Saving a YouTube Video to Your Mac the Easy Way

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No matter how connected our world may be, there are still points in our day or places we go to that make our service go bye-bye. It’s not a good look for those (like me) that need to have a YouTube video running in the background, or just use it to pass the time. So it’s definitely a good move to have your favorite videos with you, tucked away in your Mac instead of out there in the cloud.

So if you’re like me and want to have your videos ready on-demand, I’ve put together some other reasons why it’s a good idea to know how to save YouTube videos on Mac. I’m sure you didn’t need more convincing, but this is just to hammer the point home.

  1. No Internet: The wasteland of no bars is still a very real thing. Flights, rural areas, underground places and tunnels - all usually are signal dead zones. If you know you’re heading those ways beforehand, it’s a great idea to save YouTube video to your Mac in advance.

  2. Backup: For those of us who might have a YouTube channel or regularly post video content to the Internet, downloading those videos you post to YouTube make for a great way to back up your work in case your WiFi goes kaput.

  3. Bad Internet Connections: Far more common (and much more infuriating in my opinion) than straight Internet Dead Zones are places where the signal is as slow as molasses. You can barely carry on a conversation on WhatsApp, let alone watch YouTube videos. So if you live in one of these places or regularly inhabit them, save from YouTube will prevent hours of boredom.

Save YouTube video on macOS - table of content


  1. Best ways to save a YouTube video to Mac
  2. YouTube Premium - Pay By the Rules
  3. Is downloading YouTube videos legal?
  4. What to Look for When Choosing an App to Save YouTube Video
  5. Questions and Answers
  6. Сonclusion

Best ways to save a YouTube video to Mac

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1. Airy
Requirements: OS X 10.9+. 19.63MB free space. Version 3.18.301. (27 Jul, 2020). 4.9 Rank based on 811+ users, Reviews(885)
Category: UtilitiesApplication
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So you’ve been looking for how to download YouTube videos Mac with no worries, right? Well, Airy is your answer. This is the best YouTube downloader out there, because it works as either a browser extension or as a traditional app. It can grab whole playlists off your YouTube channel and bring them right to your Mac’s hard drive, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Airy for Mac

Airy can also extract MP3 files from videos you download, which is great if you’re downloading a podcast or music files. It also offers downloads in HD for optimal playback quality, as well as being able to download videos that are private to your YouTube account. It can also download large batches of videos in addition to playlists, with the ability to pause and resume the download if you end up needing to do a big download in parts. And of course, the ability to function as a standalone app or as a browser extension gives you the power to choose how you want to download. This incredible functionality makes it the best way to save from YouTube, bar none.


Pros and Cons of Airy

Pros:

  • Download in HD and several other resolutions
  • Download private videos
  • Download in batch
  • Download playlists
  • Download whole channels
  • Pause and resume downloads on demand
  • Extract MP3 files from YouTube videos
  • Also integrates with your favorite web browser

Cons:

  • Only downloads from YouTube (but that’s all you need)

How to save youtube videos on Mac with Airy

  1. 1. Download it here. Activate the full version to get advanced possibilities.

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  2. 2. Copy the link to a YouTube video and paste it to the proper field.

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  3. 3. Choose the format for your video/audio file. Select MP3 for audios only.

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  4. 4. Press Download.

    If you save multiple files simultaneously to your Mac, be ready to wait for some time until the downloads complete.

    By default your downloaded files will be saved to the Downloads folder. You can choose another location in Airy Preferences.


     Save YouTube video with Airy

2. Save a Video from YouTube with YouTube downloader Safari


Downloading YouTube videos on Safari is easy as ABC. To use Safari extension and download YouTube, open YouTube video you want to download and start it. Then press Command-Option-A and Safari Activity window will open. But first, enable the develop menu.

Pros:

  • 100% free download YouTube video Mac tool

Cons:

  • Unstable download process at times
Save youtube with safari
Save YouTube videos with Safari

How to save a YouTube video to your Mac:


  1. Check Preferences > Advanced > Show Develop menu in menu bar.
  2. Open the resources tab of the web inspector.
  3. Look for a resource of the video. Its name is videoplayback in YouTube. If it doesn't show up, reload the page.
  4. Double-click the resource to open.
  5. Focus the location bar and press option-enter to download the video. Note that if you try to save the page, Safari only saves an empty file.

This method will only work with Safari 7.0.1 on OS X Mavericks.

If you are using the latest version of Safari it is recommended to check add-ons developed by independent developers for saving videos to your Mac.

3. Save a YouTube Video with Firefox


For Firefox users it is recommended to check DownloadHelper extension. Once the extension is installed, you will see the DownloadHelper icon in Firefox’s address bar or in the status bar at the bottom of the browser window. Start playing the video and click on the extension's icon. You’ll see one or more listings for the YouTube video. Some listings may be in Flash format and others in MPEG-4 format. Choose the one you need and download it to your computer.

Firefox save youtube video

4. Save Video from YouTube Using Chrome


If you need a save YouTube videos Mac Chrome extension try using an add-on that is called Download YouTube Chrome.

Pros:

  • Friendly user interface and popular app to

Cons:

  • The downloading speed could use an upgrade

How do I download YouTube videos with Google Chrome


  • 1. Download the extension ZIP file.
  • 2. Unpack the file on your local hard drive.
  • 3. Copy & Paste "chrome://extensions" to your browser address bar.
  • 4. Tick the Developer mode check box.
Chrome save youtube videos
  • 5. Click the Load unpacked extension button
  • 6. Locate the unpacked folder on your hard drive and open it.
  • 7. Enjoy saving YouTube videos on Mac!
Chrome save youtube videos

Next time you launch Chrome, the message may pop up asking you to disable the extension. Click Cancel if you want to keep and use it. See more at: downloadyoutubechrome.com

5. Tubedown.net


How to save videos from YouTube to computer? The answer is easy. Tubedown.net requires no more than to paste a link and hit 'Download'. Once the video has been found, all you need to do is to choose the format that you want and click the button next to it.

Tubedown.net automatically detects video quality options and lets you choose which one you want to save. You also get the chance to choose to withdraw the audio from a video if you prefer – a feature you won't encounter in all online video downloaders.

An alternative app to save YouTube Videos MacBook is the YouTube Downloader. With this tool you can download video and audio with ease. All you have to do is allow if to access data for websites, read and modify browser download history or access the activity when you navigate. All these are normal requests for a tool that is saving YouTube videos on Mac and you have nothing to be worried about.

Pros:

  • Free to use without limitations

Cons:

  • Doesn’t support downloading entire YouTube playlists
Online save youtube video to computer

6. Convert2mp3.net


Convert2mp3.net allows you to convert and save video from YouTube, Dailymotion, and Clipfish without any problems. You can get your movies, music, TV shows and other content in MP3, M4A, AAC, FLAC, OGG, WMA, MP4, AVI, WMV, and 3GP formats which are supported by most players. The service can also find you required videos by a keyword or name throughout the YouTube channel, but if you want to download them in some formats you may face time limits. So lenthy videos are better to save in one more format.

Originally Convert2mp3.net appears in German. You can change it to English by clicking a proper icon in your top-left corner.

Pros:

  • Full support to download YouTube videos Mac files

Cons:

  • You could encounter issues when downloading long videos
Online save youtube

7. ClipConverter.cc


ClipConverter.cc uses video URLs to find, convert and download video and audio content to your computer. It provides you with the editing feature to adjust the file to your personal needs and requirements. With ClipConverter.cc you can get music and videos in such formats as MP3, M4A, AAC, MP4, 3GP, AVI, MOV, and MKV from YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and other resources.

Pros:

  • No registration needed to download YouTube videos Mac-optimized files, no need download or install any software

Cons:

  • Doesn’t offer support for converting files in different formats or downloading in batch
Save youtube videos free online

YouTube Premium - Pay By the Rules


By far the most direct and common solution to the problem of “how to save YouTube videos” is YouTube Premium. This paid service allows you to download music. videos, and anything else you might find on YouTube you want to download for later. But like I said, it’s a paid service, and that may be restrictive for those of us on shoestring budgets. If you want to pony up the dough, however, it’s a solid and reliable choice to not only snag your own content, but everyone else’s on YouTube - as long as you’re paying for it.

Pros:

  • Download any music, video, or anything else on YouTube
  • Wide range of videos and video qualities for download

Cons:

  • Monthly subscription fees
  • Most expensive option
  • If subscription is cancelled, downloaded videos cannot be viewed

Is downloading YouTube videos legal?

Using third-party apps to download YouTube videos is against YouTube’s terms of service – which state that you are only able to stream videos directly from YouTube’s servers. Downloading YouTube videos also opens you up to potential copyright infringement unless you have permission from the copyright holder, it’s in the public do How to save YouTube videos to Mac: Best Simple Waysmain, or you own the video yourself.

YouTube does offer some ways to download videos such as YouTube Red but you’ll have to pay for that. In this article we’ll guide you on how to do this for free and save YouTube video to watch offline.

And at the end, we’d like to advice some of the best YouTube downloaders for Mac that you can read through, try out, and make your choice.

What to Look for When Choosing an App to Save YouTube Video


While I recommend Airy personally, if you choose something else, you should be looking for a Safari YouTube downloader that shares a lot of Airy’s traits. So I want to go over the things I love about Airy that should inform you when you’re looking for an app to do what Airy does (though I can’t imagine why). Again, I’d like to reiterate that Airy hits all of these points.

The main thing is the ability to download videos from YouTube and save them to your Mac in multiple resolutions and formats. You want your app to be as versatile as you are, so it can adapt to your needs. You shouldn’t have to adapt to it. You also want to be able to use the program on your Mac, or in an Internet Browser like Safari. And if you can get it for free, all the better.

Disclaimer: Because you’re a good person and respect the livelihood of those other YouTube creators you watch, you’re only going to download videos that you own or have direct permission from the creator, right? Because not only is it a massive violation of YouTube’s Terms of Service, it’s also a really uncool move.

Questions and Answers

So if you’ve been following along, or maybe dividing your attention between reading this and, I dunno, watching a YouTube video, you might have a couple questions.

Thankfully, I’m totally prepared to handle any and all questions you might have. I’ve got a few here that I see a lot even answered in advance! But if you have any others for me, leave a comment below and I’ll get back to ya.

Usually, this process doesn’t take too much time.

All you need, is just to do some easy steps:

  1. In your browser, go to a video that you want to download from YouTube.
  2. Copy Link and paste it to the YouTube downloading app.
  3. Usually YouTube downloading tools offer to choose Media format (MP3, MP4 etc.). So you choose what exactly you need: video or music. Then click download.
  4. After you get saved YouTube video or music file, you can use it offline.

If you are not the fan of the standalone apps, you can try other methods - let’s review online website.

  1. First, get hold of the URL of the YouTube video.
  2. Insert "pp" after the word "youtube" in the link.
  3. Click enter which will take you to ‘y2mate.com’.
  4. Select the format you want and click "Download" button.

If you use Android, it will be easier:

  1. You can try to use YouTube Downloader app.
  2. Download the app, Open the app Use a search to find the video you want to download.
  3. Tap on it Select the format you want – MP4 for a video or MP3 for an audio file.
  4. Hit download and wait while the app works, which could take a few minutes.

If you are Iphone user, try the app Documents 6, this method takes more time, but it works

  1. Open the YouTube app, find the video you want to grab and copy the link to it via the share option.
  2. Go to the Apple Store and search for ‘Documents 6’ Install the app.
  3. Type in ‘savefromnet’ and hit the search icon Click on the en.savefrom.net link in the search results.
  4. Paste the YouTube video link into the white box on SaveFromNet Tap the green tick and select what size file you want, and what type of file – MP4 for a video or MP3 for an audio file Tap ‘Download’, then ‘Done’ and wait for your video to arrive.
  5. View the video in the Downloads section of Document 6 To transfer it to the Camera Roll folder in your phone, tap and hold the video icon and drag it up until the folders appear Drop it in Photos, then Camera roll. Done!

Converting YouTube videos to MP4 is a very simple process that can be completed using Airy. Here’s how to use this app to quickly convert any YouTube video:

  1. Run Airy after installing it on your Mac.
  2. Go and grab the YouTube video URL and paste it in Airy
  3. Before clicking on “Download”, make sure to select the Convert to MP4 function and also choose “Economy” and “Original quality” if you want to keep the video to a low size and maintain the same quality as the video had on YouTube.
  4. Click Download and wait for the MP4 converter to get the job done.

We’re describing the steps to follow and download a YouTube video to Mac when using Safari. Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Access the YouTube video you want to download and press Command-Option-A to open the Safari Activity window. In this new window, you should identify the name of the video and the word YouTube as well, the largest file in the list. Double click on it and it will download to your Mac in .flv format.
  2. Another option to download a YouTube video quickly is using Airy. Copy the URL with Command-Option + C and then open Airy. Click on the search box, use Command-Option + V to paste the URL and download the file that way.

Yes, and you can too! To save from YouTube, you simply need to download Airy for either your Mac or your Internet browser. This easy-to-use app provides you with a quick, free, and easy method to download YouTube videos Mac.

It’s not that hard. With Airy, you simply need to copy and paste the URL of the video you want to download. Select the format you want the video in and click “download,” and you’ll have your video shortly.

Yes, but the problem there is that you will need to afford a monthly subscription to watch them. You can download all the videos you want, but if you stop paying YouTube money, the videos you downloaded to your Mac will not play.

Сonclusion

So many people are using Apple computers - MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iMac. That's why the popular searches on the Internet are “How to save YouTube videos MacBook”, or to MacBook Air, etc. Read more to find out about three versatile methods for any Mac user. Is that actually legal? Of course there is no good in falling foul of the copyright laws, so it is always a good idea to contact owner of the video before downloading it. Here are the ways we offer.

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Requirements: OS X 10.9+ , 19.63MB size
Version 3.18.301 (27 Jul, 2020) Release notes
Category: UtilitiesApplication
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Save a YouTube video with Airy

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