Downloading YouTube videos directly is against YouTube’s Terms of Service unless the content is explicitly offered for download by YouTube itself (e.g., through the YouTube app’s Download feature for offline viewing in Premium).
That said, if you need videos for offline viewing legally, here are the best options:
1. Use YouTube Premium
- How it works: Subscribe to YouTube Premium.
- Benefits:
- Download videos in the YouTube or YouTube Music app for offline playback.
- Ad-free viewing.
- Supports high-resolution downloads.
- Limitations: Videos stay in the app and expire if you don’t go online occasionally.
2. YouTube’s “Download” Button (Mobile App)
- On some videos (especially tutorials, music videos, and educational content), a Download button appears directly under the video if the creator enables it.
- Works without Premium in certain regions and for certain channels.
3. Creative Commons or Public Domain Content
- Search on YouTube for videos with the Creative Commons license or that are public domain.
- You can legally download these with tools like:
- 4K Video Downloader
- JDownloader
- yt-dlp (command-line tool)
- Still, always check the license before use.
✅ Tip: If your main goal is saving content for personal study or backup (like your own uploads), YouTube Studio allows you to directly download your own videos in full quality.
Related Post: Safest and Most Efficient Legal Method to Download YouTube Videos