As the 2nd-about visited site on the internet - after Google itself - YouTube has around 23 billion visitors per month. Most of them watch videos on the website or via ane of the many YouTube apps.

Sometimes, though, you'll want to download a video. Perhaps that's to watch information technology offline, or perhaps you desire to save a useful video merely in case it's ever taken down. Any your reason, nosotros'll explain a few dissimilar ways that you lot can practice this. It's possible - and easy - to download videos on a Windows laptop or PC, and on Android phones. Information technology'due south not as piece of cake on an iPhone, unless yous pay for YouTube Premium, but it's possible if yous're determined.

Exercise think that watching videos in the YouTube app (or website) and not skipping the ads is the best way to back up your favourite channels.

In that location are two official ways to download videos from YouTube. Outset, there's the YouTube Get app which is available in countries where mobile data is too expensive for streaming them.

Then there's YouTube Premium, a paid-for service that allows users in other countries - including the Britain and U.s.a. - to download YouTube content in the app. There are other benefits of Premium, too, such as no adverts and being able to listen to music in the groundwork and then you tin can apply other apps on your telephone.

YouTube Premium isn't cheap at £eleven.99/$11.99 per calendar month, and if you just desire to download an occasional clip information technology's probably too much to justify paying.

The good news is that it's easy to download YouTube videos using unofficial methods. First, nosotros recommend reading our guide to whether it'south legal to download YouTube videos.

Download videos using YouTube Premium

If you're a YouTube Premium subscriber then downloading videos is easy. In that location is 1 big caveat though: yous tin can only do it using the official YouTube or YouTube Gaming apps, which means you tin can't utilise Premium to download videos to your computer - only to a phone or tablet.

To download simply open up the app and head to the video yous want to download. Underneath the player you should see a 'Download' icon - tap that, pick what video quality yous want to download, and that'southward it.

How to download videos YouTube Premium

Once the video has downloaded the icon below it will change to a bluish tick - tap this if you want to remove the download. Yous'll exist able to observe all your downloaded videos in the Library or Account tabs.

Download YouTube videos in Windows

Every bit with websites, there are lots of options for downloading with a desktop app. Not all are gratis, only some are. A paid-for one nosotros can recommend is ByClick Downloader. It has an like shooting fish in a barrel-to-use interface, is regularly updated and makes it supremely like shooting fish in a barrel to download video - or just audio - from YouTube.

All you have to do is to copy the URL of a video and a popular-up will inquire if y'all want to download the audio or video. Or yous tin can set a default and it won't even ask: it will automatically download the MP3 or MP4 at the default quality.

It's reasonably priced at $nine.99 (around £7.forty), and you can try it out for 24 hours for gratis without entering whatsoever payment details.

how to download youtube videos to laptop

There are lots of alternatives, simply none that nosotros've found to be equally practiced.

They include iTubeGo, which offers a basic interface, simply which can download playlists and 4K videos. It's more expensive at $29.95 though.

how to download youtube videos to laptop

If you lot want a gratuitous option, endeavour WinX YouTube Downloader. This volition nag you to upgrade to the total version which includes conversion to other formats (including MP3), but if you tin can put upwards with these, it won't cost you annihilation.

How to download YouTube videos

The procedure is nearly identical to using a website: you lot copy and paste the URL of the video into the app. And so you cull any options, such as the resolution to download, then hit the Download button. Virtually apps permit you lot to build up a list of videos so download them in one go. Some even let y'all paste in a YouTube playlist and automatically download all the videos.

Download YouTube videos in a web browser

If you desire to save videos without installing an app, there are many websites where y'all can paste the URL of the YouTube video so click on the resolution you want to download. These sites often get shut downward, considering they're regularly bombarded with end & desist notices from copyright owners.

Also, these websites tend to redirect you to other sites which may or may not be safe, and could pose a hazard to your figurer. This is why, firstly, it'southward important to run meridian-quality antivirus software and secondly, why we don't recommend this method of downloading any more than.

Previous sites we'd used for years, such as SaveFrom, no longer operate in the Uk or Usa, and even if you do discover a 'rubber' site that will let you download videos, at that place are commonly restrictions.

Typically, you'll be limited to downloading a lower-quality 720p version, fifty-fifty if a video is in 1080p or 4K. And not all will download just the sound (from a music video, for instance).

Sometimes you'll find that videos are downloaded in WebM format. You can convert these videos into MP4 - or any format you like using Freemake and Any Video Converter, or yous could download and install VLC, which is a free video player that can play but about any file.

How to download YouTube playlists

Sometimes you have to pay for software if y'all want an easy life. Again, ByClick Downloader is what nosotros'd recommend.

If the video is part of a playlist you can click the 'Download playlist' push button and you'll get a pop-up like the one shown below where yous can choose which videos you want from the playlist. A single click on the Download push is all you need after that.

You get a day'south free trial to see if you like the program, but after that you lot'll take to pay $9.99.

How to download YouTube Playlists

How do I download music from YouTube?

Sometimes you might desire to download only the sound from a video on YouTube. The easiest style to do this is to use i of the methods to a higher place and choose MP3 (or whichever audio format is offered). This mode you lot'll only download the audio track, with none of the video footage. That's ideal if yous just want to download some music or the audio from a YouTube podcast, and not have to take YouTube open and running on your phone while yous listen.

It is possible to heed to YouTube in the background with this workaround for iPhones and a separate one for Android phones.

If y'all don't mind paying, yous can also download music equally part of YouTube Music Premium, which is £9.99/$9.99 per calendar month. It will allow you lot download songs and even music videos, but is limited to music - y'all won't be able to download other videos as you can with a YouTube Premium subscription.

Download YouTube videos to a phone or tablet

There's the official YouTube Premium service which nosotros've mentioned already but in that location are other apps which allow you to download videos directly on your Android phone (including for free), simply it's trickier on the iPhone. We've written separate guides for both types of device:

  • How to download YouTube videos on Android
  • How to download YouTube videos on iPhone & iPad

Only don't forget y'all can likewise download videos on your laptop using the methods above then transfer them to your phone or tablet, or upload them to a cloud storage service, where you lot can then access the videos on whatever device.

To copy files from Windows to an Android telephone, connect the two with a USB cable and use Windows File Explorer to copy the video files(due south) to the advisable binder, typically named Movies. And then, yous tin can play the video using the Gallery app or some other video player on your telephone.

If y'all take an iPhone or iPad, import the file into iTunes and so sync it to your iOS device. Alternatively, you can drag and drop the file(south) to your iPhone or iPad via the Apps tab when you lot click on your device in iTunes. All you demand is an app, such as Good Reader or some other video playback app which tin can transfer files using this method.

If y'all don't want to employ iTunes and yous're happy to pay, Waltr two is an excellent little utility for copying videos, music and other files to your iOS device so they announced in the native apps. Discover out more in our guide to transferring videos to iPad and iPhone.

Finally, here's how to download any online video - not just YouTube, although almost all of the apps and services mentioned here will too download videos from other streaming services and social media platforms including Facebook and DailyMotion.