If you enjoy watching YouTube videos, you may want to save some for offline watching. While YouTube allows you to download videos and save them for later viewing, you cannot use this option to save videos locally unless you have a YouTube premium account and the video creator allows it. Besides, the premium account is only available on mobile devices such as Android, IOS, and tablets.

This often leads to questions: what do you do when you want to download a video, such as a YouTube gaming tutorial for offline viewing? There are two ways of doing so. One is downloading third-party tools and apps to download YouTube videos to your PC. You can enjoy the videos later when you don't have an internet connection.

Factors to Consider Before Downloading YouTube Videos

We have noted that there are third-party apps you can use to download YouTube videos and save them on your local device for offline viewing. However, before you start using them, there are a few factors you need to consider. These are:

Safety

Safety is a significant concern for users of third-party apps when downloading videos. Some apps and websites may contain malware that can infect your device. There are several signs of malicious apps you may want to look for. These are:

• Permission required. Most malicious apps will require a lot of permissions that may not be necessary. For instance, if your goal is to download YouTube videos, why does an app need permission to use the calendar, calculator, or location? Some may even require system privileges such as accessing your wifi SMS, usage, etc.
• System modification. Malicious apps will even modify the system to install themselves and other apps without your permission. Therefore, if you notice an app on your device that you don't know the source of, you are likely dealing with a malicious app.
• Non-trustworthy sources. You can be assured that most apps are safe when downloaded from the Play Store. Google scans and reviews moderate the apps on the Play Store. Users are also allowed to report malicious apps and those that violate privacy. However, unlike iOS, Android allows users to download apps from the web. However, such apps may contain malware; therefore, sticking to the Play Store is advisable. 
• App review. Some malicious apps have also been found on Play Store, forcing users to purchase expensive subscriptions. Therefore, take time to read the app reviews. If an app has a lot of 1- and 2-star reviews, it may not be worth the effort. Even when the app has many positive reviews, go through the reviews, as some may be fake. Check out for signs of repetitive reviews.
• Poorly maintained app. Fake apps may also be poorly maintained. But even if they aren't fake, poorly maintained apps may have security flaws that hackers can easily exploit.

Cost of the App

You need to find out if the app is free. Even with free apps, some may have intrusive ads that may make it hard to operate the app. These may highly affect user experience and may, in some cases, direct users to scams or malicious websites.

At times, the free version can also limit the resolution of the video you can download or the number of videos you can download. These limitations usually cause you to choose paid subscription plans. Therefore, you should consider whether the limitations are something you are comfortable with. If you decide to go with the paid plans, be careful with the recurring subscription plans.

Transcript and Subtitle Support

You should research whether your app supports downloading videos with transcripts or subtitles. While this may seem minor, it can affect user experience. If you ignore them when choosing a download tool, you might be forced to find another service, which will probably cost extra. Therefore, selecting a YouTube video download tool that supports transcripts and subtitles is advisable.

Fairness to Creators

While downloading YouTube videos will provide you access to the videos from wherever you may be, you should also be fair to content creators. Remember that YouTube charges ad fees to pay monetized creators. When you use a third-party tool to watch videos, the video creators will miss out on repeated views. Therefore, when downloading YouTube videos, you should bear this in mind.

Is It legal to Download YouTube Videos?

If you need a legal way of downloading YouTube videos, the only option is to use the YouTube Premium surface. Remember that many YouTube videos are copyrighted, and downloading them will violate YouTube's terms, which is mostly illegal. You may, therefore, choose to watch the thousands of free streaming shows aired on YouTube.

Most third-party YouTube download tools often add a disclaimer that the user is solely responsible for their actions. They add that they are not responsible for your actions and only provide a tool. The YouTube policy also prohibits downloading videos from their platform using third-party software. There may be consequences such as suspension or even banning your account when caught. Therefore, you need to be aware of that before you can download videos from YouTube. 

How to Download YouTube Videos When Offline

There are different ways you can watch YouTube videos when you are not online. These include:

Using a YouTube Downloader

One of the third-party tools we can recommend for downloading videos from YouTube for later viewing is “Ease Us Video Downloader”. The tool lets you download videos and audio from various platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Dailymotion. You can also download music from MySpace, SoundCloud, and more.

If you want to download a single video or many, the Ease US tool will enable you to do so. It also lets you choose the format and quality of videos you want to download for offline viewing. Here are the steps to follow when using the tool to download YouTube videos:

1. Launch Ease US from your PC. In the search bar of the software, copy the link to the video you want to download. You can then click on Search to proceed.
2. You will be taken to a built-in YouTube page of the video. At the bottom left, click on Download Video.
3. A pop-up bar will appear, allowing you to adjust the quality and format of the video you want to download. You should then click on Download to start the download process. 
4. Once the downloading process is completed, you can go to the Finished section to see the downloaded video.

Using a Browser Extension to Download YouTube Videos

Another YouTube trend is to use a browser extension to download YouTube videos. When using this option, you only need to click on Download. Once you have added the YouTube video downloader extension, you will see the download option when playing the video. Here are the steps to follow when using the extension:

1. Choose your favorite YouTube video downloader extension and install it on your browser.
2. Refresh your browser after installation and visit the YouTube site.
3. Choose the video you want to download for offline viewing and click on play video.
4. A download option will be provided below the video. If you cannot see it, click the extension on the menu bar to ensure it is active.
5. To begin downloading the video, click on Download.
6. Click on More Options to select the video quality you need.

You may now use YouTube videos for marketing.

Using an Online video Downloader to Download YouTube videos

If you don't want to download or install any tool to download YouTube videos, the best option is to use an online video downloader. These tools enable you to save your YouTube videos to your PC, laptop, or Mac, which can be pretty convenient.

However, such tools have a downside in that when you use them, you might face a lot of annoying ads, redirections, and download failures. Therefore, you need to be aware of that when using this option to download your YouTube videos. If you choose to go ahead with this option, here are the steps you should follow:

1. Visit YouTube and select the video you want to download. 
2. Copy the link to the video in the URL bar.
3. Visit the website of the online video downloader and paste the link.
4. Click on download. If you are redirected to another page, close the page and continue to the video downloader page.
5. Some tools will allow you to download the video with or without sound. You can also choose the quality of the video you want.
6. The download will begin. After it has been completed, you can find the file in the downloads folder of your PC.

Changing URL

Another method you can use to download a YouTube video is by changing its URL. Here is how this option works:

1. Go to YouTube and Play the video you want to save on download.
2. Click on the YouTube URL and change the address to Youpak.
3. A new page will appear with an option to click and download the video.
4. The website will also provide you with different video downloading options.
5. Choose a download option to save the video to your PC.

Reasons Your YouTube Video Downloads May Be Failing

If you cannot download YouTube videos, this could be attributed to several reasons.

• The video downloader can't analyze the video address.
• The vice downloader doesn't work in your region.
• It could be a private video with copyright issues.

If you try different troubleshooting methods and the video still doesn't download, you can try another tool or method outlined above.

Final Thoughts

If you want to download and save YouTube videos for offline viewing, the above tools will enable you to do that. However, using third-party tools is illegal and against YouTube policy, so there may be consequences. If you want to do it right, consider subscribing to YouTube Premium to download YouTube videos. We recommend that you also check out our guide to YouTube gaming tutorials.