How to download YouTube videos for offline viewing

Just like you can download Netflix shows when you’re out of Wi-Fi range to save data, you can also download videos from YouTube for offline viewing. Plus, while it may seem mystical, the process is actually quite simple. To download videos from YouTube, you can either use YouTube Premium to download videos for viewing locally on your device, or use a third-party program that may potentially break the terms of service.

Here we’ll show you how to download YouTube videos to any device you own, from the work laptop you’re secretly mooching around on to one of the latest and greatest smartphones.

Use YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium, the paid version of the online service, is a great official way to start downloading YouTube videos to your devices. A subscription gives you and up to five other family members access to the service and the ability to download videos for viewing later, so the service can be very effective. There’s even a free trial of YouTube Premium to give you several days of service for free to see if you like it. By the way, YouTube Premium also gives you the ability to play YouTube videos in the background on your phone and comes with YouTube Music Premium. In other words, it is a multidimensional service that goes far beyond downloading videos.

In any case, downloading videos from YouTube with YouTube Premium will be slightly different depending on the device you are using. If you need help, follow the corresponding guide below.

Download YouTube videos to computer

Watching YouTube on a computer is very convenient. Here’s how to download videos to your computer for later viewing:

Step 1: Navigate to a video on YouTube that you want to download.

2nd step: Click “Download” below the video.

Step 3: You will be prompted to choose a resolution to download the videos, which maxes out at 720p for the initial download. If you’re not yet a YouTube Premium subscriber, you’ll be prompted to try a free trial.

Step 4: The video will start downloading to your device and the download button will say “Downloaded” once it’s finished.

Step 5: You can also download a video from the home page by hovering your pointer over the video, clicking the three-dot symbol and selecting “Download.”

Step 6: To change your download quality and enable Smart Downloads, which automatically download recommended videos for you, go to YouTube. Download Settings page.

Download YouTube videos on mobile

There’s no obvious download button on the YouTube mobile app’s home page, but you can still download videos there. Just follow these steps:

Step 1: From your home page, scroll to the video you want to download.

2nd step: Tap the “…” symbol.

Step 3: Tap “Download” in the new menu that appears.

Step 4: Choose a download quality and press the “Download” button again.

Step 5: If you want to download a video you’re already watching, swipe left on the bar below the video until the download appears.

Step 6: Now tap “Download” to download the video so you can watch it later.

Step 7: Changing your download settings on mobile is also a little trickier, but can be done as follows:

1. From the Home screen, tap your profile picture at the bottom right.
2. On the next page, tap the settings gear symbol at the top right.
3. Scroll down and select “Background & Downloads” from the settings menu.
4. From here you can enable smart downloads, set a download quality, and ensure downloads are only downloaded over Wi-Fi.

how to Watch Downloaded YouTube Videos

When you download a video from YouTube with YouTube Premium, you download a special file in YouTube format. As a result, you won’t be able to open the video in your favorite video editing software (we’ll talk about that in a moment) or video player. Instead, you will have to play the video through YouTube. Note that videos you download on one device will not appear on another device.

On a computer: Go to your YouTube uploads feed.

On mobile: Tap your profile picture like we did above, then scroll down and tap the “Downloads” selection.

If for any reason your device is not connected to the Internet for a period of more than 30 days, your downloaded videos will no longer be available.

how to download YouTube videos for free

Whether you want to skip YouTube Premium or start cutting and editing other people’s videos for your Sweet React video channel, you may want to download the video file directly. YouTube’s terms of service don’t directly prohibit it – at least as of this writing – but do impose some pretty strict requirements if you want to download videos directly from YouTube in this way. In other words, make sure you have the proper permissions before downloading videos from YouTube via third-party software.

If you decide to download a video from YouTube, one of the easiest ways to do so is to use YTCutter, where you can create gifs or videos by simply inserting a video link on the website. For a look at more complex YouTube downloaders, check out our collection of the best YouTube downloaders, which include products like ClipGrab and 4K Video Downloader.

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