How to download YouTube videos online for free

Sometimes there are videos you want to watch on repeat or keep offline for reference but YouTube doesn’t let you download of its platform.

It’s an obstacle for people who either live in areas with limited connectivity or are going to travelling so the internet’s availability won’t be reliable. Not to mention that replaying videos on YouTube is a burden on limited data plans.

In India, there are 265 million monthly active users (MAU) on YouTube. In fact, YouTube is so popular in the country that some users actually use it in place of Google Search.

But, there are plenty of solutions out there that can help you out — with and without the hassle of having to install third party software.

Is it legal?

Using third party apps to download videos from YouTube is against YouTube’s terms of service. The regulations state that you’re only allowed stream videos on the platform. And, if you’re downloading videos off of YouTube it also leaves you vulnerable to copyright infringement — unless you have permission from the creator of the video, it’s already in the public domain or you’re the original owner of the video.

How to download YouTube videos online for free

1. Go to YouTube and find the video that you wish to download. Copy the video URL from the address bar and keep it handy.

2. Go to Online Video Converter and select ‘Convert a Video Link’.

3. Once the page opens, paste the URL into the converter and choose the final format in which you would like to download your video file. There’s also an option to strip the video of its visuals and only download the audio of the file.

4. If you expand ‘More Settings’, you have the option of choosing the output quality as well. By default, that option is set to automatic but you choose from the highest quality, 1080p HD, to the lowest quality, at 240p.

5. Online Video Converter also allows you to download only a part of the YouTube video if you don’t want to download the entire thing. The ‘Convert From’ and ‘Convert To’ settings allow you choose the beginning and end point of the YouTube that you’re downloading.

6. Once you’re doing setting all the parameters, you click ‘Start’ and the Online Video Convertor will start processing your YouTube video for download.

7. Once the video is done processing, you can click ‘Download’ to save file on to your PC or scan the QR code to download a copy of the YouTube video directly onto your smartphone or tablet.