Download Any Video from Any Website for Free
Do you wish you could save your favorite YouTube or Hulu video to watch when you don't have an internet connection? There are a variety of ways that you can download or save streaming videos from the internet. The method you use will depend on where you're streaming the video from and on whether or not the video content is protected. Sites like with free videos from multiple sources (e.g. YouTube and Vimeo) tend to be unprotected and a bit simpler. Sites with video content from one branded source (e.g. Netflix, Hulu, or other TV network sites) are a bit tougher to capture streams from, and thus require more creative solutions.
Contents
Steps
Screen-Capturing and Saving Protected Video
- Determine if the video is protected. This is a more difficult and indirect method that should be employed (primarily) for subscription-based sites (e.g. Netflix, Hulu, HBOgo, etc..) with videos that are protected from any direct downloads. If you're unsure we recommend trying an alternate (simpler) method first in order to check.
- This method has you recording your screen and computer audio using free recording software and will require you to play the entire video at normal playback speed in order to create a full recording.
- Note: This still requires a subscription to whichever service you want to record the video from in order to access the content.
- Download Open Broadcaster Software (OBS). This is a free, open-source recording and broadcasting program. It is designed for broadcasting video to others, but can easily be used to capture your screen and computer audio. OBS is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. You can download it from obsproject.com.
- Run the installer to install OBS. Run the installer after downloading it. The installation process is very straightforward, and you shouldn't need to change any of the settings.
- Launch OBS after installing it. You'll be greeted with the main OBS interface. You'll see a large blank frame in the center, and various options along the bottom of the window.
- Click the "Settings" button. You'll want to make a few adjustments before you start recording with OBS. You'll only need to do this the first time you use it.
- Select the "Output" tab. You'll be able to adjust your recording settings here.
- Set your recording path. By default, OBS will save your videos to the Videos folder. You can change this to any folder you'd like by clicking the "Browse" button.
- Select "mp4" from the "Recording Format" menu. This will create MP4 files, which are compatible with the most devices.
- Click the "Video" tab. This will let you adjust some resolution settings.
- Set the "Output (Scaled) Resolution". Match it to "Base (Canvas) Resolution". This will ensure that your HD video recordings stay at the highest possible resolution.
- Click the "Hotkeys" tab. You can set a key to quickly start and stop the recording so that you don't have to switch between the OBS window and the video.
- Click the "Start Recording" field and create a hotkey shortcut. You can press any combination of keys. Make sure to choose a combination that isn't normally used, like Ctrl+F12.
- Set the same hotkey combination for "Stop Recording." You'll now be able to start and stop recording by pressing the same hotkey combination.
- Click "OK" to save your changes. The Settings window will close.
- Get your video queued up in your browser. Use your web browser to log into the video service and find the video you want to record.
- Click the "+" button underneath the empty "Sources" list in OBS. This will open a list of possible recording sources.
- Select "Display Capture" from the list and click "OK." This will tell OBS to record everything on the screen when you press your recording hotkey. You'll see a preview of the capture, which should be a miniature version of your current display.
- Uncheck "Capture Cursor" and click "OK." This will prevent OBS from recording your cursor on the screen, which is great for recording video content.
- Return to the video and make it full screen. Click the Full Screen button, usually located in the bottom-right corner of the playback controls.
- Start the video and then press your recording hotkey. You won't receive any notification that recording has begun.
- Press the hotkey again when you want to stop recording. Since you're recording your screen directly, you'll need to wait until you've played everything that you want to record. Again, there won't be a notification that recording has stopped.
- Find your recorded video. You'll find the video in the location that you specified in the Settings menu. By default, it will have the date it was recorded as the file name.
Using Downloader Sites for Unprotected Streaming Video
- Choose a web-based downloader. Use this method to download videos from popular free streaming sites. You can use these web-based downloaders for unprotected/unencrypted videos on sites like YouTube, Vimeo, Soundcloud, Vine, and more. They will not work for subscription sites like Netflix or Hulu which are protected. A few of the more popular video downloader sites include Keepvid, Clipconverter, Videograbby, and Savido.
- Consider installing an ad-blocking extension. Many of these sites have a lot of ads which can misdirect you or even infect your computer with malware. See Block Internet Ads for a guide on finding and installing an ad blocker for your browser.
- Microsoft Edge does not support ad blocking extensions. Consider using another browser to download your videos, or just be careful when using the downloader site.
- Open the video's page in your browser. Navigate to the streaming site and open the video's page so that the video is ready to begin playing.
- Highlight the URL (address). Select the entire URL in your browser's address bar. Make sure you have the whole thing selected. You can press Ctrl/⌘ Cmd+A to select the entire thing.
- Copy the URL to your clipboard. Either right-click the highlighted URL and select "Copy," or press Ctrl/⌘ Cmd+C.
- Paste your URL to the web-based downloader. Open the downloader site that you want to use and paste your video URL into the appropriate text field. Paste your URL into this by right-clicking the field and selecting "Paste," or by clicking in the field then pressing Ctrl/⌘ Cmd+V.
- Click the "Download" button to view your format and quality options. When you click "Download," a new page will open with a list of available formats and resolutions.
- Note: if you're using Videograbby, instead of being presented with options, your file will immediately begin downloading at the highest available quality in MP4 format.
- Be careful if you're not using an ad-blocker, as some ads try to trick you with fake "Download" buttons.
- Look through the list of available formats and resolutions. There will often be quite a few options to pick from, all with different formats and resolutions.
- The MP4 format is the most universal option and will work on most devices with needing conversion.
- The highest quality video will usually be 720p (1280x720). The 1080p option will often have separate audio and video streams, which will require combining later.
- Select the highest quality option for computers or most modern portable devices.
- Click the link to begin downloading the video. The video should begin downloading to your computer immediately.
- If the video starts playing your browser instead of downloading, return to the list of downloads, right-click the link, and select "Save link as."
- Find and play your downloaded video. The video will usually appear in your default download folder, unless you were prompted to select a location and chose somewhere else.
- Some services will rename the video to "videoplayback" instead of the title of the video.
- If you are having trouble playing the video it may be a file extension issue, as certain players don't accept certain video file extensions. Try an open-source media player like Download and Install VLC Media Player or MPC-HC - these accept multiple extension types and should be able to play your video if the download was completed correctly.
Using Extensions or Add-ons for Streaming Video
- Find the video download helper extension. Video Download helper is an extension available in Chrome and Firefox (also called an "add on") which once installed can help you download from most free streaming sites, including YouTube, Vimeo, and many others.
- Click the Firefox Menu button (☰) and select "Add-ons." This will open the "Get Add-ons" page.
- Chrome has a similar extension page accessed through it's menu button (☰).
- You can also search through Google or a different search engine for either extension.
- Search for "video downloadhelper." You should see "Video DownloadHelper" at the top of the list of search results.
- Click "Install" next to Video DownloadHelper. This will immediately install the extension, which should only take a few moments. You'll see the Video DownloadHelper button appear in the Firefox/Chrome toolbar.
- Visit the page for the video you want to download. Go to the video streaming site and open the page of the video you want to download so that the video begins playing. You'll see the Video DownloadHelper button start animating in the browser toolbar.
- Click the Video DownloadHelper button. A list of possible formats and quality options will appear in a new menu.
- Select the format and quality you want. The option you choose can have a big impact on image quality and playability.
- If you're planning on watching the video on your computer or modern mobile device, select the "1280x720" MP4 option this will work on virtually all modern computers and devices. This is usually the first option on the list.
- Choose a location and name for the file. After selecting the format, the Save As window will appear. Navigate to the location you want to save the file to, then give the file a name.
- Wait for the video to download. You can monitor the progress in the browser's Download Manager.
- Find and play your video. Once the download is complete, you'll be able to find the video in the location you specified. If you're having difficulty getting the file to play, try VLC Player or MPC-HC. Both of these media players are free, open-source, and accept a variety of video file extensions.
Using VLC for Streaming Video
- Download and install VLC Player. VLC Player can access the direct video file and download it to your computer. You can search for and download VLC for free. Follow the prompts in the installer to install it. VLC will not install any adware.
- VLC Player is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
- This method will work for free streaming sites like YouTube and Vimeo. It will not work for subscription sites like Netflix or Hulu.
- Copy the address of the video you want to download. You'll need the URL of the video you want to download from its page. Open the video in your web browser so that it starts playing, then copy the address from your address bar.
- Click the "Media" menu in VLC and select "Open Network Stream." You can also press Ctrl\⌘ Cmd+N.
- Paste the video's address into the box. Right-click the address box and select "Paste" to paste the copied address.
- Click "Play." The video will begin playing in VLC Player.
- Click the "Tools" menu and select "Codec Information." You can also press Ctrl\⌘ Cmd+J.
- Right-click the text in the "Location" box and click "Select all." The "Location" box can be found at the bottom of the Current Media Information window.
- Right-click the selected text and click "Copy." This will copy the text in the "Location" box to your clipboard.
- Paste the copied text into your browser and load the page. The video will appear in your browser and start to play. You shouldn't see anything on the page except the video.
- Right-click the video playing in your browser and select "Save video as." The Save As window will appear.
- Save the video to your computer. You'll likely want to rename the video before saving it, as it will be named "videoplayback" by default. This will save the video to your computer at the highest quality possible in MP4 format.
- Find and play your saved video. You'll be able to find the video in the location you set in the previous step. Since the video will be in MP4 format, you should be able to play it on most computers and devices.
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