How to Download YouTube Videos for Desktop & Mobile [2023]

How to Download YouTube Videos for Desktop and Mobile

YouTube is a video-sharing website that allows users to upload their own content. There are billions of YouTube videos uploaded every day.

This means there are millions of new videos added each week. Youtube doesn’t have a downloading feature; this is where we can help you.

If you’re looking to find out how to download YouTube videos, then you have come to the right place.

This article will show you some of the best methods for downloading YouTube videos in 2023. We will also explain why these methods work and how is different from other methods.

How To Downloading YouTube Videos in 2023

So, let’s get started!

Steps to Download YouTube Videos

You can use a video converter to download videos from YouTube. Let’s explore the best video converters and steps to download youtube videos.

Step 1: Choose a Downloading Tool/Converter

There are many video downloading software tools available online to help you download YouTube videos. Some of the tools require you to sign up or pay a monthly fee. Others are free to use.

Here are some of the most popular YouTube video converters:

1) 9 Convert (Free):

9convert is an online free tool for downloading videos from YouTube. You can easily download hundreds of thousands of YouTube videos in HD formats like 360p, 720p, and 1080p. They provide the fastest and easiest way to download YouTube videos from anywhere.

2) Allavsoft (Paid):

Allavsoft is an excellent tool for downloading YouTube videos. It has a user-friendly interface and works well on Windows and Mac computers.

It offers many options, such as converting YouTube videos to MP4, MP3, 3GP, WMV, etc.

3) 4K Download (Free):

4K Download is free software that lets you download YouTube videos directly to your computer. It works well with most browsers.

4) Snap Downloader (Paid):

You can download videos from YouTube up to 8K resolution and watch them from anywhere, even when you’re offline. It’s compatible with Windows, Mac OS, Android, iOS, Linux, and Chrome OS devices.

5) ITubeGo (Free):

iTubeGO is an app that lets you download YouTube videos. Its built-in YouTube converter lets you convert videos into MP4, MP3, MPEG-4, 4K, and HD video formats. It also lets you convert videos into MP4 files, download YouTube playlists, and manage multiple downloads simultaneously.

6) YTD Video Converter (Paid):

YTD Video Converter is a professional YouTube converter that enables you to download YouTube videos easily. It supports batch downloading and converts YouTube videos to various formats.

Step 2: Copy the Video Address Bar URL From YouTube:

When you visit a YouTube page, you’ll see a small address bar where you can copy the link to the video. You can use a video downloading tool to download your favourite YouTube content. Follow the steps below:

Step 1 – Copy the URL from the address bar and paste it into the box above. Then click “Start”.

Step 2 – Select Your Format and video quality

When you type the YouTube video URL into 9 Convert, you’ll be presented with a list of options. You can choose the video format you’d like to download, the video quality, and the size of the file. For example, you can choose between MP4, M4A, MP3, AAC, AC3, WAV, FLAC, etc. Click Next.

Step 3 – Choose Where to Save the File

Once you’ve selected the format, you can choose where to save the downloaded file. This step is optional but highly recommended.

It is advisable to have enough space on your hard drive to store the downloaded file. Also, make sure you have permission to the location you chose.

Then Click Next.

Step 4 – Start Downloading!

After clicking next, the program will start downloading the video. Once complete, the video will save to the location you specified.

How to Download YouTube Videos Directly?

If you don’t want to use any downloading tools to download YouTube videos, then follow these simple steps:

Go to Video:

Go to YouTube on your browser and click on the video you want to save. The video should open automatically.

Enter “ss” in URL:

Now, use a text editor to make changes in URL provided by YouTube. Next, enter “ss” after ‘www.’ and before ‘youtube.com’.

Press Enter or Return key to add the “ss” character. You will now be redirected to the free download site.

Go to the Download Site:

After redirecting, you will find several free services that don’t require a download or installation. After pressing the “Enter” button, you will redirect to the website.

You’ll notice that the text editor already contains the video URL, so there’s no need to copy and paste the link. You can download the video directly by clicking the ‘Download” button.

You can choose the format and the level of quality for the video.

How to Download YouTube Videos with Browser Add-Ons?

If you don’t want to use any third-party tool, there is a better option for you: browser add-ons. Use add-ons for your browser and get the video downloading job done smoothly.

Choose an Add-on:

There are many add-ons available for browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, etc. Some offer additional features such as converting videos to other formats, downloading videos directly, etc.

To download videos from YouTube, you must install an add-on that allows you to do it quickly.

Here I will explain how you can download videos from YouTube using one of the most popular add-ons called Easy YouTube Video Downloader for Opera.

how to download youtube video using browser addon

Download the Add-on:

Download the add-on on Opera’s official website. It’s straightforward to install. Just press the Install button.

Open the downloaded folder and double-click on the installer icon. Follow the instructions to finish installing the add-on.

Install the Add-on: Open the downloaded folder and double-click on the installer icon. Follow the instructions to finish installing.

Start Using the Add-on: Now you’re ready to download YouTube videos.

Head to YouTube:

Next, go to the YouTube video you’d like to download. You’ll see an icon on the top-right-hand side on Opera when you’re there. Click on that icon to get started.

Click on the Download option next to the video. It will take you to the download page to select your preferred settings.

Choose the file format.

The first step is choosing the format. Select the desired format, we recommend MP4 because it has better compression than others. For a slow internet connection, you might prefer another format.

MP4 is the default format when you start downloading a video. So make sure you select the right format before starting the process. After choosing the desired format, then click ok.

Choose resolution

The second step is selecting the resolution. Choose the size of the file you want to download.

Select your location

The last step is choosing the location where you would like to store the video.

How to Download YouTube Videos with a Virtual Desktop?

A Virtual Desktop (VD) allows you to download YouTube videos easily. VD is a virtual computer that runs inside your PC. It provides a desktop environment similar to Windows 7 or Mac OS X.

You can also run multiple tools at once without worrying about the resources used by each program. And you don’t even need to open any other application to download videos from YouTube.

All you have to do is launch the VD software and then choose the video you want to download.

Here are simple steps to guide you on how to download YouTube videos with a Virtual Desktop.

Go to YouTube Videos:

Go to the YouTube platform and search for your favourite video you want to download and watch. After you do this, press Enter, the video starts playing automatically.

When you notice that the video is over, hit Ctrl+J to pause it. Then, right-click anywhere on the screen and select Save Video As.

Enter “vd” to URL:

The process is the same as when you download videos directly from YouTube by adding “ss” to the URL. While in this case, you would have to edit the URL and add ‘vd’ before YouTube and after ‘www’.

See the image below

Download YouTube Videos with a Virtual Desktop

After the edit, hit the Enter key. Then, you’re redirected to the VD Youtube, where you want to download the video.

Choose the Video Format and Quality:

On VD YouTube, click “Video” at the top of the page, then select “Quality” and “Format.” You can proceed if you need to.

For example, if you want to download the HD version of the video, you’ll have to choose 1080p.

Then, you can adjust the quality level according to your needs. For instance, you can set the quality to High, Medium, Low, Very low, etc.

Download the YouTube Video:

Once you hit Download, it’s just a matter of seconds before the file gets downloaded to your computer.

How Do You Download YouTube Videos using a VLC Player?

You might know VLC as a universal media player, but you may not be aware of its ability to download videos directly from YouTube. Today, we’ll show you how to download videos from YouTube with VLC.

Before starting, make sure you’ve installed VLC Media Player on your computer.

Step 1. Visit YouTube and watch the video you want to save. Copy the video URL by right-clicking on the video and selecting “Copy video URL.” Alternatively, copy the full-length URL from the top address bar.

Step 2. Open VLC. If you don’t already have one, Download and install the VLC media player from https://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html.

Step 3. Click “Media”> “Open Network Stream…” (press Ctrl+N)

Step 4. Paste the copied video link into the blank bar. When you see the bottom triangle, click it and select “Stream” (press “Alt + S).

Step 5. Click “Next” in the Source Setup window.

Step 6. Click “Add” in the Destination Setup window.

Step 7. To rename the file, click Browse. Then, please choose a new name for the file and select a location where you want to save it. Now Click “Next. “

Step 8. From the Transcoding Options menu, enable “Enable transcoding.” Then, select “Video – H264 + MP3 (M4A)” from the Profile drop-down list. Click “Next. “

Step 9. Click the Stream button in the Option Setup window, and VLC will begin transcoding while streaming. When the progress bar reaches the end, the Download is complete, you can access the downloaded file in the directory you specified before.

The above methods allow downloading any YouTube video using VLC player software.

Conclusion:

You have learnt the step-by-step guide that shows you how to download YouTube videos for desktop computers and mobile devices.

As you know, we have discussed various methods to download YouTube videos, but the simplest way is to use the built-in feature of your web browser.

However, to customize the settings, you should consider using third-party extensions.

If you still have trouble downloading YouTube videos, please contact us in the comment section below.

You can also let us know your tricks to download youtube videos.