As the second-most visited site on the internet - after Google itself - YouTube has around 23 billion visitors per month. Nearly 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'southward to watch it offline, or possibly you want to save a useful video just in case it'southward e'er taken downward. Any your reason, we'll explain a few unlike ways that you tin do this. It's possible - and piece of cake - to download videos on a Windows laptop or PC, and on Android phones. It's non as easy on an iPhone, unless you pay for YouTube Premium, but it'due south possible if yous're determined.

Exercise remember that watching videos in the YouTube app (or website) and non skipping the ads is the best fashion to support your favourite channels.

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

Then at that place'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. In that location are other benefits of Premium, too, such as no adverts and existence able to heed to music in the background so you can use other apps on your phone.

YouTube Premium isn't cheap at £eleven.99/$eleven.99 per calendar month, and if you lot just want to download an occasional prune information technology's probably too much to justify paying.

The good news is that information technology's easy to download YouTube videos using unofficial methods. First, 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. There is one big caveat though: you can simply do it using the official YouTube or YouTube Gaming apps, which ways you tin can't use Premium to download videos to your computer - only to a telephone or tablet.

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

How to download videos YouTube Premium

Once the video has downloaded the icon below it will modify to a blue tick - tap this if y'all 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

As with websites, there are lots of options for downloading with a desktop app. Not all are gratis, but some are. A paid-for one we can recommend is ByClick Downloader. It has an piece of cake-to-employ interface, is regularly updated and makes it supremely piece of cake to download video - or only audio - from YouTube.

All yous accept to do is to copy the URL of a video and a pop-up will inquire if you want to download the audio or video. Or you tin set a default and it won't even ask: information technology will automatically download the MP3 or MP4 at the default quality.

Information technology'due south reasonably priced at $nine.99 (around £7.twoscore), and you can attempt it out for 24 hours for costless without entering any payment details.

how to download youtube videos to laptop

In that location are lots of alternatives, just none that we've found to be as good.

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

how to download youtube videos to laptop

If you lot want a gratis choice, attempt WinX YouTube Downloader. This volition nag you to upgrade to the full version which includes conversion to other formats (including MP3), but if yous can put upward with these, it won't cost you anything.

How to download YouTube videos

The process is almost identical to using a website: you re-create and paste the URL of the video into the app. And then you choose whatsoever options, such as the resolution to download, then hit the Download button. Nearly apps permit you to build upwards a list of videos and and so download them in one go. Some fifty-fifty 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, there are many websites where you tin paste the URL of the YouTube video and then click on the resolution you want to download. These sites oftentimes get shut down, because they're regularly bombarded with cease & desist notices from copyright owners.

Likewise, these websites tend to redirect y'all to other sites which may or may not be safe, and could pose a risk to your estimator. This is why, firstly, it's important to run elevation-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 Great britain or US, and even if you do observe a 'condom' site that will let yous download videos, there are commonly restrictions.

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

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

How to download YouTube playlists

Sometimes y'all have to pay for software if you desire an easy life. Over again, ByClick Downloader is what we'd recommend.

If the video is part of a playlist you tin can click the 'Download playlist' push button and you'll become a pop-upwardly like the one shown below where you lot can choose which videos you want from the playlist. A single click on the Download button is all y'all demand after that.

You go a day's free trial to meet if yous like the program, but after that you'll have to pay $9.99.

How to download YouTube Playlists

How practice I download music from YouTube?

Sometimes you might want to download only the sound from a video on YouTube. The easiest fashion to do this is to use one of the methods in a higher place and choose MP3 (or whichever sound format is offered). This mode yous'll simply download the sound 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 ane for Android phones.

If you don't mind paying, you lot can also download music as office of YouTube Music Premium, which is £nine.99/$9.99 per month. It will permit you download songs and fifty-fifty music videos, simply is limited to music - y'all won't be able to download other videos every bit 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 yous to download videos directly 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 likewise download videos on your laptop using the methods above and 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 2 with a USB cable and apply Windows File Explorer to copy the video files(due south) to the advisable folder, typically named Movies. Then, yous can play the video using the Gallery app or another video player on your phone.

If you have an iPhone or iPad, import the file into iTunes and and then sync information technology to your iOS device. Alternatively, y'all 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 lot need is an app, such as Good Reader or another video playback app which tin can transfer files using this method.

If you don't want to use iTunes and you're happy to pay, Waltr ii is an splendid fiddling utility for copying videos, music and other files to your iOS device and so 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 any online video - not but YouTube, although almost all of the apps and services mentioned here will too download videos from other streaming services and social media platforms including Facebook and DailyMotion.