How to download YouTube videos on Computer

YouTube has become a quintessential part of our modern, social, educational, and entertainment lives. It has gained massive popularity and is used by people of all ages. Modern algorithms and AI features have made it the favorite of kids, teenagers, youngsters, and even olds. One hit video can make anyone popular in a day.

YouTube is a hub of billions of video content. Although YouTube does not allow you to download videos on your computer or your mobile phone or computer, it only allows you to download the videos offline on its platform. Sometimes, you see a music video clip on YouTube that you want to use one of your videos you want to download, or maybe you want to download it so you can watch it offline while you're on the bus or the gym or something like that or want to save an entire movie which someone has recently uploaded. So the question arises, how can we do that?

Although YouTube blocks the external downloading feature so you can remain loyal and dependent on the app every time you want to view its contents. But still, there is much third-party software that allows you to download the videos by following a few basic steps quickly.

This tutorial will learn three different ways to download the YouTube video for free on your computer easily.

You can also try Video Downloader from 4K Download.

Method 1

Using VLC Media Player

VLC Media player is an open-source application that supports many features and beneficial services, playing videos, audios, and files. VLC is a portable method to create a playlist that way, you can download videos.

To download the videos from YouTube to your PC follow the below-given steps.

1. Open YouTube Application in your web browser

The first step is to open YouTube (https://www.youtube.com) on any preferable web browser on your PC. The YouTube window will appear.

2. Download the VLC Player

1. If you already have VLC Media Player installed on your PC (most windows 10 operating systems will have inbuilt VLC player), you are good to go and can directly download YouTube videos.
2. But if you don't have a VLC player installed, download it from https://www.videolan.org.
   
3. Although VLC Player may not work for some videos and might show downloading error displaying, "Your input can't be opened". Sometimes YouTube may restrict the video on the web browser and decline the video to play. It happens if the selected video contains any copyrighted content. The only way to crack this problem is either by using a computer program or using a download website, such as mpgun.com.

3. Locate the YouTube video you planning to download

YouTube provides a friendly layout to navigate through your video that you want to download. You can type the video's name in the search bar, and the different results will be shown at the bottom. Double click on the video.

4. Copy the YouTube video's URL.

Point the cursor at the top of the web browser and double click on it. The URL will get selected, copy the address by pressing keyboard shortcut i.e. Ctrl + C.

5. Open the VLC media Player.

Click on the start menu located at the bottom of the screen. In the search bar type in VLC, double click on the player once it is shown in the best match section. The icon resembles an orange colored traffic cone.

6. Open the media network stream.

1. Network streams permit the user to play any file in VLC from your web browser.
2. From the ribbon menu bar on the top, click on Media.
3. The media menu bar will appear. Click on the Open Network Stream option or you can also access it by pressing the shortcut key i.e, Ctrl + N.

7. Paste the copied URL in the URL field

The network stream window will be thrown. In the network URL text field paste the copied video URL by pressing CTRL + V.

8. Play the video

1. Once done click on the Play button located at the bottom of the window. It will run the selected YouTube video in the VLC.
   
2. Sometimes, you will get an error that "your input can't be opened". One of the solutions to combat this issue is by updating your VLC to the latest compatible version and try playing the video again.

9. View the video's codec details.

From the VLC ribbon bar, click on tools. A dialog box will appear, select Codec Information. This information is used to find the location field address.

10. Copy the Location field address.

The codec Information window will appear displaying all the details about your media, audio, or stream. You will find a location field filled with a long address at the bottom of this window. Right click on the address and select the copy option.

11. Paste the copied address in your web browser.

Go to your preferred web browser and open a new tab, paste the copied address either by pressing the window shortcut key (ctrl + V) or by right-clicking on the bar and clicking on Paste.

12. Save the Video.

Right click on the desktop. A dialog box will appear. Click on 'Save Video as…'.

It will open your computer's "Save" dialog.

13. Download the video.

The YouTube video will start downloading onto your computer as an MP4 file with the name "videoplayback".

14. Save the file at preferred location at your computer

The above steps will download the video permanently on your computer. You can review it anytime, anywhere and can view the file by double-clicking on it.

Method 2

4K Video Downloader on a Computer

4k video downloader is one of the best applications to download YouTube videos easily on your computer. It has a user-friendly GUI. The 4k video downloader version is supported both by Windows and MAC. To download the YouTube videos permanently on your PC follow the below-given steps:

1. Download the 4K Video Downloader setup file.

1. To download 4k video applications, open their website by pasting the below link to the web browser.
2. Link: https://www.4kdownload.com/products/product-videodownloader.
3. Scroll down and click on 'Get 4k Video Downloader'. The 4k video apk will start downloading at the bottom of the browser.
4. The 4K Video Downloader is compatible with Windows as well as on MAC.

2. Install 4K Video apk on your system.

1. Once the downloading is done. Double click on the setup file to install it on your computer. Accept the terms and conditions and click on Install.
   
2. Windows will instantly throw a prompt box asking you we want the file installed on your PC. Click on Yes.

3. Open YouTube platform in your web browser

The first step is to open YouTube (https://www.youtube.com) on any preferable web browser on your PC. The YouTube window will appear.

4. Navigate the YouTube video you planning to download

YouTube provides a friendly layout to navigate through your video that you want to download. You can type the video's name in the search bar, and the different results will be shown at the bottom. Double click on the video.

5. Copy the YouTube video's webpage address.

Point the cursor at the top of the web browser and double click on it. The URL will get selected, copy the address by pressing keyboard shortcut i.e., Ctrl + C.

6. Open 4K Video Downloader.

1. Sometimes, even if the installation is completed still, the 4K Video application doesn't open automatically.
2. In this case, open the start of the menu at the bottom of your desktop.
3. The search bar type in 4k video downloader and double click on the application displayed on the Best match section.

7. Select the Paste Link option.

The 4k Video Downloader window will be displayed. Point the cursor on the Paste Link option (resembles a + with green color) and click on it. The 4k video downloader will automatically extract the copied URL from the clipboard. It will display a video labeled with parsing.

8. Select the video's format and Quality for the menu.

1. Once the parsing is completed, you will notice the download clip window will appear.
2. Click on the format menu, select the MP4 (default) video format. You can also choose the MKV video format if you want.
3. Select the appropriate video quality resolution at which you want to download your video. Here, I have selected a 1080p resolution as my system supports that.

Note: Usually, old laptops or desktop screens don't support high-resolution display, so before selecting the quality, make sure that your computer supports that; else, it would be pointless.

9. Click on the Download option.

1. Once you selected both the options, click on Download located at the lower end of the window. It will start downloading your video.
   
2. As soon as the downloading is completed, you will get a notification. But to access the video in your computer, follow a few more steps:
3. Right-click on the downloaded video located at the top of the 4k video downloader window. A pop-up menu will appear.
   
4. From the drop-down menu, select the Show in Folder option.
   
5. It will open the video in your Windows File Explorer. You can change the location if you want or can make a separate folder to download all the 4k videos together.
   

10. Play the Video

Double-click on the video to play it uninterruptedly anytime, anywhere, without the help of any Internet or browser.

Method 3

Using Y2Mate software on your PC, phone, or Tablet

Y2Mate is an online portal that allows you to download any video from the Internet on your computer, Phone, or Table for free. This method is useful to download videos from YouTube, Dailymotion, or any other media platform on the Internet. Although Y2Mate is free software to download audio and video files, it supports ad campaigns. It may disturb you by prompting ad-pop ups, but you can close it by clicking on the ad cancel icon. To download the YouTube videos permanently on your PC using Y2Mate software follow the below-given steps:

1. Open YouTube platform in your web browser

The first step is to open YouTube (https://www.youtube.com) on any preferable web browser on your PC. The YouTube window will appear.

2. Look for the YouTube video you planning to download

YouTube provides a friendly layout to navigate through your video that you want to download. You can type the video's name in the search bar, and the different results will be shown at the bottom. Double click and play the video.

3. Copy the YouTube video's webpage address.

Point the cursor at the top of the web browser and double click on it. The URL will get selected, copy the address by pressing keyboard shortcut i.e., Ctrl + C.

4. Navigate the Y2Mate website

Open another browser tab, and paste the link below to go to y2mate.com website. Link: https://y2mate.com.

5. Paste the YouTube video's URL

1. Once the website opens, you will notice a text field right at the start asking you to paste the link.
2. Either click on it once and paste the link by pressing keyboard shortcut i.e., Ctrl + C.
   
3. Else you can right-click on the field. The menu bar will be displayed. Select the paste option and click on start.

6. Select the format and resolution

1. As soon as you hit the start button, the bottom page will switch locating your selected video. It allows you to choose the format and resolution for the video.
   
2. From the format bar, you can select from video, audio, or mp3. Here, as we want to download video, we will go with Video format.
3. Down below you can choose the video resolution. Select the appropriate video quality resolution at which you want to download your video. Here, I have selected a 1080p resolution as my system supports that.
   

Note: Usually, old laptops or desktop screens don't support high-resolution display, so before selecting the quality, make sure that your computer supports that; else, it would be pointless.

7. Click on Download button

1. Click on the download button located right next to your file size.
2. The software will immediately throw a pop window.
3. It will load the video and will again ask you to download it. Click on the green button labeled with Download .mp4. The video will start downloading.

8. Save the video file (mp4) to your computer.

Once the video gets downloaded, it will be displayed at the bottom left corner of the webpage. It will be stored at your default download location. Double click on the video, to play it.