How Do I Capture A Youtube Video

There are billions of hours of video on YouTube. Literally. And that'due south inappreciably the near astounding statistic about the site, which has been the become-to destination for uploading and watching video since 2005. That said, sometimes, you really want or need to have one of those videos on your own computer or phone. Only when the topic of downloading YouTube videos comes upwards, there's a side subject field that must exist broached: Is it legal?

On the copyright front, equally long as you're downloading a video for your own personal offline use, y'all're probably okay. It'southward more blackness and white when yous consider Google's terms of service for YouTube(Opens in a new window), which read: "You lot are non allowed to...access, reproduce, download, distribute, transmit, broadcast, display, sell, license, modify, alter or otherwise use any part of the Service or any Content except: (a) equally expressly authorized past the Service; or (b) with prior written permission from YouTube and, if applicative, the respective rights holders."

Watching YouTube videos offline through unofficial channels takes money from Google and video creators. There's a reason YouTube runs ads: People brand a living this style.

Obviously, stealing videos from YouTube is a large no-no. If you want to share a video, YouTube and nigh other video sites make information technology easy, from embedding to emailing to sharing via social networks. Y'all only do non demand to download a video well-nigh of the time.

However, you lot have your reasons. If you must download a YouTube video—absolutely need to, but for yourself, and not for dissemination, and not to be a full douche-nozzle—hither'due south how.

Note: This story is updated often as the tools involved change regularly. Some of those changes are non always pleasant, such as software so full of "extras," information technology gets flagged as malware by antivirus tools. The same goes for the helper websites—a change in a site's advertising network can as well create issues with malware.

To prevent this from becoming a laundry list of programs and sites that can download YouTube videos, we came upwardly with a few rules for inclusion. Services must:

Support 4K downloads fifty-fifty in the gratis version.
Work with top three video sites:YouTube, Facebook, and Vimeo.
Download entire playlists or channels in a batch (on YouTube), at least with a paid version.
Output to MP3 for sound (or offer companion software that does and then).
Have an interface thatdoesn't suck.
Not collect your personal data beyond your e-mail address.
Not contain malware. If there's fifty-fifty a whiff of it in the air, even a PUP, information technology'due south out.

The programs, services, and sites in this story are all costless of spam/virus/bug as of this writing, but caveat emptor. Large time. Especially if y'all're not really emptor-ing.

YouTube Premium Downloads

Now available for subscribers of YouTube Premium—the paid version of YouTube that allows you to lookout without ads—are video downloads. Kind of. There'south 1 caveat with quality: All the video you lot download is limited to 1080p quality max, or lower. No 4K.

The biggest issue is, this characteristic doesn't really download a video to save on your computer forever. It is more akin to the download characteristic constitute on mobile apps for Netflix and Hulu, which makes a streaming video available to scout later using your local storage and views it using the app'due south interface only. This is non a method that allows you lot to, say, watch a video using dissimilar software such as the VLC Media Player.

You lot access the download by going to the YouTube hamburger card and selecting Downloads (Opens in a new window)to view the list of what yous've grabbed. The page says "Downloads remain available as long as your device has an active cyberspace connection at least once every 30 days." This probably isn't exactly what you lot are looking for in a download. But the tools below deliver exactly that.

Desktop Software

Third-party software is where you lot volition get the best command over downloading online videos. Typically, yous paste the URL for the YouTube video you lot desire into the program, and information technology downloads the highest quality version it tin can find. For videos in 1080p Loftier Definition (Hard disk drive) format, that's ordinarily an MP4 file. For anything college in quality—4K or 8K—the file format is typically MKV.

In the past, YouTube videos were Flash-based, so your download was an FLV file, but those tend to be harder to play back. MP4 (short for MPEG-four Part 14 multimedia format(Opens in a new window)) plays everywhere

Note that the MKV file, also called a Matroska, is a container—the file could contain video utilizing any number of codecs within. The fool-proof way to play them all is to employ the VLC Media Player for Windows, which plays everything. (Read more about it below.) As for the downloaders, hither are the best options.

VLC Media Actor

Complimentary; Windows, macOS, Linux

We mention VLC Media Player(Opens in a new window) above considering information technology's a fantastic tool for Windows, Mac, and Linux users that plays back just about any media always created. It likewise has the power to download YouTube videos, admitting in a convoluted way. (If y'all meet any problems, try a total re-install of VLC and articulate your cache to make it work.)

Copy a URL from a YouTube video, then open up up VLC. From the Media menu, select Open up Network Stream (Ctrl+Due north) and paste in the URL. Click Play. When the video is playing, get to Tools > Codec Information. There is a box at the bottom called "Source"—copy the URL you find in that box.

Go dorsum to your browser and paste the URL—it'due south a temporary web accost and will expire eventually—in the address bar and start playing the video. When you're viewing the video in the browser, click the three-dot bill of fare at the lower right for the download option to keep it locally.

Yet, information technology appears that VLC is but going to save your file as 1080p and non any higher, even if the original YouTube stream was available in 1440p or 2160p (aka 4K). It also won't convert video to other formats. To get those options, you demand the desktop software beneath.

4K Video Downloader

Costless or $15 for lifetime license on 3 computers; Windows, macOS, Ubuntu Linux, Android

Multi-lingual 4K Video Downloader(Opens in a new window) (4KVD) is frequently updated and features clear download links on the program's website; no ad traps here. The software does what it advertises in a simple interface. It grabs videos up to 8K in quality and downloads to plenty of formats. Just copy a YouTube URL and click the Paste Link push to get started. 4KVD will even take hold of subtitles, unabridged playlists, and all the videos in a channel to which you lot subscribe. The sites supported are express to the large names similar YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and a few others, but that covers most of what you need. It does display a large banner advertisement to continue the lights on and you lot're limited to 30 downloads a solar day on the free version.

I had to make a switch from MP4 to MKV format to become my test video to download in 4K. 4KVD snagged the 3-infinitesimal, 229.7MB file for the picture show trailer in about ane infinitesimal and 20 seconds. 4KVD defaults back to 1080p Hard disk drive, and so I made the same switch when downloading an Ultra High Definition (8K) playlist(Opens in a new window).

If you enable the Smart Fashion and its presets, 4KVD tin perform i-click downloads to your favorite format. If you want to download more than 25 videos at a time or subscribe to YouTube channels to instantly download the latest, that requires the paid version. Playback of the resulting MKV files via VLC Media Player was flawless.

The program itself has an option to extract audio to MP3 format, and so you don't even demand the 4K YouTube to MP3(Opens in a new window) companion software.

VideoProc Converter

$59.xc for i year, $78.ninety lifetime, $119.90 family (ii-v PCs); Windows, macOS

The powerful VideoProc from Digiarty comes in an editor edition and this converter(Opens in a new window), which also provides editing and furnishings. The downloading attribute is great, a version similar to Digiarty's WinX YouTube Downloader, which y'all can still observe simply is not promoted by the company these days. This makes sense, as VideoProc Converter handles a lot of downloading, supposedly supporting 4K from over 1,000 websites. With hardware dispatch(Opens in a new window), it promises some speed. Thankfully, it oft offers price discounts.

To use it, you open the software, let it find your hardware to encounter what you lot accept to help with acceleration (if anything). Click the Downloader button, click Add video to place as many URLs as you desire to batch, and and then Download Now. Or you can get a whole YouTube playlist or live stream. It grabbed our 697MB test 4K video(Opens in a new window) to WEBM format in about 2 minutes and 15 seconds, which isn't bad. Best of all, the trial version of VideoProc Converter, which limits conversions to 5 minutes, doesn't appear to limit downloads.

FlixGrab

1-year license $44.99 plus tax (or $ix.99 for Free YouTube Download); Windows

Similar some others, FlixGrab(Opens in a new window) has several unlike programs available, many with overlapping features. For example, it has FlixGrabMS (a version you get from the Microsoft Store(Opens in a new window) to run on Windows 10/eleven)—but it wouldn't let me grab video from YouTube. The directly download of the FlixGrab plan from the flixgrabapp.com site did work with YouTube and several other sites,. Plus information technology offers a Free YouTube Download(Opens in a new window) that is specific to YouTube, yet uses the same easy-to-use interface. The downside, equally with others, is the high subscription toll, but it'southward the but manner to become high-quality downloads. The YouTube-only version is essentially cheaper at $9.99 per yr, however. Neither comes with a trial period.

5KPlayer

Free; Windows and macOS

The free 5KPlayer(Opens in a new window) is a lot more than a downloader, but it's got a heck of an integrated downloader. Promising no viruses, ads, or plug-in requirements is a good get-go. It is, sadly, 1 of the few tested that asks for a registration of your proper name and electronic mail—you accept to do that to become the total download part across 300+ sites(Opens in a new window). However, you tin can however nab 4K vids from YouTube without registering.

When downloading, the program does try to hibernate some things. Paste in the URL for a YouTube video and the analysis engine runs and shows only a few download options. Click the gear icon, then the Show All button, and roll to run across more—like a 4K 3,840-past-2,160 file in WebM format. The 227MB WebM test download took an agonizing vi.5 minutes. Grabbing playlists was possible, merely you must adjust download settings ane video at a time. The confusing interface makes information technology hard to get back to the other videos in the playlist.

5K Role player also features DLNA server playback so videos y'all catch can be watched on whatever devices that support DLNA, plus it supports AirPlay for quick playback to Apple devices. Pick a video in the library for quick conversion to MP4, MP3, or even ACC (the audio format preferred by iOS). The player didn't like playing back the overly big 4K file, though, and experienced buffering issues (VLC didn't have any trouble with the same file).

Ultimately, there'south a lot to similar nigh 5K Player, from the price to the features, especially if you await at them equally extras on a downloader. But the bad interface, slow download speeds, and playback issues may have you looking elsewhere.

Helper Websites

Do you desire to avoid installing software? Video download helper sites are supposed to practise the download work for you. All of them practice one bones affair: You lot requite them a YouTube URL (or another video site, if supported), they parse it, requite y'all a choice of what size download you want, and provide a link to said download. They work on whatsoever platform, sometimes even on mobile devices. Y'all don't have to install anything on your PC. Information technology can accept a lot longer, depending on the size and quality of the video you lot want, only you tin can't beat the convenience.

The problem is, you can't always trust them. In that location are hundreds of these types of sites out there—it seems anyone with a modicum of coding ability has prepare one upwardly. Such sites easily go from useful to suspicious, especially if they get popular and the proprietor sells out to make cash off your visits.

Recommended past Our Editors

Since this story was first published, all the helper sites we recommended have been removed for reasons similar adding sexually explicit ads, no longer working, switching to pushing its download utility only, and i for going out of business to avoid getting sued.

For that reason, we're not recommending whatsoever helper sites at the moment. Attempt 1 if y'all notice it, just if your browser, antivirus, or instincts throw upwardly warnings, avert and move on.

Extensions

A browser extension tin relieve y'all a step. However, you lot're going to run into some issues with downloading video from YouTube, specially if you lot're using Chrome as your principal browser.

The Chrome Spider web Store(Opens in a new window)—where y'all go Chrome browser extensions—is controlled by YouTube'due south owner Alphabet/Google. Fifty-fifty an extension ostensibly for this purpose isn't going to allow YouTube direct downloads, considering of Chrome Store restrictions. In general, with Chrome extensions, the download of any RTMP protocol video (protected videos) or streaming video isn't possible. You lot can use them on other sites with video, of course. Just not YouTube.

Want to get around it? Go an extension that does not come from the Google Web Shop. Some of the programs and helper sites offer an extension component and will spell out how to do the install(Opens in a new window) without the assistance the Chrome Web Store usually provides. Hither are a couple.

YouTube Video Downloader

Free; Chrome, Opera, Border, Vivaldi, UCBrowser

YouTube Video Downloader from Addoncrop(Opens in a new window) is on multiple browsers just with excellent side-load capabilities(Opens in a new window). It puts a push beneath any video you're playing on YouTube, or even an embedded YouTube video, making it piece of cake to grab. Supported video quality goes up to 8K. You can as well convert audio from the video to an MP3. It volition fifty-fifty aid you accept video screenshots.

Video DownloadHelper

Free; Firefox, Chrome, Border

Video DownloadHelper(Opens in a new window) supports a huge number of sites—fifty-fifty those for adults. Yous'll know a video is downloadable when the icon for the extension animates when you're on the web page. Video DownloadHelper for Chrome has stopped working with YouTube; that way, it could become placement in the Chrome Web Store. Become around that by using the Video DownloadHelper extension on Firefox or Edge instead.

Mobile

Downloading from YouTube using an Android app from the Google Play Store is a challenge, given that Google has a tight grip on the site it owns, and offers the paid YouTube Premium service that supports offline viewing.

That said, with Android, itis possible to install apps without going through Google. For example, InsTube – Complimentary Video and Music Downloader(Opens in a new window) for Android can simply be plant at InsTube's site. Download the APK (Android application package) file to sideload on an Android device. Notice information technology in your device's downloads and click to install(Opens in a new window). (You may have to go into your security settings and enable "Unknown sources.")

On iPhones and iPads, you lot'd think there would be no such restriction since Apple and Google aren't exactly the best of pals (or maybe they are(Opens in a new window)). All the same, on the iOS apps I have tried, non but wouldn't they download from YouTube, simply they're also typically not bachelor for long. One of those apps said in its description, "Downloading from YouTube is prohibited due to its Terms of Service." Apple is ensuring that app makers play by the rules—fifty-fifty Google's rules.

Chances are, the minute you find an iOS app that can download YouTube videos, information technology volition become "fixed" or banned. The only real option is to jailbreak your iPhone and use sideloaded apps that download what y'all desire.

There are workarounds. One is to subscribe to YouTube Premium; it lets you download video on your iPhone or iPad to watch later, much as Netflix and Hulu do.

Another is using a costless iOS file managing director app like Documents by Readdle(Opens in a new window). Use the Safari browser to visit a YouTube video, and employ the Share option to discover Copy Link. Then get dorsum to Documents, and use the congenital-in browser in the app to surf to a video download helper site. Paste the link into the form (agree your finger downward on it until yous get the "Paste" menu to pop upwardly). The site will give you the links to download, and you can save the file to Documents. Concord and drag the file up, until you lot're dorsum on the main screen, then drag information technology to the Photos folder. Yous'll need to requite Documents permission to admission Photos the first time. You tin and then access the video like you would any video taken on the phone or tablet—in the Photos app.

Another workaround: Go back to the desktop and try AnyTrans(Opens in a new window) ($39.99 for a single computer for 1 year, Windows or macOS; $59.99 lifetime program), a desktop file director for iOS devices that has an integrated downloader supporting 900 sites, including YouTube and Facebook. Information technology'll transfer the videos to the iPhone for you over the USB cable. Fifty-fifty if yous don't pay for AnyTrans, the download pick remains and is free forever.

YT Scribe

Want a truly unique way to "download" a video? YT Scribe(Opens in a new window) lets you grab the transcription so you lot can read them instead. It auto-transcribes, punctuates, and paragraphs the text. The better the subtitles, the improve the "article," of grade. Best of all, it'south totally free.

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Source: https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-download-youtube-videos

Posted by: palmerstrinter.blogspot.com