videos to their computer for offline viewing, viewing on other devices, capturing an image or screenshot of a scene, or editing.
youtube does not allow you to download videos directly from their site. You need to use a third-party service, install software, or get a YouTube subscription service to download a YouTube video. Below are our recommendations for downloading and watching YouTube videos on your computer.
download a youtube video using a website service
Most websites that offer a service of downloading a YouTube video for free are no longer safe to use. These websites often result in malware being downloaded to your computer, either from the website service itself or through one of their partner sites.
Websites that offered free youtube video download services have now closed their sites permanently (eg savefrom.net), resorted to malware-related ads, or employed other deceptive tactics.
For these reasons, Computer Hope does not recommend the use of any website services that offer free youtube video downloads and no longer provides instructions for those websites.
We now recommend using youtube-dl, a screen recorder, or a youtube premium subscription instead. these are the best options to keep your computer free from malware.
download a youtube video using youtube-dl
One of the best ways, and our favorite method, to download a YouTube video is with the free program youtube-dl. It’s capable of downloading any available YouTube video format to your computer, including the HD version.
However, using youtube-dl is a bit more complex and is designed for more experienced and advanced computer users. youtube-dl uses the windows command line for windows computers and the terminal for macos and linux computers.
For help installing and using youtube-dl on your computer, click the link below to review the instructions.
- how to download online video and audio from over 700 sites.
save a youtube video using a screen recorder
Screen recorders are software programs designed to run on a computer, smartphone, or tablet and record anything on the screen. In addition to recording your screen, these programs can also be used to record a video or sections of a video.
- how to record your computer screen.
download a youtube video using youtube premium
another safe option to download youtube videos is youtube premium, which is an easy-to-use service designed for computer and mobile users of any experience level.
youtube premium requires a monthly subscription, but for $11.99 per month, you can download as many videos as you want and watch them offline at any time. In addition, you can also listen to music offline with the YouTube music app. Just like other video streaming services, YouTube Premium provides unlimited access to YouTube videos and music, at a cheaper price than other streaming services.
However, unlike youtube-dl, youtube premium only allows users to watch videos from within the app. after 48 hours in your download library, you will no longer be able to access the videos offline until you reconnect to the internet to prove the validity of your youtube premium subscription.
youtube offers a one-month free trial for youtube premium, so you can try it out and decide if you like it before paying for the service.
- youtube official premium website.
what about a private video?
services and programs designed to record youtube videos do not have the same rights as your youtube account and therefore will not be able to record a private video. however, if you can view the private video, you can use a screen recorder to record anything that is displayed on your screen.
