Download YouTube Videos on Mac for Free: 4 Tips

Quick Answer:
For you who search for “download YouTube videos Mac free”, there are online video downloaders, browser extensions, and desktop programs to help. The easiest way:

1. Get the video URL.
2. Go to SaveFrom and paste the link in the search box.
3. Click Download and select the format and quality you need to download.

Although a paid YouTube video downloader generally offers a good user experience for you to download YouTube videos to Mac, it’s unnecessary to use such a tool if you only want to download YouTube videos on your computer occasionally. A more cost-effective way to download videos from YouTube to Mac is using a free video downloader. Given that, here are 4 tested-and-true ways to help you download YouTube videos on your MacBook or iMac for free.

Download YouTube Videos to Mac for Free with No Software

When you want a free and installation-free solution to download YouTube videos on your Mac, a free online YouTube video downloader for Mac can meet your needs perfectly.

A web-based YouTube video downloader allows you to download YouTube videos online using a browser like Safari, Chrome, and Firefox, at no cost. It has advantages like being free and easy to use.

However, before you start, you should know that there are potential risks involved. Online video downloaders for Mac or PC often come with lots of advertisements and redirections, which may be harmful to your computer. Therefore, it’s necessary to weigh the pros and cons and decide if you are willing to accept these drawbacks before you use such a tool to download YouTube videos on your MacBook for free.

There are various online services available for you. Here I’d like to show you how to use SaveFrom to download videos from YouTube to Mac for free since SaveFrom has fewer annoying ads and redirections compared with its equivalents. (You can get more tips to download YouTube videos free here.)

To download YouTube videos on Mac for free online:

Step 1. On your Mac, open a browser to visit the YouTube website.

Step 2. Find and play the video you want to download.

Step 3. Right-click the video and choose to copy the video address.

Step 4. Go to SaveFrom online YouTube video downloader, paste the link in the search box, then click Download.

Step 5. Wait for the website to process the link, then choose the format video format and quality.

Step 6. Then you can see the video-playing page, right-click the video and choose Save video as.

There is a guide on how to download YouTube videos on Mac without software. Check it when needed.

Download YouTube Videos to Mac for Free via Safari

Yes, you can download YouTube videos on Mac for free using Safari. In addition to using an online YouTube video downloader, you can use a Safari plugin to download YouTube videos to your computer for free.

Video DownloadHelper is a popular YouTube video downloader extension for Safari, Firefox, and more. It enables you to download YouTube videos to your MacBook for free without leaving the YouTube site.

To download YouTube videos to Mac for free via Safari:

Step 1. Add the extension – Video DownloadHelper to Safari.

Step 2. Restart Safari and go to the YouTube website.

Step 3. Search for and click to play the video you want to save to your Mac.

Step 4. Now click the Video DownloadHelper icon from the Safari toolbar.

Step 5. Hover over the download option you need and click the More icon.

You can check the guide on how to download YouTube videos on Mac via Safari for more tested tips.

Download YouTube Videos on Mac for Free Using VLC

When you take reliability and stability as the top priority while downloading YouTube videos on Mac, you can use VLC media downloader to download videos from YouTube for free. Although the primary function of VLC is to play media files, it does help to download YouTube videos, thanks to its powerful features. Thus, VLC can be the best free video downloader for Mac to help you get videos from YouTube for offline viewing without any cost.

If you also need to save online videos on a PC or Android device, you can refer to the guide on how to download YouTube videos with VLC for more details.

To download YouTube videos to Mac for free:

Step 1. Download and install VLC media player on your computer.

Step 2. Get the video URL from the YouTube website.

Step 3. Launch VLC and head to File > Open Network.

Step 4. Paste the URL into the address box and click Open.

Step 5. Pause the video and go to Window > More Information.

Step 6. Copy the content in the Location section.

Step 7. Open Safari and visit the URL you just copied.

Step 8. While the video is playing, right-click the video and choose Save video as.

Step 9. Select a storage path and click Save to download the YouTube video to your Mac for free.

Download Videos from YouTube to Mac for Free via Desktop Video Downloader

While completely free tools come with risks and the secure tool (VLC) can be complex to use, opting for a middle-ground solution, such as SurFast Video Downloader, is the best approach. It offers a balance between ease of use and cost-effectiveness, making it a top choice for video downloading. It has features including:

• Download YouTube videos in customized formats and quality
• Convert YouTube to MP3 directly
• Download music from YouTube Music
• Download YouTube videos in bulk by URL, playlist, or channel

In addition to YouTube, it also supports other 1000+ sites like TikTok, Facebook, Twitter… Although it is not an absolutely free video downloader for Mac, it provides free quotas per day. If you only need to download YouTube videos on your Mac on an infrequent basis, it is an excellent solution.

To download YouTube videos on Mac for free:

Step 1. Copy the YouTube video link, paste it to SurFast Video Downloader, and then wait for the app to parse the link.

Step 2. Select the video output format and resolution and then click Download.

Step 3. After the YouTube video download completes, click Finished to view the video.

SurFast Video Downloader also works well to download YouTube Shorts video and download long YouTube videos. If you want to get high-quality YouTube videos, check the guide on how to download YouTube videos in 8K.

Download YouTube Videos on Mac for Free: FAQs

When you look for free options to download YouTube videos to your Mac, you may also have questions below:

The Bottom Line

Now you know how to download YouTube videos on Mac for free, either with or without software. Online video downloaders, browser extensions, and desktop programs are all helpful to save videos from YouTube to Mac without cost. Pick up the way that suits your preferences to apply.