Download Videos on Android
Streaming videos on your Android device is a great way to watch video on the go, but it can put a strain on your data plan, and if you lose signal then you lose the video. If you download the video instead, you can watch it any time. There are unofficial ways to download a YouTube video, through both apps and websites. If you're a YouTube Red subscriber, you can save videos to watch offline directly in the YouTube app.
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[hide]Steps
Using a YouTube Downloader Website
- Open the YouTube app and find the video you want to download. You can use a variety of different websites to download YouTube videos directly to your Android device. First, you'll need the link to the video, which you can quickly get from the YouTube app.
- Tap the "Share" button on the video's page in YouTube. You'll see this next to the thumbs up and thumbs down buttons, directly beneath the video title.
- Select "Copy Link" from the Share menu. This is usually towards the top of the menu, but the location will vary depending on your device. Tapping "Copy Link" will copy the video's address to your device's clipboard.
- Open your browser and visit a YouTube downloader page. There are several downloader sites that work well with Android devices:
- clipconverter.cc
- savido.net
- Press and hold the video address field on the page and select "Paste." This will paste the copied video address into the field on the downloader site.
- Load the download links. Press the "Continue" or "Download" button after pasting the address to load the video and find the download links. Note that these sites will often load pop-ups, so be sure to close any extra tabs that open or close any fake system messages that appear.
- Select the version you want to download. There will likely be a large number of links to choose from. Each will display the resolution and file size. Higher resolution videos will take up more space. 1080p 60FPS is the highest quality available, but not all devices will be able to display it, and the file sizes are generally quite large.
- Unless you know otherwise, select an "MP4" format file, as this will play on virtually any Android device.
- Start the download. After selecting your version, tap the "Start" button if necessary and start the download. You'll will likely be subjected to more ads, and you may have to tap another "Download" button. Be wary of ads designed to look like Download buttons.
- The download will appear in your notification bar once it has begun.
- Wait for your download to finish. YouTube download sites are not known for their speed, and you will likely need to wait a while until the download is finished. You can monitor the progress in the notification panel.
- Find your downloaded video. Your video will appear in the "Downloads" folder on your device. It may not have a recognizable name, since names don't always get saved when using downloader sites.
- You can view your Downloads folder by opening the Downloads app on your device. You can also use a file manager app to navigate to the Downloads folder on your device.
- Tap your downloaded video to play it. You may be prompted to select what app to open it in. You can select the media player you already have installed, or you can download and install another media player app like VLC Player.
Using a YouTube Downloader App
- Open the Settings app on your device. You can install apps that will download YouTube videos for you, but these apps are not usually available in the Google Play Store. You'll need to adjust some of your device's security settings to install these apps.
- Open the "Security" section of the Settings list. This will display your Android's security settings.
- Toggle "Unknown sources" on. Either check the box or toggle the slider on to allow the installation of apps from sources other than the Google Play Store. You'll be asked to confirm that you want to proceed.
- Find a YouTube downloader app. There are several apps available that you can use to download YouTube videos to your Android. These apps work very similarly to the downloader websites outlined in the previous section. Popular YouTube downloader apps include:
- TubeMate tubemate.net
- YouTube Downloader for Android dentex.github.io/apps/youtubedownloader/
- Download the APK file to your Android. Find the download link for the app you want to use on the website listed above. For TubeMate, you may be taken to a mirror site to find the download. The "APK" file is the Android app installer.
- Run the APK file after downloading it. You can tap the "Download Complete" notification in your notification panel, or you can find the APK in your Downloads folder. You'll be prompted to confirm that you want to load the APK file.
- Launch the app after installing it. Once installation is complete, you can launch the app just like you would any app. If prompted to allow access to your media files, allow it. This allows the YouTube downloader to save the video files.
- Find the video you want to download. Depending on the app, you may be able to browse the YouTube interface, or you'll need to search for the video you want to download.
- Select the size and format that you want to download. After selecting the video, you'll be shown the size and format options. If you're unsure on the format, download one of the MP4 options, as these will play on virtually all Android devices. 720p and 1080p are HD resolutions, which will look a lot sharper but result in larger file sizes.
- Not every video will have the same format and resolution options.
- Wait for your video to download. The app will begin downloading your video after you select the format and size. The download time will vary depending on the size and length of the video, as well as your connection speed. Connect to a wireless network to help prevent data overages on your plan.
- You can close the app after starting the download and it will continue in the background. You can monitor the progress in the notification panel.
Saving YouTube Videos for Offline Viewing
- Subscribe to YouTube Red. If you are a YouTube Red subscriber, you'll be able to save videos on the Android app for viewing while offline. This is the only official way to save videos for offline use, but it is restricted to YouTube Red subscribers. In some areas, YouTube Red is included with a Google Play Music All Access subscription.
- Not all videos are available for offline video, even with Red. It is up to the video creator to decide if offline viewing is allowed.
- Connect to a wireless network (optional). It's recommended that you connect to a Wi-Fi network before downloading videos to watch offline. This will help prevent you from going over on data.
- Open the video you want to save for offline viewing in the YouTube app. You can save most, but not all, videos for later viewing without an internet connection.
- Tap the "Download" button. You'll find this to the right of the thumbs up and thumbs down buttons, on the right side of the screen. It looks like an arrow pointing down at a line. If you don't see this button, the video is not available for offline viewing, and you'll need to use another method from this article.
- Select the quality. You may be given several different quality options. Higher quality videos will look better, but will also take up more space on your device.
- Wait for the Download button to turn blue. When the button turns blue and displays a checkmark instead of a down arrow, the download is complete and the video is available for offline viewing.
- Find and play your offline videos. Tap the silhouette tab in the YouTube app to open your Account screen. You'll see the "Available offline" section appear when you have at least one video downloaded. Tap "Saved videos" to view the videos that you've downloaded.
- Delete a saved video. When you no longer want a video to be available offline, deleting it will free up space on your phone.
- Tap the ⋮ button next to the video you want to remove and select "Remove from saved videos." Tap "Remove" to confirm.
Warnings
- Downloading videos from YouTube can violate their TOS agreement. It could also be a breach of copyright law depending on the video and the current laws in your area.
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