How To Download YouTube Videos Easily & Effectively In 2021
Do you want to know how to download YouTube Videos? Here is how to easily and effectively do it in 2021. Being the largest video streaming website, youtube has over 2 billion users who watch more than 5 billion videos each day.
So it is no secret that while browsing through youtube, you may want to save videos to watch later. All of us have experienced this that whenever we go through a video on youtube and do not have enough time to watch it properly, we want to download it.
It is a fact that,
In this informative platform where thousands of videos are being uploaded every second, there is a lot of interesting content that hits the viewers right off the bat. Here comes the role of effective video downloading into the picture. There are various formats such as AVI, MPEG, and MP4 in which you can download youtube videos but the question is “How”.
The interesting part?
You can also get the downloaded audio by directly using the tools that can convert the youtube videos into audio.
This brings up the question:
Out of so many ways of downloading youtube videos, how do you decide which of the youtube video downloading techniques are the best and the easiest ones? It was quite a perplexing question for me in the past years when I used to see a lot of different ways and blogs on how to download youtube videos effectively.
After a lot of research, I found the right and the most convenient ways of downloading youtube videos, and today in this article, I am going to reveal all of my secrets regarding how to download youtube videos in 2021.
Is It Legal To Download The YouTube Videos?
Well, so many people are confused about this topic. Let’s understand it in the words of Youtube TOS. It states that:
“You shall not copy, reproduce, distribute, transmit, broadcast, display, sell, license, or otherwise exploit any Content for any other purposes without the prior written consent of YouTube or the respective licensors of the Content.”
So here you can easily understand that you can download the youtube videos except those with copyright restrictions or need permissions before downloading them. If you want to download the youtube video for personal usage or to keep the record for something useful and informative, you can freely do this. Moreover, there are thousands of royalty-free videos that are also present on youtube and need no permissions to download them.
The most important part?
Keep in mind that you should not be using any kind of third-party apps to watch youtube videos because youtube does not allow the users to access the videos through other platforms without even signing in on it.
Thus, the core of the matter is you know better why you want to download the youtube video and it is totally OK if you want to download the youtube videos for personal usage.
Now let’s get started with the techniques for downloading youtube videos.
5 Proven Methods To Download YouTube Videos In 2021
In the upcoming lines, I will discuss the methods that will make the youtube video downloading process a no-brainer task.
Use The Video Downloading Tool
In 2021, you can easily access FREE video downloading tools known as the youtube video downloaders and take benefit from the tons of options that are out there for you in the form of these video downloading tools.
Here is the list of the top 11 video downloaders of 2021 that are 100% free and will not cost you even a single penny for downloading youtube videos. Just click on the heading to go directly to the site!
Y2Mate
Whether you want to download the full video or only access the audio, all you need to do is to copy and paste the youtube video URL in the field on the homepage of the Y2Mate official website. Click on the “search” button and you will see download options with various resolutions.
KeepVid
It is another youtube video downloader website that allows users to download youtube videos in the MP4 format.
TubeMate
Want to grab your favorite videos in MP4 format? This is the best for you. With its own video player and search feature, you can easily find your favorite videos and download them instantly.
Snaptube
Though it is not available on Google Play, you can easily search for it on Google and download the APK. It allows its users to download youtube videos in MP3, MP4, and M4A formats.
YToffline
Want to save your favorite videos on the go? Well, here is the kicker for you. YToffline is a great tool that lets you save youtube videos by just copy-pasting the URL and then click on the “Go” option.
Want to know the best part?
Unlike other downloaders, it comes up with SSL encryption and you can use it with 100% safety.
Videoder
This youtube video downloader allows youtube lovers to download the videos both on android as well as window-supported devices.
4K Video Downloader
It is a breathtaking tool with stunning features and helps the user to save playlists and download the videos in HD, SD, and 4K quality. Moreover, you can also extract video subtitles and currently available for Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Airy
If you want to download youtube videos with various formats and get all of them in ultra HD quality, then look no further. It is a renowned youtube video downloader that mainly supports MP3.
ClipGrab
In terms of simplicity and ease, it deserves to be on the top. It is often marketed as the most user-friendly tool and makes it possible to watch youtube videos offline.
YT Cutter
Youtube videos are available with variable durations. Some videos may only consist of one minute or two while the others may continue for more than two to three hours.
YT Cutter is the video downloader that allows the users to download certain parts of youtube videos and cut and eliminate the unnecessary parts.
Vidmate
You can download the APK version of Vidmate on your phone and enjoy the videos in any resolution you want. Moreover, you can also download the videos in both audio and video. It is the most widely used application for android phones due to its easy and fast features. However, different ads may disturb you at times.
2. Download The Videos Directly From YouTube
It is my most favorite method of saving YouTube videos. Let’s break each element down and see how wonderfully it can help you to download youtube videos within 3 seconds.
Open the youtube video
The first step is to click on the youtube video that you want to download.
Add “ss” in the youtube video link.
You can easily find the editable youtube video link just above the video. It starts from www.youtube.com/videolink, so all you need to do is to add the “ss” just after the” www.” and before the world youtube.com. Then click on the search button and wait for the results.
Download the video
Clicking on the edited URL containing the “ss” will automatically redirect you to the online video downloader and after clicking on the right button, you will get the video right in your downloads or video album.
Want to know the distinguishing part of this technique?
As I have already given the clue, this technique only takes 3 seconds to download the video and everything is done automatically so you do not have to copy and paste the URL or look for the video downloader.
Here is a short 3- minute video from a pro, if you are better at learning from a video than text.
3. Download The YouTube Video With Virtual Desktop
This technique is quite similar to the above technique, however, it is new for most people and it definitely works. Let’s see what’s a catch.
Visit youtube & Head To The Desired Video
The process again starts with heading towards your favorite video and opening it.
Make an Addition to the URL
This time you will add the “vd” in the video URL just after the “www.” and before youtube.com.
Press the enter button
Have you successfully edited the video URL? Well, now it’s time to press the Enter button and you will be automatically redirected to the Django website where you will find many options to get the video downloaded.
Choose The Format and quality
On the Django website, you will not only see the “Download” option but also various details related to your videos such as format and quality. Using these options, you can get high-quality videos that you can get downloaded in various formats.
It is again only a matter of seconds, so you should not feel confused about anything while using this method. It is no different from the above method.
4. Use VLC Media Player To Download YouTube Videos
While most of us love to keep VLC media players on their desktops, many other people do not have this player on their desktops.
Well, no problem at all,
Even if you don’t have a VLC media player on your phone, you can always download it and start proceeding with this method.
Copy Video URL
Here again, go to the YouTub video and copy the URL.
Go To The VLC Media Player
As you already have this player, the next step is to keep it in the taskbar. Keep in mind that it is an optional step to open this player at the time of download.
Selection Of Network Stream
You may have seen the ‘Media’ option on your YouTube video. Have you ever thought that it also plays a role in downloading youtube videos? For this purpose, click on the “Media” option and choose the option with the words such as “Open Network Stream”.
Visit The Media
Clicked on the media? Now you can see the text editor where you can paste the URL of the video that you want to download.
Play & Check
After pasting the URL with the video downloader, you can now play the video in the VLC Media player and can check the smooth flow of all this process.
Look for the Codec Info
In the “Tools” option in the right corner, you will find the icon of codec information. Another way to find this option is to press CTRL+J.
When you get this icon, simply click on it and it will redirect you to a new window.
Location Text Box
In the new window, an editable location text box will appear. Copy and paste the URL here in this box.
Save the video
After pasting the URL, you will see an option to save the video. Proceed with this option. Here keep in mind that the video may start playing at this time and you will still be able to see the “Save Video” option.
Downloading process of the video
By default, your video will be downloaded in the mp4 format which is supported by the VLC Player and the default title of the downloaded will be “videoplayback” that you can always change later.
5. Download YouTube Videos Using Browser Extensions
If you are not satisfied with the above-mentioned techniques due to the involvement of the third-party tools, the only legal and easy option left for you is the use of browser add-ons or extensions.
It is something that will prevent you from copying and pasting the video URL at third-party apps or websites.
Not sure how to do this?
Well, here is how you can do this easily within minutes.
Choose The Extension
If you are using Google Chrome, Opera, or Firefox, you will notice that there is an add-on or extension for almost anything. The good news is that some of these extensions allow you to download youtube videos without much struggle.
Though I have not used too many youtube video downloading extensions, I am quite familiar with two extensions that make it extremely easy for you to download YouTube videos within seconds.
- Internet Download Manager: It is an extension that Google Chrome supports and when you enable it in your browser, you can see the “Download the video” option with every youtube video you open. After clicking on the download video option, you will see the whole list of various qualities and formats in which you can download the video.
- YouTube Video & Audio Downloader: It is supported by the Opera browser and allows you to watch youtube videos on your hard disk that you can always watch later. Using this add-on, you can not only download the YouTube videos using a single format or may choose different formats for each video.
2. Download The Add-on
Now you have got enough information about the add-ons and it is time to practically download them. Whether you use Opera or Chrome, the method to add the extension remains the same. The only difference is, you will see the “Add To Opera” option in the Opera browser and the “Add To Chrome” option in Chrome.
These options appear in the top left corner of the browsers just below the search bar.
Here it is worth mentioning that if you use a browser that does not support a certain add-on, then all your efforts will go in vain. So before you proceed with the downloading process of the certain add-on, make sure that it is supported by the browser you use.
Open The Youtube
Now after you have successfully installed your desired add-on, all you need to do is to open the youtube video that you want to download. As discussed earlier, after opening the video, you will find an option to “download” that video right away. Click on the “Quick Download” or “Download the video” options and you will get the video right on your computer or laptop.
Keep in mind that youtube does not give the “Download” option, until or unless you use the Add-on, however, you can save videos to watch them later.
Do not Forget To Choose The File Format
While using the extensions, you will not directly get the video downloaded in your browser, instead, when you will click on the “Download Video” option, you will find the list of various formats and qualities. After choosing your desired quality and format, you will see that the downloading process has begun.
Final Verdict
To be very honest, I have found all of the above-mentioned ways quite useful and interesting. After reading this article on how to download youtube videos in 2021, you can understand that youtube video downloading is a simple process and there is no rocket science in this concept.
By using any of the given techniques, you can download any number of youtube videos with various qualities and formats in no time. If you are doing so for personal usage, it can turn out to be a golden opportunity to learn from youtube.
Another thing is, at times, you may face internet connectivity problems, so if you have downloaded videos right in your VLC player or any other location, you can always enjoy them without an internet connection.
By the way, which of the following techniques do you like the most?
Using the VLC media player or the addition of extension?
Either way, do a quick comment right now and share your thoughts and experiences with us.
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