There are a few different ways to download videos from YouTube, but the most straightforward is to use a web browser on a desktop computer. Simply paste the video’s URL into the browser, then select a format and location to save the file. You can also grab the audio if you’d like, and there’s even support for downloading captions. YouTube doesn’t really police this stuff that much (unless you’re a paid YouTube Premium customer) but it does play a cat-and-mouse game with third-party services.
If you’re looking for a more streamlined way to do things, there are a few different YouTube video downloader apps out there that can help. Some of these are browser extensions, while others are stand-alone apps. Regardless, they’re all fairly simple to use: open the app, copy and paste the video’s link into the browser, then choose your desired output format and quality. Some of these apps even allow you to download entire playlists or channels, and some can convert the videos into mp3 audio files.
Another option is to use a dedicated program that can do all the work for you. One such program is Airy, which offers features such as playlist downloads, subtitle downloads, and batch downloads. The software is free, and it integrates with most major browsers. It can even access locked and age-restricted videos, making it a great choice for users with limited data plans or limited disk space.
Another good alternative is HitPaw, which can download videos from a wide variety of sites, including TikTok and Vimeo. The software supports up to 8K video quality and can extract the audio from videos as well. It’s also open source, so you can rest assured that it’s safe to use. video downloader youtube