We've all been in a situation where we'd like to save a YouTube video to our phone, but that's not always easy. Normally, you have to pay for YouTube Premium, and even then, you have to do it on your phone using the YouTube app, and that video can only be played inside the app. While that can work for a lot of people, sometimes you might need access to a YouTube video when you're offline on your laptop, or might want to use another media player you like. If that's the case for you, we're here to show you a few ways you can download YouTube videos to your PC or phone.

To be clear, we don't recommend that you do this as your regular way to watch YouTube videos. YouTube content creators rely on views for their income, and downloading them to watch them offline as a replacement for watching them on YouTube can hurt their livelihood. This is for situations where you need to be able to watch something offline for one reason or another. Also, bear in mind that Google is always attempting to block ways these videos can be downloaded (for the reasons we just mentioned) so it's always possible some tools stop working momentarily or indefinitely.

Download YouTube videos using a website

The quickest way to download a single YouTube video is using a website that can do exactly that. There have been many sites like this over the years, but right now, we'd recommend YT1s.com, which is a simple and straightforward option. Because it's a website, it also works on both desktop and smartphones, so you can download videos on any device. It can also download just the audio from a video, which can be useful for a podcast or music.

To download a YouTube video, follow these steps:

  1. Open the video on your desktop or phone and copy the URL of the video.

    If you're using the YouTube smartphone app, you'll need to use the Share button to then see the Copy link option.

  2. Then, go to YT1s.com, paste the URL of the video, and click the Convert button.
    Screenshot of the YT1s homepage with a YouTube URL entered and the Convert button highlighted
  3. The video will be identified and you'll have the option to download it in different formats and resolutions. Choose your preferred format and then click Get Link.
    Screenshot of YT1s giving the user the option to download a video in different formats
  4. The website will take a few seconds to process your request and then you can click the Download button to save the video to your device.
    Screenshot of YT1s showing a download button

That's it! If you want to download more videos, you can click the Convert Next button to enter another URL and repeat the process. Or you can use our next recommendation.

Download videos using a desktop program (WinXVideoAI)

A solution like YT1s is the easiest, no-frills way to download one YouTube video at a time, and it's generally my go-to. But if you want to download a bunch of videos in one go, there are programs that can help with that. A solid choice is Winxvideo AI, formerly known as WinX Video Converter. While this is a paid app, the free version lets you download all the YouTube videos you want, and it's mostly the AI features that are locked behind the paywall. Here's how it works:

  1. Download Winxvideo AI from the official website and install the program.
  2. Open the app and choose the Downloader option.
    Screenshot of the main screen in Winxvideo AI with the downloader button highlighted
  3. Click Add video in the toolbar at the top.
    Screenshot of Winxvideo AI video downloader with Add Video button highlighted
  4. Paste the link to the YouTube video you want to download and click Analyze.
    Screenshot of Winxvideo AI downloader with a YouTube link shown and the Analyze button highlighted
  5. Once it finishes analyzing, choose the quality setting you prefer, then click Download selected videos.
    Screenshot of Winxvideo AI video downloader with a video quality options shown and a download button highlighted
  6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 to add more videos.
  7. Click Download now to download all the videos you selected.
    Screenshot of Winxvideo AI video downloader with the Download now button highlighted

Your videos will be processed and downloaded, and it actually works decently fast, so this is a very good method if you have a bunch of videos you want to download. It is possible for some downloads to fail occasionally, but for the most part, this is a very effective solution.

Winxvideo AI is a Windows 11 app, but the company does offer an alternative app for macOS if you happen to have one of Apple's Macs.

And that's how you can download YouTube videos to your PC or phone easily. The process is fairly straightforward once you have the right tools. Personally, I prefer using the website as a fast and simple solution, but if you want to download videos in bulk, then a program like Winxvideo AI definitely helps.