How to Download YouTube Videos — Simple Ways That Work
I’d never really wondered how to download a video from YouTube: usually you just watch it and close it, or embed it in your blog just in case.
But then someone asked me to download one so they could watch it on a computer without internet (yes, that happens!).
It’s all very simple. I found a few ways for myself, though there are actually many more. I’ll describe the ones I liked — simple and hassle-free.
1. The easiest way (if you can’t remember any sites, program names and so on): in the browser’s address bar, add two letters “ss” before the word youtube — you get ssyoutube — and that’s it.
The savefrom.net site loads, thinks for a moment and gives you links to download the video!
2. I liked the videosaver.ru service (no longer working). You just paste the link into the box, click “Download”, it thinks and gives you a link (or several links, depending on whether YouTube has medium- and high-quality versions of the video).
Both ways are convenient, but the first one is easier to remember, especially when you rarely need it 
Added 17.04.2010
Lots of services stopped downloading from YouTube, but I found a great one, keepvid.com (a bit of a hassle: it needs Java installed). As of today it definitely works — you just need Java on your computer.
Added 09.06.2015
https://en.savefrom.net/ — you can install their YouTube download plugin and use it easily.
Added 05.11.2026
How to download YouTube videos today
videosaver.ru and keepvid.com no longer work, and YouTube regularly breaks third-party services. Here’s what works now.
1. The official way: the “Download” button (YouTube Premium)
With a YouTube Premium subscription there’s a Download button under videos — in the mobile app and in the desktop browser. The video is saved inside YouTube (not as a separate file) and can be watched offline; you need to go online from time to time so your downloads don’t expire. It’s the only method YouTube’s terms explicitly allow.
2. Your own videos — via YouTube Studio
If the video is yours, you can download it as a regular MP4 file: YouTube Studio → Content, hover over the video and click ⋮ → Download.
3. The old “ss” trick still works
Adding ss before youtube in the address still opens a download service (ssyoutube.com / savefrom.net). But it’s now full of ads: don’t install the extensions and programs it suggests, and don’t allow the site to send notifications.
4. Reliable and ad-free: yt-dlp
yt-dlp is a free, open-source program that’s updated constantly, so it keeps working even when download sites break. Download yt-dlp.exe from the project’s GitHub page and run it from the command line:
yt-dlp "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXXXXXXXX"
Replace XXXXXXXXXXX with the address of the video you need. For the best quality and for saving audio as MP3, it also needs the free ffmpeg. If something stops downloading, update the program first:
yt-dlp -U
Important: YouTube’s terms only allow downloading videos with YouTube’s own built-in tools. Downloading other people’s videos without the creator’s permission — let alone re-uploading them — is copyright infringement. Third-party tools are fine for your own videos, videos under a free license (Creative Commons), or with the creator’s consent.