As the second-nearly visited site on the internet - afterwards Google itself - YouTube has around 23 billion visitors per calendar month. Nigh of them watch videos on the website or via 1 of the many YouTube apps.

Sometimes, though, you'll want to download a video. Maybe that's to picket information technology offline, or perhaps you lot want to save a useful video just in example information technology's ever taken down. Whatever your reason, we'll explain a few different ways that yous tin do this. It's possible - and like shooting fish in a barrel - to download videos on a Windows laptop or PC, and on Android phones. It'southward not equally easy on an iPhone, unless you lot pay for YouTube Premium, just it'southward possible if you're determined.

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

At that place are two official ways to download videos from YouTube. Offset, there'due south the YouTube Go app which is bachelor 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 United kingdom and US - 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 background so you tin can apply other apps on your telephone.

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

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

Download videos using YouTube Premium

If y'all're a YouTube Premium subscriber and so downloading videos is easy. There is ane big caveat though: y'all can just do it using the official YouTube or YouTube Gaming apps, which means you can't use Premium to download videos to your estimator - only to a phone or tablet.

To download simply open the app and head to the video yous want to download. Underneath the histrion you should see a 'Download' icon - tap that, pick what video quality you desire to download, and that'south information technology.

How to download videos YouTube Premium

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

Download YouTube videos in Windows

As with websites, at that place are lots of options for downloading with a desktop app. Not all are free, only some are. A paid-for one we tin can recommend is ByClick Downloader. It has an easy-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 you have to practice is to copy the URL of a video and a pop-upwards volition ask if yous want to download the audio or video. Or you lot can set a default and it won't even ask: it volition automatically download the MP3 or MP4 at the default quality.

It's reasonably priced at $9.99 (effectually £7.twoscore), and you tin can try it out for 24 hours for complimentary 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 equally adept.

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

how to download youtube videos to laptop

If y'all desire a free selection, try WinX YouTube Downloader. This volition nag you to upgrade to the full version which includes conversion to other formats (including MP3), but if you tin can put upwards with these, it won't cost y'all anything.

How to download YouTube videos

The process is well-nigh identical to using a website: you re-create and paste the URL of the video into the app. Then you cull whatever options, such as the resolution to download, then hitting the Download push button. Most apps permit y'all to build up a list of videos and and so 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 desire 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 y'all want to download. These sites often go shut downward, because 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 safety, and could pose a adventure to your computer. This is why, firstly, information technology'south important to run top-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 you exercise observe a 'rubber' site that will let you download videos, there are usually 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 audio (from a music video, for instance).

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

How to download YouTube playlists

Sometimes you accept to pay for software if you desire an easy life. Once again, ByClick Downloader is what nosotros'd recommend.

If the video is role of a playlist you tin click the 'Download playlist' push and you'll go a pop-up like the one shown below where you can choose which videos you lot desire from the playlist. A single click on the Download push button is all you need afterward that.

You become a day's free trial to see if you like the program, only after that you'll have to pay $nine.99.

How to download YouTube Playlists

How do I download music from YouTube?

Sometimes you might want to download just the sound from a video on YouTube. The easiest way to do this is to utilize i of the methods to a higher place and choose MP3 (or whichever audio format is offered). This way you'll but download the audio track, with none of the video footage. That's ideal if you just want to download some music or the audio from a YouTube podcast, and not have to have YouTube open and running on your phone while yous 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 every bit function of YouTube Music Premium, which is £9.99/$9.99 per month. Information technology will allow you download songs and even music videos, but is express to music - you lot won't exist able to download other videos as yous can with a YouTube Premium subscription.

Download YouTube videos to a telephone or tablet

There's the official YouTube Premium service which we've mentioned already but there are other apps which allow you to download videos direct on your Android phone (including for free), merely it'southward 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 yous 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 tin then 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 re-create the video files(s) to the appropriate folder, typically named Movies. And then, you lot can play the video using the Gallery app or another video player on your phone.

If y'all have an iPhone or iPad, import the file into iTunes and then sync it 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 you demand is an app, such every bit Skillful Reader or another video playback app which can transfer files using this method.

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

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