As the second-most visited site on the internet - after Google itself - YouTube has effectually 23 billion visitors per calendar month. Most of them lookout videos on the website or via one of the many YouTube apps.

Sometimes, though, yous'll want to download a video. Possibly that'south to watch information technology offline, or possibly you lot want to save a useful video just in case it'south ever taken down. Any your reason, we'll explain a few unlike ways that you can do this. It'due south possible - and easy - to download videos on a Windows laptop or PC, and on Android phones. It'southward not as easy on an iPhone, unless you pay for YouTube Premium, but information technology's possible if you're determined.

Do recall that watching videos in the YouTube app (or website) and not skipping the ads is the best way to support your favourite channels.

At that place are two official ways to download videos from YouTube. First, at that place's the YouTube Go app which is bachelor in countries where mobile information is too expensive for streaming them.

So at that place'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, too, such as no adverts and existence able to mind to music in the groundwork so you can apply other apps on your phone.

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

The good news is that it's like shooting fish in a barrel to download YouTube videos using unofficial methods. First, 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 and then downloading videos is easy. There is one big caveat though: you tin only do information technology using the official YouTube or YouTube Gaming apps, which means you tin't utilise Premium to download videos to your estimator - only to a telephone or tablet.

To download just open up the app and caput to the video you lot desire to download. Underneath the thespian you should encounter a 'Download' icon - tap that, choice what video quality you desire to download, and that'due south information technology.

How to download videos YouTube Premium

Once the video has downloaded the icon beneath information technology will change to a blue tick - tap this if you lot desire to remove the download. Y'all'll be able to find all your downloaded videos in the Library or Account tabs.

Download YouTube videos in Windows

Equally with websites, there are lots of options for downloading with a desktop app. Not all are free, but some are. A paid-for one nosotros 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 just audio - from YouTube.

All you have to practice is to copy the URL of a video and a popular-up will ask if you lot want to download the audio or video. Or you can prepare a default and it won't even ask: information technology will automatically download the MP3 or MP4 at the default quality.

It'south reasonably priced at $9.99 (around £7.40), and y'all can endeavor it out for 24 hours for free without entering whatever payment details.

how to download youtube videos to laptop

There are lots of alternatives, but none that we've plant to exist equally expert.

They include iTubeGo, which offers a basic 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 costless option, effort WinX YouTube Downloader. This will nag yous to upgrade to the full version which includes conversion to other formats (including MP3), but if you can put upward with these, it won't price you anything.

How to download YouTube videos

The process is near identical to using a website: you re-create and paste the URL of the video into the app. So y'all choose whatever options, such as the resolution to download, then hit the Download push. Most apps allow y'all to build up a list of videos and then download them in one go. Some even let you 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, at that place are many websites where you can paste the URL of the YouTube video and then click on the resolution you desire to download. These sites frequently get shut down, considering they're regularly bombarded with cease & desist notices from copyright owners.

Also, these websites tend to redirect you to other sites which may or may not exist safe, and could pose a risk to your computer. This is why, firstly, it'south important to run height-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 US, and even if yous do find a 'safety' site that volition let you download videos, in that location are usually restrictions.

Typically, y'all'll be limited to downloading a lower-quality 720p version, even if a video is in 1080p or 4K. And non all will download just the sound (from a music video, for example).

Sometimes yous'll observe that videos are downloaded in WebM format. You lot can catechumen these videos into MP4 - or whatever format you lot like using Freemake and Any Video Converter, or you could download and install VLC, which is a free video histrion that can play just near any file.

How to download YouTube playlists

Sometimes yous 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 tin click the 'Download playlist' button and y'all'll become a pop-up like the one shown below where you can choose which videos y'all desire from the playlist. A single click on the Download button is all you demand after that.

You get a day's free trial to encounter if you similar the programme, only later on that you'll have to pay $nine.99.

How to download YouTube Playlists

How do I download music from YouTube?

Sometimes yous 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 way you'll only download the audio rail, with none of the video footage. That's platonic if you simply want to download some music or the audio from a YouTube podcast, and not have to take YouTube open up and running on your phone while you listen.

Information technology 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, you can also download music as part of YouTube Music Premium, which is £ix.99/$nine.99 per month. It will let you download songs and even music videos, but is express to music - you won't be able to download other videos as y'all can with a YouTube Premium subscription.

Download YouTube videos to a phone or tablet

At that place's the official YouTube Premium service which we've mentioned already but there are other apps which allow you to download videos directly on your Android telephone (including for complimentary), just it's trickier on the iPhone. We've written dissever 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 you can also download videos on your laptop using the methods above and then transfer them to your telephone or tablet, or upload them to a cloud storage service, where you can and so access the videos on any device.

To copy files from Windows to an Android phone, connect the two with a USB cable and use Windows File Explorer to copy the video files(southward) to the advisable folder, typically named Movies. So, you can play the video using the Gallery app or another video player on your telephone.

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

If yous don't want to use iTunes and you're happy to pay, Waltr 2 is an splendid footling utility for copying videos, music and other files to your iOS device then they announced in the native apps. Find out more in our guide to transferring videos to iPad and iPhone.

Finally, here's how to download whatever 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.