Every bit the second-most visited site on the internet - after Google itself - YouTube has around 23 billion visitors per month. Most of them picket videos on the website or via 1 of the many YouTube apps.

Sometimes, though, you'll want to download a video. Maybe that'southward to scout it offline, or perhaps y'all desire to save a useful video just in case it'southward ever taken down. Any your reason, we'll explain a few different ways that you can do this. Information technology'south possible - and piece of cake - to download videos on a Windows laptop or PC, and on Android phones. It's not equally easy on an iPhone, unless you pay for YouTube Premium, simply it'due south possible if you're determined.

Exercise retrieve that watching videos in the YouTube app (or website) and not skipping the ads is the all-time fashion to support your favourite channels.

There are two official ways to download videos from YouTube. Offset, there'due south the YouTube Go app which is available in countries where mobile data is too expensive for streaming them.

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

YouTube Premium isn't cheap at £eleven.99/$11.99 per calendar month, and if you lot just want to download an occasional clip it's probably as well 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'due south legal to download YouTube videos.

Download videos using YouTube Premium

If you're a YouTube Premium subscriber and then downloading videos is piece of cake. There is one large caveat though: you tin only do it using the official YouTube or YouTube Gaming apps, which means you can't use Premium to download videos to your computer - only to a telephone or tablet.

To download but open the app and head to the video you lot want to download. Underneath the player you should encounter a 'Download' icon - tap that, pick what video quality you want to download, and that's it.

How to download videos YouTube Premium

Once the video has downloaded the icon below information technology will change to a blue tick - tap this if you want to remove the download. You'll be able to find all your downloaded videos in the Library or Business relationship tabs.

Download YouTube videos in Windows

As with websites, there are lots of options for downloading with a desktop app. Non all are free, but some are. A paid-for one we tin can recommend is ByClick Downloader. It has an easy-to-use interface, is regularly updated and makes information technology supremely easy to download video - or but audio - from YouTube.

All you have to do is to re-create the URL of a video and a pop-upwardly volition ask if you lot want to download the audio or video. Or you tin can set a default and it won't even inquire: it will automatically download the MP3 or MP4 at the default quality.

It's reasonably priced at $9.99 (around £7.40), and you can try it out for 24 hours for free without entering whatsoever payment details.

how to download youtube videos to laptop

There are lots of alternatives, but none that we've found to exist as practiced.

They include iTubeGo, which offers a bones interface, but which can download playlists and 4K videos. Information technology's more expensive at $29.95 though.

how to download youtube videos to laptop

If you want a free selection, attempt WinX YouTube Downloader. This will nag you to upgrade to the total version which includes conversion to other formats (including MP3), but if you can put up with these, it won't price you anything.

How to download YouTube videos

The process is about identical to using a website: you copy and paste the URL of the video into the app. And then y'all choose any options, such as the resolution to download, then hit the Download button. Near apps allow you to build up a list of videos and so download them in one go. Some fifty-fifty let y'all paste in a YouTube playlist and automatically download all the videos.

Download YouTube videos in a web browser

If you want to save videos without installing an app, there are many websites where yous can paste the URL of the YouTube video and so click on the resolution you desire to download. These sites oftentimes get shut down, because they're regularly bombarded with cease & desist notices from copyright owners.

Too, these websites tend to redirect you to other sites which may or may not be safe, and could pose a risk to your computer. This is why, firstly, information technology's important to run meridian-quality antivirus software and secondly, why we don't recommend this method of downloading any more.

Previous sites we'd used for years, such as SaveFrom, no longer operate in the UK or Usa, and fifty-fifty if you do discover a 'safety' site that volition let you download videos, there are usually restrictions.

Typically, you lot'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 merely the audio (from a music video, for example).

Sometimes you'll find that videos are downloaded in WebM format. Yous can catechumen these videos into MP4 - or whatever format y'all like using Freemake and Any Video Converter, or you could download and install VLC, which is a complimentary video player that can play but about whatsoever file.

How to download YouTube playlists

Sometimes you have to pay for software if you want an like shooting fish in a barrel life. Over again, ByClick Downloader is what nosotros'd recommend.

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

Y'all become a solar day'due south gratuitous trial to see if you similar the program, simply afterward that you'll accept 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 way to do this is to employ one of the methods above and choose MP3 (or whichever audio format is offered). This mode you'll just download the audio track, with none of the video footage. That'southward ideal if you lot just want to download some music or the audio from a YouTube podcast, and non have to have YouTube open and running on your telephone while you listen.

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

If you don't mind paying, you can also download music as part of YouTube Music Premium, which is £9.99/$9.99 per month. Information technology volition let you lot download songs and even music videos, but is express to music - you won't be able to download other videos equally you tin with a YouTube Premium subscription.

Download YouTube videos to a telephone or tablet

There's the official YouTube Premium service which nosotros've mentioned already simply in that location are other apps which allow you to download videos straight on your Android phone (including for gratis), merely 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

But don't forget y'all can also download videos on your laptop using the methods above and so transfer them to your phone or tablet, or upload them to a cloud storage service, where y'all can then access the videos on any device.

To copy files from Windows to an Android phone, connect the 2 with a USB cable and utilize Windows File Explorer to re-create the video files(southward) to the appropriate folder, typically named Movies. Then, you can play the video using the Gallery app or another video actor on your phone.

If you have an iPhone or iPad, import the file into iTunes and and then sync it to your iOS device. Alternatively, you tin can drag and drib the file(due south) to your iPhone or iPad via the Apps tab when y'all click on your device in iTunes. All you need 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 desire to use iTunes and you're happy to pay, Waltr two is an excellent piffling utility for copying videos, music and other files to your iOS device and then they appear in the native apps. Find out more in our guide to transferring videos to iPad and iPhone.

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