How to download YouTube videos on laptop

Do you want to save your favorite YouTube videos on laptop and watch them offline? But not sure how to do it or tried but couldn’t download YouTube video on your computer?

No worries, if you wish to download YouTube videos on your laptop local drive, here we bring all the methods you can try. With these different ways, you can easily save YouTube videos on Windows laptop, PC, Mac, tablet, and mobile phone.

However, it is important to note that most YouTube videos have copyright, because of which, you cannot download them. Thus, make sure you’re not violating copyright when downloading a YouTube video.

Ways to download YouTube videos on computer

Several online and desktop applications can help to download YouTube videos. With some, you may be familiar like VLC Media Player. Others include browser extensions, online YouTube downloaders, and more.

Let’s learn how each can help to download YouTube videos, along with their limitations and benefits.

Download YouTube videos using VLC Media Player

With open-source VLC Media Player, you not only watch videos but also download YouTube videos on computer. Go along with the below steps to download a video by using VLC Player:

Open YouTube and copy the URL of the video that you want to download.
Now open VLC Player installed on your computer. On Windows PC, from the top menu bar, go to Media > Open Network Stream. On Mac, navigate to File > Open Network in VLC.

In the Open Media window, paste the URL of the YouTube video. Click on Play The video begins playing.

Now go to Tools > Media Information, if using PC. On Mac, click Window > Media Information.
In the Media Information box, in the Location bar, double-click on the URL and copy it.
Next, open your web browser. Paste the copied link and press Enter.
A window playing the video opens. Click on the three dots and select Download The video downloads with .MP4 file extension on your computer.

Install YouTube video downloader on laptop

Apart from free VLC Media Player, you may like to try other desktop apps like Free YouTube Downloader, iTubeGo, Y2Mate, YTD Video Downloader, etc., to download YouTube videos on Windows and Mac computer.

These software can download and convert YouTube videos to MP3, MP4, MOV, FLV and other formats. The key benefit of desktop apps is that they let you download unlimited YouTube videos for offline viewing on laptop. Some apps also can also download YouTube playlist in one go.

Most of them are straightforward with user-friendly interface. You have to first, install the software on PC or Mac. Next, copy and paste the desired YouTube video URL into the app’s interface and select the video resolution. Finally, click the Download button to save the video on your computer. And you are done!

Download YouTube Video through browser

You can save YouTube videos online without installing a desktop downloader software setup. These online programs can extract videos from YouTube saving them to your computer storage drive.

What you need to do is simply open the YouTube video downloader website in the browser. Copy and paste the YouTube video URL. Select the output video requirement like file format and resolution, and submit. They can download full HD 4K and 8K videos as well.

However, be careful when using online YouTube video downloaders. They should be secure and shouldn’t pose any security threat to your system. Best way to use the free online YouTube video downloaders is to first, install an antivirus software on your system. This can caution and prevent downloads from dubious sites.

To name some online YouTube downloaders are Video Grabber, ClipConverter.CC, Convertio, etc.

Use YouTube downloader browser extensions

Many free browser extensions are available, which can download YouTube videos on computer. In this method, you have to install a video downloader extension for your browser and click on the extension or download option every time you wish to save the YouTube video. The extensions can download 1080p, 720p, 480p, and below quality YouTube videos in MP4, FLV, WEBM, MP3, 3GP and other formats. Some video downloader extensions also allow naming of videos while saving.

Note that Chrome, no more permits YouTube downloader extensions. You can try extensions for Firefox, Safari, Opera or other browsers such as YouTube Video Downloader, Video DownloadHelper, Easy YouTube Video Downloader or others.

Get YouTube Premium to download YouTube videos on Android, iPhone

Subscribe to YouTube Premium service by YouTube. The subscription service plan lets you download videos and playlists to watch offline. However, the service doesn’t allow downloading YouTube videos to laptop or computer. You can watch downloaded videos on phone and tablet.

Here’s how you can download YouTube video on phone and tablet:

Open YouTube mobile app.
Start playing the video that you wish to download.
Click on Download option and choose the video quality.
After the video is downloaded, a Download complete icon (a blue tick mark) appears.

Now watch your downloaded videos in the Library or Account tab of your YouTube app on the mobile device.

Bonus Tip: Videos saved on local hard drives are prone to loss due to various reasons. In any case, if you lose or accidentally delete a downloaded YouTube video saved on your computer, immediately get a video recovery software such as Stellar Photo Recovery. The professional recovery software is capable to restore deleted videos in any situation.

Wrapping Up

Downloading YouTube videos on laptop is no rocket science. With so many methods available, choose any based on your need.

Trust desktop YouTube video downloader to save any number of videos on PC or Mac. Alternatively, online YouTube video downloaders don’t require installation on laptop but usually offer limited video download per user. VLC Media Player is free, without ads and free from security risk. Further, browser extensions are also quick way to download YouTube videos. Meanwhile, to download YouTube videos on Android or iPhone, you can subscribe to YouTube Premium service.