As the second-near visited site on the net - after Google itself - YouTube has around 23 billion visitors per calendar month. Most of them watch videos on the website or via ane of the many YouTube apps.

Sometimes, though, y'all'll want to download a video. Maybe that's to watch it offline, or perhaps you lot desire to relieve a useful video just in case information technology'southward ever taken down. Whatever your reason, we'll explain a few different ways that you can do this. It's possible - and easy - to download videos on a Windows laptop or PC, and on Android phones. It's non equally easy on an iPhone, unless you lot pay for YouTube Premium, only it's possible if you're determined.

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

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

Then in that location's YouTube Premium, a paid-for service that allows users in other countries - including the UK and The states - to download YouTube content in the app. There are other benefits of Premium, too, such equally no adverts and being able to mind to music in the background and then you can employ other apps on your telephone.

YouTube Premium isn't cheap at £11.99/$11.99 per month, and if you but desire to download an occasional prune it'southward probably also much to justify paying.

The skillful news is that it'due south easy to download YouTube videos using unofficial methods. Offset, we recommend reading our guide to whether it's legal to download YouTube videos.

Download videos using YouTube Premium

If you're a YouTube Premium subscriber then downloading videos is easy. At that place is one big caveat though: you lot can merely do it using the official YouTube or YouTube Gaming apps, which means you can't utilise Premium to download videos to your calculator - only to a phone or tablet.

To download simply open up the app and head to the video you want to download. Underneath the thespian you should see a 'Download' icon - tap that, selection what video quality y'all want to download, and that'southward it.

How to download videos YouTube Premium

One time the video has downloaded the icon beneath it will modify to a blue tick - tap this if you want to remove the download. You'll be able to detect 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. Not all are free, but some are. A paid-for one we 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 accept to practice is to copy the URL of a video and a popular-upwards will ask if you desire to download the audio or video. Or you lot tin ready a default and it won't fifty-fifty ask: it volition automatically download the MP3 or MP4 at the default quality.

It'south reasonably priced at $9.99 (around £7.xl), and you lot tin try information technology out for 24 hours for free without inbound any payment details.

how to download youtube videos to laptop

At that place are lots of alternatives, only none that we've constitute to be as practiced.

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

how to download youtube videos to laptop

If you want a free option, try WinX YouTube Downloader. This will nag you to upgrade to the full version which includes conversion to other formats (including MP3), merely if you tin can put up with these, it won't toll yous anything.

How to download YouTube videos

The procedure is near identical to using a website: you copy and paste the URL of the video into the app. Then y'all cull any options, such as the resolution to download, then hit the Download push button. Well-nigh apps allow you to build upward a list of videos and and so download them in one become. Some even let you paste in a YouTube playlist and automatically download all the videos.

Download YouTube videos in a web browser

If yous want to save videos without installing an app, there are many websites where you can paste the URL of the YouTube video and 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.

Also, these websites tend to redirect you to other sites which may or may non be condom, and could pose a chance 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 whatever more than.

Previous sites we'd used for years, such as SaveFrom, no longer operate in the UK or Us, and even if yous exercise find a 'safe' site that will let yous download videos, there are normally 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 example).

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

How to download YouTube playlists

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

If the video is function of a playlist you can click the 'Download playlist' push and you'll get a popular-up like the one shown below where you lot can cull which videos y'all desire from the playlist. A single click on the Download button is all you demand later that.

Yous get a mean solar day's gratuitous trial to see if you similar the program, just 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 audio from a video on YouTube. The easiest style to do this is to use ane of the methods above and cull MP3 (or whichever audio format is offered). This mode y'all'll simply 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 up and running on your phone 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 lot don't listen paying, you can also download music equally role of YouTube Music Premium, which is £ix.99/$9.99 per calendar month. Information technology will let you download songs and even music videos, but is express to music - you won't be able to download other videos every bit you tin 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 just at that place are other apps which allow yous to download videos straight on your Android phone (including for free), but 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 you can also download videos on your laptop using the methods in a higher place then transfer them to your phone or tablet, or upload them to a cloud storage service, where you can 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(due south) to the appropriate folder, typically named Movies. Then, y'all tin play the video using the Gallery app or another video player on your telephone.

If yous have an iPhone or iPad, import the file into iTunes and and so sync information technology to your iOS device. Alternatively, you can drag and drop the file(southward) to your iPhone or iPad via the Apps tab when you lot click on your device in iTunes. All you need is an app, such as Practiced 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 excellent little 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 whatever online video - not just YouTube, although almost all of the apps and services mentioned here will as well download videos from other streaming services and social media platforms including Facebook and DailyMotion.