Every bit the second-most visited site on the internet - afterwards Google itself - YouTube has effectually 23 billion visitors per calendar month. Most of them scout videos on the website or via i of the many YouTube apps.

Sometimes, though, you'll want to download a video. Mayhap that'due south to watch it offline, or possibly you lot want to salve a useful video just in example it's always taken down. Whatever your reason, we'll explicate a few different means that you can do this. Information technology'southward possible - and easy - to download videos on a Windows laptop or PC, and on Android phones. Information technology's non as like shooting fish in a barrel on an iPhone, unless y'all pay for YouTube Premium, just it's possible if you're determined.

Do remember 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 2 official ways to download videos from YouTube. First, there's the YouTube Go app which is available in countries where mobile information is besides expensive for streaming them.

Then there'due 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. At that place are other benefits of Premium, too, such as no adverts and being able to listen to music in the background so you can use other apps on your phone.

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

The good news is that it'southward piece of cake to download YouTube videos using unofficial methods. Starting time, we recommend reading our guide to whether information technology's legal to download YouTube videos.

Download videos using YouTube Premium

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

To download simply open up the app and caput to the video you want to download. Underneath the actor you lot should see a 'Download' icon - tap that, option what video quality you want to download, and that's it.

How to download videos YouTube Premium

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

Download YouTube videos in Windows

As with websites, in that location are lots of options for downloading with a desktop app. Not all are free, only some are. A paid-for ane nosotros tin can recommend is ByClick Downloader. It has an like shooting fish in a barrel-to-apply interface, is regularly updated and makes it supremely easy to download video - or just audio - from YouTube.

All you have to exercise is to re-create the URL of a video and a pop-upward will inquire if y'all want to download the audio or video. Or you can set a default and it won't fifty-fifty ask: 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 inbound whatever payment details.

how to download youtube videos to laptop

There are lots of alternatives, only none that we've found to be every bit adept.

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

how to download youtube videos to laptop

If you desire a free pick, 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 can put upwardly with these, it won't cost you anything.

How to download YouTube videos

The process is most identical to using a website: you copy and paste the URL of the video into the app. And so yous choose whatsoever options, such equally the resolution to download, then hitting the Download button. Most apps allow you to build upward a list of videos and then 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 spider web browser

If y'all desire to save videos without installing an app, at that place are many websites where you tin paste the URL of the YouTube video then click on the resolution yous want to download. These sites often get shut downwards, because they're regularly bombarded with cease & desist notices from copyright owners.

Also, these websites tend to redirect you lot to other sites which may or may not exist condom, and could pose a risk to your computer. This is why, firstly, it's important to run tiptop-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 Britain or Usa, and even if you lot do find a 'safety' site that will let you download videos, there are usually restrictions.

Typically, yous'll be express 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. Y'all can convert these videos into MP4 - or whatever format you like using Freemake and Whatever Video Converter, or yous could download and install VLC, which is a gratis video player that can play simply near whatsoever file.

How to download YouTube playlists

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

If the video is part of a playlist you lot can click the 'Download playlist' button and yous'll get a pop-up like 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.

You get a day's free trial to see if you like the program, simply later on that you'll have to pay $9.99.

How to download YouTube Playlists

How practice I download music from YouTube?

Sometimes you lot might want to download only the audio from a video on YouTube. The easiest fashion to do this is to apply one of the methods above and choose MP3 (or whichever audio format is offered). This way yous'll simply download the audio track, with none of the video footage. That'south platonic if you merely want to download some music or the sound from a YouTube podcast, and non accept to have YouTube open and running on your phone while you heed.

Information technology 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 besides download music equally part of YouTube Music Premium, which is £ix.99/$9.99 per month. It volition let you download songs and even music videos, but is express to music - you won't be able to download other videos as yous can with a YouTube Premium subscription.

Download YouTube videos to a telephone or tablet

There'south the official YouTube Premium service which nosotros've mentioned already but in that location are other apps which let you to download videos directly on your Android phone (including for free), simply 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 besides download videos on your laptop using the methods above then transfer them to your phone or tablet, or upload them to a deject storage service, where you can and so access the videos on any device.

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

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

If yous don't want to use iTunes and you lot're happy to pay, Waltr two is an excellent little utility for copying videos, music and other files to your iOS device so they appear in the native apps. Notice out more than in our guide to transferring videos to iPad and iPhone.

Finally, hither'due south how to download any online video - not just YouTube, although about all of the apps and services mentioned hither volition likewise download videos from other streaming services and social media platforms including Facebook and DailyMotion.