YouTube is designed only to allow users to watch and view (stream) videos on their website. Many users want to download or save their favorite YouTube videos to their computer so they can be watched offline, viewed on other devices, or edit them.
Set up the video paywall in minutes and publish your paid videos and live streams anywhere on the web. Easy for the viewers They can pay right within the player and get instant access to your content.
YouTube does not allow you to download videos directly from their site. You need to use a third-party service, install software, or get a YouTube subscription service to download a YouTube video. Below are our recommendations for downloading and watching YouTube videos on your computer.
- Note: From January 1, 2021, since the United Kingdom has left the European Union, customers from the United Kingdom traveling to the European Union will not have access to the same titles as they do when watching Prime Video in their home country.
- Channel Permissions in YouTube Studio: Invite People to Help Manage Your Channel. To add access: Go to studio.youtube.com.; On the left-hand side, click Settings.; Click Permissions.; Click Invite and enter the email address of the person you'd like to invite.; Click Access and select the role you'd like to assign to this person:. Manager: Can add or remove others and edit channel details.
To download YouTube videos to your smartphone or tablet, see: How to download YouTube video on a smartphone or tablet.
NoteThis page only provides recommendations for downloading or saving a video to your computer. For instructions for saving a video as audio, see: How can I record sound from YouTube videos?
Download a YouTube video using a website service
Most websites that offer a service of downloading a YouTube video for free are no longer safe to use. These websites often results in malware being downloaded to your computer, either from the website service itself or through one of their partner websites.
Websites that offered free YouTube video downloading services have now permanently shut down their sites (e.g., Savefrom.net), resorted to malware-related ads, or employ other deceptive tactics.
Due to these reasons, Computer Hope doesn't recommend the use of any website service offering free YouTube video downloads and no longer provides instructions for those websites.
Instead, we now recommend the use of youtube-dl, a screen recorder, or a YouTube Premium subscription. These are the best options to keep your computer free of malware.
Download a YouTube video using youtube-dl
One of the best ways, and our favorite method, to download a YouTube video is by using the free program youtube-dl. It's capable of downloading any available YouTube video format to your computer, including the HD version.
However, using youtube-dl is a bit more complex and is designed for more experienced, and advanced, computer users. Youtube-dl utilizes the Windows command line for Windows computers, and the Terminal for macOS and Linux computers.
For help with installing and using youtube-dl on your computer, click the link below to review the instructions.
Saving a YouTube video using a screen recorder
Screen recorders are software programs designed to run on a computer, smartphone, or tablet and record anything on the screen. In addition to recording your screen, these programs can also be used to record a video or sections of a video.
Download a YouTube video using YouTube Premium
Another safe option for downloading YouTube videos is YouTube Premium, which is a user-friendly service designed for computer and mobile device users at any level of experience.
YouTube Premium requires a monthly subscription, but at $11.99 per month, you're allowed to download as many videos as you want, and watch them offline at any time. Additionally, you can listen to music offline using the YouTube Music app, as well. Similar to other video streaming services, YouTube Premium provides unlimited access to YouTube videos and music, at a price that's cheaper than other streaming services.
Unlike youtube-dl, however, YouTube Premium only allows users to view videos from in the app. After 48 hours in your downloads library, you can no longer access the videos offline until reconnecting to the Internet to prove the validity of your YouTube Premium subscription.
YouTube offers a one-month free trial for YouTube Premium, so you can try it out and decide if you like it before paying for the service.
What about a private video?
Services and programs designed to record YouTube videos don't have the same rights as your YouTube account, and therefore would not be able to record a private video. However, if you can view the private video, you can use a screen recorder to record anything shown on your screen.
Related pages
- See the YouTube definition for further information and related links.
Microsoft Stream allows for videos to be secured with a combination of permissions at the video level, group membership, and settings of a group.
Video permissions
Permissions at the video level allow you to control who can see your video, who can own and edit it, and which groups and channels it's displayed in.
Allow everyone in your company to view this video
When checked everyone in your organization can see the video and is able to add it to their groups and channels. This in effect makes your video available for viewing companywide. To be able to add a video to a companywide channel this check box must be checked.
Shared with
The Shared with field is where you determine who can view/own your video and which groups/channels the video is a part of.
Use the search drop down list to narrow your search scope and pick who you want to share your video with.
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My groups - search scope to add your video to a group that you can contribute to
Channels - search scope to add your video to a channel directly, including companywide channels
People - search scope to grant permission to individual people, AD Security Groups, and/or Office 365 Groups that you don't have contribute rights to Microphone voice editor.
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Viewers
Any person or group added under Shared with for a video's permissions will automatically be granted view permission to your video.
If you make a group or AD security group a viewer it means that all the members of that group will be able to view your video.
Owners
By checking the box in the Owners column you will be making the viewer also an owner of the video.
Owners of a video get the following abilities:
- Edit video settings
- Delete video
- Add video to other groups and channels
If a Stream group (not an AD Security group) is made an owner of a video the settings and membership of the group will be respected in determining who from the group is made an owner.
In the Stream group settings:
- Allow all members to contribute is On: Members of the group are contributors, so owners and members of the group will have ownership of the video.
- Allow members to contribute is Off: Members of the group are viewers only, so only the owners of the group will have ownership of the video.
If an AD Security group is made an owner of a video, all people within the security group will have ownership of the video.
Display
The Display check box shows up for Stream groups where you are a contributor. This controls if the video shows up in the group's pages in Stream. If it's not checked, it means that the group has access if you send them a link or, they found the video in search, but it won't show up on their group's pages directly.
Defaults when uploading videos
There are several options for uploading videos. Depending on where you start your uploads from, different default permissions will be set on the videos, but you can always change them afterwards.
Upload from any page
When you upload videos from the top navigation bar in Microsoft Stream or the My videos page your videos will have the following defaults set automatically:
The Allow everyone in your company to view this video check box will be checked, making your video available companywide for anyone to view and include in their groups and channels.
You will be the owner of the video.
Upload directly to a group or channel
When you upload videos directly to a group or channel your videos will have different defaults set depending on the group or channel type.
For companywide channels the following defaults will be set:
The Allow everyone in your company to view this video check box will be checked, making your video available companywide for anyone to view and include in their groups and channels.
The video will automatically be included in the channel you are uploading to.
You will be the owner of the video.
For groups or group channels, the following defaults will be set:
Allow everyone in your company to view this video check box will NOT be checked, limiting the view permissions of the video to that of the group
The video will automatically be included in and displayed in the group and/or channel you are uploading to
You and the group will be the owners of the video, meaning anyone who is a contributor to the group will be able to modify your video
Group permissions
Groups have the following access and privacy characteristics:
Can be public to entire organization or private to members of the group only
Are made up of owners and members
Has a setting to control if members are viewers or contributors
As such, when you make a Microsoft Stream group a viewer or owner of a video, all of the above is taken into account to determine who will get access to the video.
For more information, see Group access settings.
Channel permissions
Channels are an organization method for videos, but not a permission method. Channels don't have any permissions on their own, unless they are contained in a group. When they are contained in a group they inherit the permission and access settings of the group.
Any person or group added under Shared with for a video's permissions will automatically be granted view permission to your video.
If you make a group or AD security group a viewer it means that all the members of that group will be able to view your video.
Owners
By checking the box in the Owners column you will be making the viewer also an owner of the video.
Owners of a video get the following abilities:
- Edit video settings
- Delete video
- Add video to other groups and channels
If a Stream group (not an AD Security group) is made an owner of a video the settings and membership of the group will be respected in determining who from the group is made an owner.
In the Stream group settings:
- Allow all members to contribute is On: Members of the group are contributors, so owners and members of the group will have ownership of the video.
- Allow members to contribute is Off: Members of the group are viewers only, so only the owners of the group will have ownership of the video.
If an AD Security group is made an owner of a video, all people within the security group will have ownership of the video.
Display
The Display check box shows up for Stream groups where you are a contributor. This controls if the video shows up in the group's pages in Stream. If it's not checked, it means that the group has access if you send them a link or, they found the video in search, but it won't show up on their group's pages directly.
Defaults when uploading videos
There are several options for uploading videos. Depending on where you start your uploads from, different default permissions will be set on the videos, but you can always change them afterwards.
Upload from any page
When you upload videos from the top navigation bar in Microsoft Stream or the My videos page your videos will have the following defaults set automatically:
The Allow everyone in your company to view this video check box will be checked, making your video available companywide for anyone to view and include in their groups and channels.
You will be the owner of the video.
Upload directly to a group or channel
When you upload videos directly to a group or channel your videos will have different defaults set depending on the group or channel type.
For companywide channels the following defaults will be set:
The Allow everyone in your company to view this video check box will be checked, making your video available companywide for anyone to view and include in their groups and channels.
The video will automatically be included in the channel you are uploading to.
You will be the owner of the video.
For groups or group channels, the following defaults will be set:
Allow everyone in your company to view this video check box will NOT be checked, limiting the view permissions of the video to that of the group
The video will automatically be included in and displayed in the group and/or channel you are uploading to
You and the group will be the owners of the video, meaning anyone who is a contributor to the group will be able to modify your video
Group permissions
Groups have the following access and privacy characteristics:
Can be public to entire organization or private to members of the group only
Are made up of owners and members
Has a setting to control if members are viewers or contributors
As such, when you make a Microsoft Stream group a viewer or owner of a video, all of the above is taken into account to determine who will get access to the video.
For more information, see Group access settings.
Channel permissions
Channels are an organization method for videos, but not a permission method. Channels don't have any permissions on their own, unless they are contained in a group. When they are contained in a group they inherit the permission and access settings of the group.
For more information, see Channels.
See also
