You may hate funny cat videos or game reviews, but the chances are you still use YouTube. A mammoth of video content, YouTube is a go-to spot for many. In fact, the platform has over 1 billion users which is one-third of all internet users. Huge.

1. Download Youtube Videos Mac Free
2. Download Youtube Video To Mac Chrome
3. Download Youtube Videos To Macbook
4. Download Youtube Videos To Mp3 Mac Online
5. Download Youtube Videos To Mac Free
6. Youtube Downloader Mac Os X
7. Download Youtube Videos To Itunes Mac

6 Different Ways to Download Videos from YouTube to your Mac. YouTube is the largest video-sharing website on the Internet. People love to post clips of their life, videos they have making or funny scenes they have shot; also they love to watch tidbits, high-definition MV, listen to music there. Download YouTube videos to Mac from extension Open your browser Safari, Chrome or Firefox and visit YouTube. When you watch a video, you will see the 'Download' icon appearing at the top left corner of the video. And several web pages can be opened to download videos at the same time. MacX YouTube Downloader is a great free online video/audio downloader for Mac OS that can download music and videos from over 300 online video sites.

Or, maybe your daily companions are Vimeo and Twitch. One way or another, video content is a part of your digital life. The question is how to utilize it.

In this article, we compare top YouTube downloaders for Mac and explain how you can legally save video to Mac to watch it anytime and anywhere.

Best YouTube downloaders

Get a huge set of top tools to download videos from Youtube. Most helpful utilities in one pack, give it a go!

Let us warn you in advance, all YouTube tools reviewed in this article are worth a try. To help you narrow down the choice, check the nice-to-have assets every safe YouTube downloader should have:

• Works with all major video streaming platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and Dailymotion.
• Allows to save mp4 content and, optionally, convert to different formats.
• Has support for audio output — allowing you to save music from videos.
• Downloads entire playlists or channels in batch.
• Caters for both professional and everyday use.
• Guarantees data security, not collecting any of your personal information.

For sure, these are not one-size-fits-all qualities. You may need to batch download playlists, or this might be a totally useless feature for you. We made sure the reviewed tools satisfy the key needs — like security and integration with video streaming platforms. The rest is up to you and your priorities.

Quick navigation:

It’s not easy to step into the jungle of video downloaders and instantly pick the right fit – impossible if you’re new to Mac. There’s help, though.

How to download from YouTube

Whether to capture a few movies for an upcoming flight or save favorite clips to rewatch, Mac owners love to save content. The most basic tool should teach you how to download YouTube videos directly from URL. The problem is that it’s complicated to find an efficient free YouTube downloader. Not to mention they could be used for copyright infringement. To legally save content from YouTube and video streaming services to Mac, as well as download music from videos, you can use third-party apps. As long as you’re not earning money from downloads or breach copyright, they are safe to use.

Download streaming video from any website

Streaming content is a huge chunk of your internet traffic. Think Vimeo, Twitch, YouTube, Dailymotion, and other platforms where you can watch video displayed in real time. Relying on online streaming stymies your watching experience in many ways – from limited data usage to network issues. Plus Wi-Fi often fails you at the most crucial moments. Therefore, you need a reliable tool that helps you capture YouTube video.

If you’re wondering how to watch YouTube videos offline without breaking any laws, let us help you.

Grab YouTube video with YouTube Premium

Since recently, you can’t download YouTube video anymore. That’s because the service created a native tool for the job. So if you ask YouTube for the best YouTube downloader, it will probably suggest you use YouTube Premium, a native paid subscription service to save content. For the monthly cost of $11.99, it allows you to keep YouTube videos on iPhone and Android devices. Here’s how it works:

1. Open the video in your YouTube mobile app.
2. Click on the download button below the video player.
3. Customize the quality of the output.
4. Once the video is downloaded, you’ll see the “download complete” icon below the player.

The app will automatically save YouTube videos you download to the Library or Account tab.

Download streaming video from any website

Yes, you got it right. You can’t capture online videos to watch offline on Mac if you’re using YouTube Premium. To fill the gap and bring streaming content to a computer, you’ll have to consider third-party software. Most of video downloaders differ only in terms of customization capabilities. The flow of capturing a video will be pretty much the same — no matter what platform you take it from. It's easy to use AnyTrans to download youtube videos or convert youtube to mp3 in just 3 simple steps: copy-paste-save.

1. Choose the video and copy the URL (the app has in-build video search on YouTube/Vimeo/Dailymotion).
2. Paste the link into the app and wait for the app to finish the download.
3. Choose/customize the output format and storage location.

When using third-party tools, be careful about YouTube blocking downloads. If you comply with YouTube’s Terms of Service, you should be fine.

Download and save video from YouTube in mp4

Whether it’s native YouTube Premium or a third-party application, the tools you use to download mp4 from YouTube will by default save files in mp4. There are different options on tweaking formats, though:

• Retrieve only audio from your video file — tools like Downie and Folx will work for it.
• Download video in mp4 with Elmedia Player.
• Use Downie + Permute to download and convert to different formats — from FLV to MKV to AVI. The two work well together and are both available with Setapp subscription.
• Customize the output before downloading and convert a poor-quality YouTube video to mp4 HD.

Top YouTube downloaders compared

Below you’ll find a small collection of media downloaders that we recommend you look into. Use the apps to play, manage, and automatically save videos. Best of all, you can use the full toolkit of apps reviewed in this article for a flat fee.

Downie: Save YouTube videos within seconds

The easiest version of a YouTube downloader you can imagine. Grab a link, drag it onto the app icon, wait a few seconds for the content to travel to your Mac. While you don’t really do much, you can do even less with the browser extension. Downie already has it, so you don’t have to install the extension separately – check the box in your browser preferences and you’re good to go. Magically, Downie can also scan text files for links and download video content from there.

In other words, Downie is a media downloader that commits to cherishing your time. Here are the key ways to align the app with your workflow:

1. Enable Simple mode to get rid of distractions in Preferences > General. Perfect for those who are annoyed by a progress bar showing up each time a download takes place.
2. Downie is also a search machine. You can find YouTube videos on for download by searching right in the app, without opening a browser.
3. If you love YouTube concerts and music videos, you can download audio only. To set Downie to the MP3 mode, open Preferences > Postprocessing > Enforce MP3.

This downloader automatically converts all videos to MP4, but if you need more options there’s Permute to help. It covers virtually all media formats and works both for video and audio. The app is basically Downie’s cousin, created by the same team of developers, Charlie Monroe Software. So you get a discount if you buy the two. Also, Downie and Permute are both available on Setapp.

Pros:

• Simple and clean interface
• Customizable functionality
• 4K support
• Integrates with YouTube video converter

Cons:

• Limited file conversion options

Price:

$19.99 if purchased separately

$26.99 Downie + Permute

$9.99 per month Downie, Permute and 150+ apps on Setapp

Play and download video content with Elmedia Player

Elmedia Player is one of the best tools to entrust your movie watching experience to. Not only does it tell you how to save videos from YouTube, it also enables viewing content ad-free, right from the app. Download audio, convert to different media formats, or stream via AirPlay – it solves tons of problems.

Not limitless, but the functionality is pretty impressive. It’s a good idea to work with Elmedia Player if you want to:

1. Organize downloads and bring them into curated playlists.
2. Play Vimeo, Dailymotion, and YouTube videos in the app, without downloading.
3. Open and convert files to different formats – from MP3 TO MKV.
4. Extract audio tracks from YouTube videos.
5. Stream media content to all Apple devices that support AirPlay.

Compared to Apple’s native QuickTime, Elmedia Player supports a bigger number of formats and is generally a decent alternative to the default program.

Pros:

• Intuitive interface
• Covers virtually all video and audio formats
• Streaming capabilities

Cons:

• Lots of features confusing for a beginner

Price:

$19.95 Elmedia Player Pro license

$9.99 per month Elmedia Player Pro and 150+ apps on Setapp

Swiftly download large videos with Folx app

There’s no better option than Folx if you’re big on big downloads. Combining the functionality of a download manager and torrent client, the app brings large videos to your Mac in a matter of minutes.

Download Youtube Videos Mac Free

With your browser and Folx open, you can download any video from YouTube by URL. Once you have the URL, paste it directly into the search bar or click on the plus button > YouTube > paste the link. Give the app a few seconds to prepare a download, and click OK. Before you know it, the video is on your Mac.

The in-built torrent client that is available to Pro plan users works in a similar way – simple and lightning fast. Navigate to the Torrent tab via the plus button. In the top search field, click on the three dots to select a torrent file, customize default preferences if needed, and click OK.

To accelerate the process, Folx splits downloads in up to 20 streams. The app also cleverly adjusts download speed to your online activities, so that not to hamper important programs and processes running on your Mac. To tweak the default speed settings in Folx, access Preferences > Smart Speed.

Pros:

• Torrent search right in the app
• Speed optimization
• Download scheduling and auto-resume

Cons:

• No free trial for Pro features

Price:

$19.95 Folx Pro license

$9.99 per month Folx and 150+ apps on Setapp

AnyTrans to download and transfer content

Many think of AnyTrans as an alternative to iTunes, but it’s much more than that. The app is an all-mighty file manager that works with all your devices. So whether you want to copy images from iPhone to Mac, or transfer from Android to iOS, AnyTrans has you covered.

Apart from cleverly managing your content, the app also helps you grab some new. Using an in-built Media Downloader, you can save video from 900+ websites, including Vimeo, Dailymotion, and YouTube.

Capturing and instantly sharing media is why you should pick AnyTrans over the other options. It has limited functionality in terms of download preferences, but is pretty good for capturing short videos.

Pros:

• Clean and understandable interface
• Excellent file control
• Media transferring options

Cons:

• Limitations in terms of integration with iTunes library.

Price:

$39.99 AnyTrans Single license

It provides easy control of OpenVPN client and/or server connections.It comes as a ready-to-use application with all necessary binaries and drivers (including OpenVPN, easy-rsa, and tun/tap drivers). Tunnelblick is a free, open source graphic user interface for on macOS. /openvpn-dmg.html.

$9.99 per month AnyTrans and 150+ apps on Setapp

It’s ok if you have a hard time choosing your favorite. Some of the apps complement each other – like you could use Folx to capture large videos and transfer with AnyTrans. With Setapp subscription, you can try every mentioned YouTube downloader for free and choose what suits your flow. Or, don’t choose. Your Mac deserves all of them.

Updated on July 25, 2018: Add an optional method with Screen Recorder.

YouTube is attractive. It has millions of additive contents such as movies, music videos, audiobooks, video tutorials and other great videos made by millions of thousand people.

However, none of us can watch YouTube videos offline unless we download and save them on our computers. There are so many guides telling people how to download YouTube videos on a Windows computer, so the minority (Mac users) ask, 'Is there any YouTube Downloader for Mac?'

Of course! This post will show you three ways to download YouTube Video on Mac and how to get YouTube Video without downloading.

To elaborate on this question, we divide this post into 4 parts:

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Method 1: Download YouTube Videos Online to Mac

VidPaw is a free online downloader that you can use to download YouTube video to Mac on Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox, etc. It requires 2 steps only to download a YouTube videos to Mac and it can download YouTube video in different qualities (720p, 1080p, 4K, 8K, etc.) and various formats (MP4, 3GP, WEMP).

STEP 1. Copy the URL of a YouTube video. Go to vidpaw.com and paste the URL into the empty box. Click Download.

STEP 2. Click one of the Download button. For example, choose to download 720p MP4 videos. The YouTube video will be downloaded to your Mac.

Add a bookmark for VidPaw.com so that you can quickly access the downloader next time you want to download a YouTube video to Mac. Or you can download VidPaw extension.

Method 2: Download YouTube Videos on Mac on Safari

Are you finding websites where you can download YouTube videos? Actually, you can download YouTube video on Safari.

1. Make sure that you are using the most recent version of Safari on your Mac.

2. Head on to YouTube website and navigate to your desired content and pause the video just after it starts playing.

3. Click the 'Window' tab and hit 'Activity' to bring up the 'Activity Monitor' window in Safari.

4. Locate the entry similar to the name of video you have opened, which has the largest file size. Double click to download the video to your Mac.

Method 3: Download YouTube Videos on Mac with Chrome

1. Open Google Chrome on your Mac which is running Mac OSX 10.6 or later.

2. Go to the YouTube website and find the video you want to download. Open it, pause the video and let it load completely.

3. Find the Cache folder via Finder > Library > Cache > Google > Chrome > Default > Cache. This contains all the recent information cached by Google from your internet usage.

4. Now begin to find the video. This is tricky since there are so many cache files. The information isn't named in a convenient way, because it's the raw data. So start by scrolling from the bottom of the list and looking closely for a file of the appropriate size.

Download Youtube Video To Mac Chrome

5. When you've located your video file, right click, copy the file and paste it onto your desktop.

6. To open the file in QuickTime or other video players, you'll need to rename the extension by clicking on the file name and adding .mp4 to the end. You can also rename the video.

7. Double click it and play it on your MacBook or iMac.

Method 4: Record YouTube Playing Video on Mac

Besides to download the videos from YouTube, there is a practical way to keep YouTube video on your Mac: record the playing video with FonePaw Screen Recorder for Mac.

DownloadDownload

1. Open the program and select Video Recorder option to get started.

Download Youtube Videos To Macbook

Download Youtube Videos To Mp3 Mac Online

2. Play the video on YouTube (actually, other platforms are supported.) and press REC button on the software at the same time.

3. As your target video is being captured, you can turn up or down, turn on/off webcam, add some notes with annotation panel and more. Of course, if you tend to keep the video as its original style on YouTube channel, you don't need to add anything to it.

Download Youtube Videos To Mac Free

4. When the video goes to the end, hit REC button or use the hotkey to stop recording. Then, preview the recording and save it. That is what you need from YouTube with no copyright infringement.

Youtube Downloader Mac Os X

Which method will be the best for you? If you select one of them, please share with your friends.

Download Youtube Videos To Itunes Mac

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