Equally the second-most visited site on the internet - after Google itself - YouTube has effectually 23 billion visitors per month. Almost of them watch videos on the website or via i of the many YouTube apps.

Sometimes, though, you'll want to download a video. Possibly that'south to picket it offline, or maybe you want to save a useful video simply in case it's ever taken downward. Any your reason, we'll explicate a few dissimilar ways that you can practice this. It'southward possible - and easy - to download videos on a Windows laptop or PC, and on Android phones. It's not every bit easy on an iPhone, unless you pay for YouTube Premium, but it'south possible if you're determined.

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

At that place are two official means to download videos from YouTube. Beginning, there's the YouTube Go app which is available in countries where mobile data is too expensive for streaming them.

Then there'southward YouTube Premium, a paid-for service that allows users in other countries - including the UK and U.s.a. - to download YouTube content in the app. There are other benefits of Premium, besides, such as no adverts and being able to listen to music in the background so yous tin can use other apps on your phone.

YouTube Premium isn't cheap at £xi.99/$11.99 per month, and if you merely want to download an occasional clip it's probably too much to justify paying.

The practiced news is that it'south easy to download YouTube videos using unofficial methods. Starting time, we 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 then downloading videos is like shooting fish in a barrel. In that location is ane big caveat though: you tin simply do it using the official YouTube or YouTube Gaming apps, which means you tin't use Premium to download videos to your estimator - only to a telephone or tablet.

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

How to download videos YouTube Premium

Once the video has downloaded the icon beneath it 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 Account tabs.

Download YouTube videos in Windows

As with websites, there are lots of options for downloading with a desktop app. Not all are free, but some are. A paid-for one we can recommend is ByClick Downloader. It has an piece of cake-to-apply interface, is regularly updated and makes it supremely like shooting fish in a barrel to download video - or just audio - from YouTube.

All y'all have to do is to re-create the URL of a video and a pop-up will ask if y'all want to download the audio or video. Or you tin gear up a default and it won't fifty-fifty ask: it will automatically download the MP3 or MP4 at the default quality.

It'due south reasonably priced at $9.99 (effectually £vii.40), and yous can attempt it out for 24 hours for gratis without inbound any payment details.

how to download youtube videos to laptop

There are lots of alternatives, but none that we've institute to be equally proficient.

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

how to download youtube videos to laptop

If you lot want a complimentary selection, try WinX YouTube Downloader. This will nag you to upgrade to the full version which includes conversion to other formats (including MP3), but if you lot can put upward with these, information technology won't toll you anything.

How to download YouTube videos

The process is virtually identical to using a website: you re-create and paste the URL of the video into the app. Then you choose any options, such as the resolution to download, and so hitting the Download button. Most apps allow you lot to build up a list of videos and then download them in 1 go. Some even let you paste in a YouTube playlist and automatically download all the videos.

Download YouTube videos in a spider web browser

If you want to relieve videos without installing an app, there are many websites where you can paste the URL of the YouTube video and then click on the resolution you want to download. These sites frequently 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 condom, and could pose a run a risk to your computer. This is why, firstly, it's important to run top-quality antivirus software and secondly, why we don't recommend this method of downloading any more.

Previous sites nosotros'd used for years, such every bit SaveFrom, no longer operate in the UK or Us, and even if you do find a 'safe' site that volition let you lot download videos, at that place are commonly restrictions.

Typically, yous'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 audio (from a music video, for example).

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

How to download YouTube playlists

Sometimes you have to pay for software if you want an easy life. Again, ByClick Downloader is what we'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 1 shown below where you lot can choose which videos you desire from the playlist. A single click on the Download button is all you need afterward that.

You lot go a day'southward complimentary trial to see if you similar the programme, but after that you'll have to pay $9.99.

How to download YouTube Playlists

How do I download music from YouTube?

Sometimes you might want to download only the sound from a video on YouTube. The easiest style to do this is to use one of the methods above and choose MP3 (or whichever audio format is offered). This style y'all'll only download the sound track, with none of the video footage. That'southward ideal if you just want to download some music or the sound from a YouTube podcast, and not have to have YouTube open and running on your phone while you lot mind.

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

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

Download YouTube videos to a phone or tablet

There'south the official YouTube Premium service which we've mentioned already but there are other apps which allow yous to download videos directly on your Android phone (including for free), but it's trickier on the iPhone. Nosotros've written carve up guides for both types of device:

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

Simply don't forget you lot tin can also 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 can then access the videos on whatever device.

To re-create files from Windows to an Android phone, connect the two with a USB cablevision and use Windows File Explorer to copy the video files(southward) to the appropriate folder, typically named Movies. So, yous tin can play the video using the Gallery app or another video player on your phone.

If you have an iPhone or iPad, import the file into iTunes and so sync information technology to your iOS device. Alternatively, you can elevate and drop the file(south) to your iPhone or iPad via the Apps tab when you click on your device in iTunes. All you need is an app, such equally Proficient Reader or another video playback app which can transfer files using this method.

If you don't desire to utilise iTunes and you're happy to pay, Waltr 2 is an excellent piffling utility for copying videos, music and other files to your iOS device so they appear in the native apps. Discover out more than in our guide to transferring videos to iPad and iPhone.

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