How do I download or save a YouTube video to my computer?

YouTube has been designed to only allow users to watch and view videos on their website. Many users want to save their favorite videos to their computer so they can watch them without being connected to the Internet or so they can watch them on other devices. Below are the steps required for downloading and watching YouTube videos on your computer for free.

Note: These steps are for saving a YouTube video and not saving only the audio of a YouTube video to an MP3 file.

Saving YouTube video as a video file on your computer

Today, there are many websites that allow you to enter the URL of the video you want to save to your computer and get a link to download the file. Below is a simple three-step process to download any YouTube video.

Note: If you are at a school or job that is blocking YouTube, these steps may not work.

1. First, go to the YouTube pagecontaining the video you want to save. When you've found the page, pressCtrl + L on your keyboard to highlight the text in the address bar, and thenCtrl + C to copy the Internet address.

2. Once this address has been copied,paste that URL into the text field below by clicking inside the box and pressingCtrl + V on your keyboard. Then, click the Download Video button.

3. If done properly, a new window will appear displaying a preview of the video, (as shown below) along with the Download links. For most users, we suggest downloading the MP4 format. Other available formats may include FLV, 3GP, and WebM. Once you have selected your format, click the appropriate download link.

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