How to download YouTube videos on a Mac – do phone
If the concept of a lengthy automotive journey or bedtime with out a connection to the web leaves you trembling with worry, there’s a resolution. You’ll be able to download these YouTube videos your children (otherwise you) love to watch to play again offline. Making a copy of YouTube videos on an iPad or iPhone is very easy, however the identical can’t be stated if you need to save YouTube videos on your Mac.
Essentially the most curious factor about this specific problem is that YouTube permits YouTube videos to be downloaded to an iPad or iPhone (for those who subscribe to YouTube Premium, $11.99/£11.99 a month, one-month free trial). The identical is true of Disney, Netflix and Prime, who additionally permit downloads to cellular gadgets, however not the Mac. For some purpose these companies do not appear to need folks to download something to a Mac, maybe it is because they provide apps for cellular gadgets and due to this fact have management over how these recordings are saved and the way lengthy they’re accessible for (YouTube Premium solely lets subscribers download video and music on to cellular gadgets, and it’ll solely be accessible to watch offline for 30 days, for instance).
Since there aren’t any apps for YouTube or the opposite streaming companies on the Mac, the content material house owners gained’t have management over how the recordings are used. Clearly the answer could be for Mac variations of the apps to be provided, however as but this hasn’t occurred.
Nevertheless, simply because YouTube doesn’t make it simple to download YouTube videos on a Mac doesn’t imply you’ll be able to’t. Apple makes it attainable to display screen seize what’s taking part in on your Mac, so ripping a YouTube video with the audio on to your Mac will not be an excessive amount of of a problem. We’ll run although this course of under.
There are additionally free and paid for apps that will even do this for you with a little extra finesse, and we are going to embody a few of these choices under too. In our expertise the free apps are often extra hassle than they’re price and doubtlessly harmful. (For those who see a warning that you simply want to set up Flash, for instance, it actually might be a rip-off, or at worse malware!)
Earlier than we begin, now we have to level out that you ought to be conscious of copyright points. Firstly, you shouldn’t download another person’s video after which, for instance, add it to your individual YouTube channel or use it to promote your enterprise. You must also word that downloading YouTube videos goes in opposition to YouTube’s phrases of service. The corporate specifies that “You shall not download any Content material except you see a ‘download’ or comparable hyperlink displayed by YouTube.”
After all if it’s to your personal personal use it’s unlikely that YouTube will ever know.
How to download YouTube videos on a Mac without spending a dime
It’s very easy to download YouTube video without spending a dime with software program that comes together with your Mac. You don’t want to download an app in any respect. Since Mojave, macOS has had an in-constructed display screen recording characteristic. You’ll be able to seize what’s taking part in on your display screen and the audio. Simply word that Mac mini doesn’t have an inbuilt microphone so that you would wish a microphone to seize audio in case you are utilizing a Mac mini.
Possibility 1: Display screen seize with audio on a Mac
- Press Command + Shift + 5.
- Click on on Report chosen portion.
- Drag the crosshairs to choose the video.
- Click on Choices and ensure your microphone is chosen.
- Click on Report.
- Now begin taking part in the video.
- Await it to end after which cease the video. To cease the display screen recording (you’ll discover a cease button within the menu on the prime of the display screen or within the field as seen within the picture under.)

That is with out a doubt one of the best ways to file from YouTube on a Mac. Nevertheless, a quick video can take up a lot of house on your Mac, and clearly it’s obligatory to wait whereas the entire video performs by means of.
Possibility 2: Report the display screen utilizing QuickTime
Earlier than Apple merged the instruments for display screen recording with the display screen seize instruments in macOS Mojave, Mac customers may use QuickTime to file the display screen on their Mac. Since Monterey, for those who attempt to display screen seize utilizing QuickTime it simply defaults to the identical instruments as are provided by Command + Shift + 5, nonetheless, when you’ve got an older model of macOS that is the way it works:
- Open QuickTime Participant (press Command + Area and begin typing QuickTime).
- Go to the menu on the prime of the display screen and select File > New Display screen Recording.
- A Display screen Recording pop-up window will seem. Earlier than you progress to the subsequent step click on on the down arrow beside the purple button and guarantee that Inside Microphone is chosen.
- Click on on the purple button.
- Now you will note directions indicating you’ll be able to click on to file the total display screen, or drag to file a part of the display screen. Drag the cross-hairs over the video.
- Now click on on Report.
- Begin the YouTube video taking part in (make sure that the sound is on).
- As soon as the YouTube video has performed you’ll be able to click on on the cease button within the menu on the prime of the display screen.
- The video will open so you’ll be able to verify it earlier than saving it.
Finest apps to download YouTube video
There are additionally some options on supply that may download the YouTube video for you, somewhat than you have got to file the display screen of your Mac whereas taking part in the video. This may be a most well-liked possibility for those who don’t have the time to sit and watch for an hour of Peppa Pig to play. It must also end in a lot smaller file sizes.
EaseUS Video Downloader

Foundry
EaseUS’s video downloaded is straightforward to use. As soon as the app is put in you’ll be able to view content material on a variety of well-liked video internet hosting websites, together with YouTube, and we have been ready to download videos (though we did discover a few we couldn’t download).
There have been 4 download choices that indicated what the file measurement could be. Additionally it is attainable to simply download audio as an MP3.
The software program indicated how lengthy the download would take and counted down the seconds remaining. We may hear the video taking part in within the background, however couldn’t see it. As soon as downloaded the video was saved to our Paperwork folder the place we may play it.
The free trial enables you to download two gadgets.
Parallels ToolBox

On the idea that going with a properly-recognized firm means you’re extra seemingly not to find yourself with at greatest dangerous software program, at worse malware on your Mac, we’ll have a look at Parallels ToolBox.
Parallels (the folks behind the software program that makes it simple to run Windows on your Mac) have provide you with a variety of instruments that can be utilized to simplify a variety of duties on your Mac. ToolBox is the results of their expertise manning a assist desk for his or her clients operating Parallels on a Mac. So many shoppers phoned up asking how to do numerous issues that Parallels thought some simple to use instruments may be a good resolution. And so Parallels Toolbox was born.
- After getting download and put in Parallels Toolbox you’ll see a toolbox icon within the menu on the prime of your display screen. Click on on that.
- You’ll see a variety of instruments together with Airplane Mode, Free Reminiscence, Do Not Disturb, Make Gif, and Download Video. Click on on Download Video.
- Toolbox will instruct you that you simply want to allow a Safari extension so as to download video. Click on Allow.
- Now a Download Video field will open on your display screen. Simply copy and paste the URL from the YouTube video and paste it into the field, or drag and drop it in. An arrow will point out that the video is downloading and a field will pop up with the small print, e.g. Downloading “Peppa Pig.mp4” and you’ll watch because the download occurs. Ours took about 10 minutes to download 88MB – however word that velocity can be decided by your connection.
- As soon as the download has completed you will see that the video file in your Downloads folder (which could not be instantly apparent).
The file can be saved as an MPEG-4 film. It can open and play in QuickTime on your Mac.
In case you are on the lookout for a straightforward means to get the video onto an iPad or iPhone one resolution could be to copy the video onto iCloud so you’ll be able to entry it from the Recordsdata app. You’ll be able to then download it from there and play it everytime you need. We now have extra particulars about
saving a YouTube video to an iPhone or iPad.
iTubeDownloader

iTubeDownloader prices a payment – it’s $8.99 for the activation code, and college students can
get 35% off – however there’s a free trial that could be ample to your wants.
It seems like a browser, but it surely mechanically directs you to YouTube’s dwelling web page. You then browse the positioning as regular, besides that there’s now a huge Download button subsequent to the URL bar. Faucet this at any level to seize the video you’re at present viewing (or the video whose URL you’ve pasted into the deal with bar).
We discovered it simple to use iTubeDownloader once we first tried it our in 2019, and the resultant download was of a good high quality. Sadly once we tried it out once more in 2022 we have been unable to download something. An inventory of causes got.
When it does work, you get a selection of download high quality settings. The one draw back, actually, is that it isn’t free past the phrases of the trial.