How to Download YouTube Videos to Computer in Every Way

Quick Answer:
To download YouTube videos to computer, you can use a reliable YouTube video download, VLC, online YouTube downloader, and YouTube video download extensions. The first three options download YouTube videos to computer using URL while the last one allows you to save YouTube videos to computer directly on the website.

As one of the largest video sharing sites around the world, there are millions of videos on YouTube available for streaming. Among the numerous items, there must be one or more videos you want to save to your computer for archiving or other purposes. If you do but don’t know how to download YouTube videos to computer, don’t hesitate to check this guide for tested answers.

How to Download YouTube Videos to Computer for Free

When you are wondering how to download YouTube videos to computer for free, answers like “using an online video downloader” may flash into your mind. Indeed, online YouTube video downloaders generally allow you to download YouTube videos for free. However, there are shortcomings you can’t ignore, like security risks and quality issues. Thus, when you want to download YouTube videos on Windows 10 or Windows 11 for free, I’d like to recommend you try the safe YouTube video downloader – SurFast Video Downloader.

When the target website is YouTube, it enables you to:

• Download YouTube videos to MP4, WebM, or other formats in various qualities

• Download YouTube to MP3 directly
• Download YouTube shorts video

• Download music from YouTube to PC

• Download multiple YouTube videos at once

To download YouTube videos to computer for free:

Step 1. Launch SurFast Video Downloader and paste the video link. Then wait for the program to load the video.

Step 2. Check the download option you prefer and then click Download to start downloading the YouTube video to your computer.

Step 3. Wait for the video download process to finish.

As you can see, you can download YouTube videos with subtitles or download YouTube videos in 4K, 8K, and more using this tool.

Other than YouTube, SurFast Video Downloader supports other video/audio sites like Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, SoundCloud, and more. It’s worth noting that this YouTube downloader is also compatible with macOS. When you need to download YouTube videos on Mac or download YouTube videos on Chromebook, it’s also a usable solution.

Notes: SurFast Video Downloader is not completely free, but it offers free quotas for you per day.

How to Download YouTube Videos to Computer Using VLC

You may be quite surprised when you know that VLC – a famous open-source media player, is also a practical way to download YouTube videos to computer. Yes, Although VLC doesn’t provide a direct way to download YouTube videos like video downloaders, it is a workable solution to save videos from YouTube to your computer. Besides, it’s completely free. That’s why it’s also a good choice to download YouTube videos for free.

To download YouTube videos to computer using VLC:

Step 1. Open the VLC media player on your PC.

Step 2. Head to Media > Open Network Stream.

Step 3. In the Open Media window, paste the YouTube Video address here and then click Play.

Step 4. While the video is playing, go to Tools > Codec Information.

Step 5. In the Codec section, copy the URL in the Location bar.

Step 6. Open a browser and paste the copied URL into the address bar. Then hit Return.

Step 7. While the video is playing, right-click it and choose Save Video As to download the video from YouTube to your computer.

To learn how to use VLC to save videos on other devices, check the guide on how to download youtube videos with VLC.

How to Download YouTube Videos to Computer in MP3 Format

It’s equally easy to download YouTube videos to computer in MP3 format. Most YouTube video downloaders also work as YouTube to MP3 converters, just like the SurFast Video Downloader mentioned above. For example, after the program analyzes the video address, you can choose MP3 as the target format and choose the quality you need, like 320kbps, 256kbps, and 128kbps. If you need to download YouTube videos to MP3, using SurFast Video Downloader is also a proven way.

To download YouTube videos to computer in MP3 format:

Step 1. Go to SurFast Video Downloader > General, paste the YouTube link, and then wait for the program to parse the URL.

Step 2. Select Audio (MP3), choose the audio quality, and then click Download.

Step 3. Wait for the YouTube to MP3 conversion process to finish.

SurFast Video Downloader enables you to save a download video or audio file to an external storage device connected to your computer, too. Thus, you can download videos to USB from YouTube easily with it.

How to Download YouTube Videos to Computer for Free Without Software

For you who want to save YouTube videos to PC for free without any software, the solution is to apply an online video downloader like KeepVid, SaveFrom, and Y2Mate. These services help to download YouTube videos online and allow you to download YouTube videos without any software.

In spite of its convenience and no cost, there are disadvantages of using such websites that you can’t pass over, such as ads and redirections.

If you still prefer such a way to get videos from YouTube, follow the steps below. (Since online tools work similarly, here I’d like to show you the general steps.)

To download YouTube videos to PC for free without software:

Step 1. Copy the URL of the YouTube video.

Step 2. Go to the online YouTube video downloader and paste the URL into the address bar.

Step 3. Click the download button and wait for the website to load the video.

Step 4. Check the download options and click the download button next to the option you need.

Step 5. If you are redirected, close the new page and go back to the online YouTube video downloader.

Step 6. Click Download again to start downloading the video from YouTube to your computer.

How to Download YouTube Videos to Computer Using URL

As you can see from the paragraphs above, both online video downloaders and desktop video downloaders like SurFast Video Downloader and VLC download YouTube videos to computer using URL. Choose any of them to get YouTube videos using URL.

How to Download YouTube videos without YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium is the official way to download YouTube videos for offline viewing. However, it’s neither the only nor the best way to download videos from YouTube. It only keeps the downloaded videos for 29 days. That means you need to re-download the video after the period. That’s probably why you want to know how to download YouTube videos without YouTube Premium.

All the ways introduced above can download YouTube videos without YouTube Premium. Besides, there are YouTube video download extensions that can save videos from YouTube to your computer directly. Let me take Video DownloadHelper for Firefox as an example:

Step 1. Add Video DownloadHelper to Firefox and pin the add-on to the toolbar.

Step 2. Visit YouTube via Firefox and then play the video you want to download.

Step 3. In the Watch page of the video, click Video DownloadHelper from the toolbar.

Step 4. Choose the format and quality you prefer and click the More option next to it.

Step 5. Click Quick Download or Download to save the video from YouTube to your computer.

For more browser addons, you can go to the guide introducing Firefox YouTube downloader extensions to get more tools.

How to Download YouTube Videos to Computer by Adding SS

In addition to using online video downloaders, desktop video downloaders, and video download extensions, another less-known way to download videos from YouTube to computer is by changing the URL. Actually, it’s the same as using an online YouTube video downloader: after you change the YouTube video URL, it will turn to an online video downloader. Let me show you how to download YouTube videos in laptop or PC by adding SS.

To download YouTube videos by changing URL.

Step 1. Go to the YouTube website, find the video you want to download, and click it to play the video.

Step 2. Go to the address bar of your browser, and add ss before youtube in the video URL.

Step 3. On the new page, choose the download option you like and click it.

Step 4. If you are redirected to a new site, close it, and then you will see the video-playing window.

Step 5. Right-click on the video and choose Save Video As… to download the video from YouTube to your computer.

There is also a guide on how to download YouTube videos by changing URL. If you are interested in how to download YouTube videos on Windows by editing URL, check it to get proven tips.

FAQs on How to Download YouTube Videos to Computer

When you save videos from YouTube to PC, you may have questions below:

The Bottom Line

It’s never a tough task to download YouTube videos to computer, either using a free or paid method. Any of the ways mentioned above, unlike YouTube Premium, will download YouTube videos to your computer permanently, which can free you from being worried about downloading videos repeatedly. Pick up the one you like to save videos from YouTube to computer within seconds.