How to Download YouTube Videos: 5 Methods

For a long time, you have been watching videos of all kinds on YouTube. More often than not, you find yourself in an awkward situation where you are away from home, and you might not want to use public Wi-Fi due to its online safety concerns. Of course, if you have no other options, it would be very beneficial to use a VPN and protect personal data this way.

If you choose to use mobile data to access the internet, watching YouTube videos can be overly expensive. To add salt to injury, YouTube cannot allow you to download a video of your choice because of copyright issues unless you are willing to part with $11.99 per month to access the premium version.

You might be tempted to find an alternative to the YouTube app, but being the largest video-sharing platform, YouTube is an all-inclusive platform that is hard to replace.

Luckily, there are a host of ways you can use to download YouTube videos, which are outlined in the section below.

Is Downloading YouTube Videos Legal?

Before you read and implement the five methods to download videos from YouTube, you need to know that downloading videos from this platform is illegal and violates its terms of service. This act might land you into trouble with the law due to copyright infringement.

Therefore, before you download your favorite video, ensure you have prior permission from its owner so that you can avoid jail terms or parting with thousands of bucks if sued for damages.
Now, let’s dive into some of the methods you can use to download videos on YouTube, shall we?

1. Use Gihosoft TubeGet

Gihosoft TubeGet is one of the best YouTube video downloaders in the market. It allows users to download videos of the highest quality and in their original forms. Additionally, you can use it to extract audio from videos, something that comes in handy if you download music to use in video editing.

To download a video using this software;

• Install Gihosoft TubeGet in your computer
• Copy the link to the video you want to download from YouTube and paste it in Gihosoft TubeGet
• Choose the video’s resolution from a pop up that will appear
• Click download

2. Use YTD Video Downloader

YTD Video Downloader is perhaps the most powerful tool used to download YouTube videos. It supports various formats, including MP4, MP3, AVI, MOV, FLV, and 3GP. The tool can also help you create a video collection and set a password so that only you can access it.

Follow these simple steps to download your favorite video using this software;

• Copy the URL of the video you want to download from YouTube
• Paste this URL in YTD Downloader
• Select the desired format
• Choose a destination folder
• Click download to begin the process

3. Use Freemake Video Downloader

For almost a decade, the Freemake Video Downloader has been hailed as a reliable and powerful video downloader. This software boasts over 80 million users across the globe. It can help download videos in different formats and resolutions.

If you use this method, follow these simple steps;

• Download and install Freemake Video Downloader
• Run it on your PC and enable the “one-click” mode
• Copy the URL of the video you want to download from YouTube
• Paste the URL in the Freemake Video Downloader, and the download process will start automatically

4. Use Savefrom.net

In case you are looking for a free way to conveniently download your favorite YouTube videos, you need to consider Savefrom.net. What makes it stand out from other YouTube downloaders is that you don’t need to download any software since it’s a web-based program.

To download a video using Savefrom.net;

• Visit the official site of Savefrom.net
• Copy the URL of the video you intend to download
• The tool will detect the URL automatically
• Choose the video quality you need
• Click download

5. Use Jihosoft 4K Video Downloader

Our list of 5 methods to download YouTube videos cannot be complete without mentioning Jihosoft 4K Video Downloader.

It is one of the best video downloaders for PC, which is used by millions of people across the world. Using this tool, you can download multiple videos at a go in different resolutions. Yes! You can use this tool to download one video in 720P, another in 1080P, another in 2K, and another in 4K resolutions at the same time!

Another notable feature of this program is that it allows you to download an entire YouTube playlist or channel by pasting the link. Interesting, huh?

There is also a premium version of the program, which gives you access to more features such as downloading subtitles and converting a video into your preferred format.

To download a video using this program;

• Download and install the Jihosoft 4K Video Downloader
• Copy the link of the video you want to download from YouTube
• Paste the URL in the Jihosoft 4K Video Downloader
• Choose the video quality and format you prefer
• Click the download button to start the process
• Once the video is downloaded, it will be saved in the “finished” tab. You can watch it directly from the program or simply open the folder and watch it elsewhere.

Each of the methods outlined above has its highlights. This means that there is no method that is better than the other. To find the best, try them all and be the judge!