How to download YouTube videos on a Mac
YouTube Premium? No thanks
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Whether you’re stocking up on videos for a long trip without Wi-Fi or hoping to download tutorials or essays for work or personal projects, knowing how to downloadYouTubevideos onto thebest MacBooksis a useful skill. Rather than having to constantly rely on an internet connection while you’re on the go, you can sit down wherever you are, boot up your Macbook, and start watching.
Often when I’m in for a long-haul flight or commute, I panic-download as many videos as possible because as much as I would like it, there’s no guaranteed Internet connection out there. Or, if I know I’ll be traveling with younger relatives, I understand how important it is to have all manner of fun, colorful videos to keep them occupied on long journeys.
Now, YouTube does have a feature that will allow you to download videos straight onto your device - but you’ll need to be subscribed to YouTube Premium, and the same can be said about other streaming services like Disney, Netflix, andAmazonPrime.
If you’re like me and don’t want to commit toyet anothersubscription service, this is the place for you, whether you’ve got a compactMacBook Airor a hefty16-inch MacBook Pro.
Steps for how to download YouTube videos on your MacBook
Tools and requirements
Step by step guide
How to save videos to your MacBook
It’s actually quite easy to ‘download’ YouTube videos on a Mac since each device has internal screen recording software. So, no extra downloading or purchasing is required!
Ever since Mojave - remember that? - macOS has a built-in screen recording feature, which makes this all much easier.
Load up your YouTube video of choice on your Mac. Make sure the video quality is set to your desired resolution and that it’s in full-screen view. As you can see in the image above, I’ve kept mine out of full-screen mode so you can more easily see the options that pop up below once you input the commands.
Press Command + Shift + 5, press the record entire screen button, and then press the play button or space bar to start playing the video.
Your screen and therefore your Youtube video is now recording to be saved later! Once you’ve recorded what you want, hit the stop button at the top of the screen and your recording will stop.
Final thoughts
If you’d rather have an app do the downloading for you, there are always apps and websites out there that will get the job done. Often they do require a subscription or one-time purchase, as most free YouTube video downloaders aren’t of very high quality, carry the risk of viruses, or splash watermarks on everything - you’ve been warned.Apps likeEaseUS Video DownloaderorDownieoffer 14-day free trials and relatively cheap price plans, if you do want to try it out.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
Muskaan is TechRadar’s UK-based Computing writer. She has always been a passionate writer and has had her creative work published in several literary journals and magazines. Her debut into the writing world was a poem published in The Times of Zambia, on the subject of sunflowers and the insignificance of human existence in comparison.
Growing up in Zambia, Muskaan was fascinated with technology, especially computers, and she’s joined TechRadar to write about the latest GPUs, laptops and recently anything AI related. If you’ve got questions, moral concerns or just an interest in anything ChatGPT or general AI, you’re in the right place.
Muskaan also somehow managed to install a game on her work MacBook’s Touch Bar, without the IT department finding out (yet).
MacBook Air OLED reportedly delayed until at least 2028 – here’s why
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch M4 (2024) review: one of the best Pro laptops around just got better
Buying a big-screen TV this Black Friday? Here are 3 key features to consider when you’re shopping
