YouTube is our frequently visited website where we can watch any type of video, such as action movies, pop music, practical courses, TV series, talk shows, variety shows, comedy, etc. The only downside is that the website does not provide a direct download button, which is very inconvenient if we want to save our favorite videos to watch while offline. Fortunately, there are tools specifically designed for this purpose on the market. To save your time, we have selected two of the best YouTube video downloaders for Mac to share with you.
One of its main benefits is that it gives users the ability to download videos without installing any other extension or application. Here is what you have to do: 1. Open Safari on your Mac, select the “Window” tab and select “Activity”. Select the source of the video you plan on downloading.
By default, the video will be saved to your Mac’s desktop. From there, it’s yours to do with what you like! That’s how you can use the built-in screen recorder on macOS to download YouTube videos to Mac. Bonus: Best Video Downloader Mac for Paid. Cisdem Video Converter is a one-stop and professional toolbox for Mac users to download & convert & edit videos, rip DVDs, etc. It should be the best video downloader for Mac to help you grab TV episodes, movies, music videos, news, sports, and other online video clips with the fastest speed.
Method 1. Use 4K Video Downloader for Mac
The first tool we are going to introduce is 4K Video Downloader for Mac developed by Jihosoft. It has advanced algorithms and exquisite interface, integrates multiple functions in one, provides a full range of services, and is regarded as the best software for downloading YouTube videos on Mac in this article. The following are its main features:
- Download 4K & 8K UHD, 360° VR, 60FPS YouTube videos
- Download full-length YouTube movie
- Download YouTube channel and playlist
- Download songs from YouTube
- Extract subtitles/CC from YouTube video
- Merge YouTube videos and subtitles
- Save videos from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
- Download Twitch clips, videos, and highlights
- Download music from SoundCloud, VEVO, MixCloud, etc
- Convert videos to MP4, MOV, MKV, and AVI
- Download Ted Talks
As for how to use it, please check the simple steps that are given below:
Step 1. To download YouTube videos to Mac, you first need to get the 4K YouTube video downloader installed on your computer. To do this, please click the download button provided in the article, then open the .pkg file and follow the prompts to install it.
Step 2. Open your browser and go to the YouTube website, then find the video you’d like to download and copy its link address. Next, run the Mac YouTube video downloader, and then click the blue “+Paste URL(s) button on the interface to insert the URL into the program.
Step 3. The software will start automatically parse the video link. After a few seconds, there will pop up a window where you can select the output quality of the video like 720P, 1080P, 2K, 4K, etc., and whether to download subtitles, video cover or convert the video to mp3. After selection, tap the “Download” button.
Step 4. Next, the downloader will automatically start downloading YouTube videos, and you can clearly see the progress bar. After downloading, all the videos will be auto-saved to the “Finished” page, you can play them directly or convert them to the format you need.
Tips: If you need to download multiple videos simultaneously, please enable the one-click download mode in advance, which will save you a lot of time.
Method 2. Use QuickTime Player
The second way to save YouTube videos to Mac is through screen recording. QuickTime is a multimedia application developed by Apple that can handle digital video, pictures, sound, panoramic images, and interactivity in various formats. In addition to being a video player, it can also act as a screen recorder, supporting simultaneous recording of video and sound on the screen. Although this method is very simple, it will seriously affect the quality of the video, and the efficiency is relatively low. If you don’t mind, the following is the specific steps:
- Step 1. Go to YouTube and open the video you want to download, then click Pause playback.
- Step 2. Click the gray and blue “Q” icon on the launchpad directly or open the Applications folder and find the “QuickTime Player” app to run it.
- Step 3. Click the “File” option in the menu bar at the upper left corner of the computer screen and select “New Screen Recording”. Then QuickTime will automatically create a selection area on the screen.
- Step 4. Adjust the size of the selection area so that the edge is close to the video window, and then click “Options” at the bottom to select “Build-in Microphone“, this can ensure that the recorded video has sound.
- Step 5. When everything is ready, play the YouTube video and click the “Record” button to start recording. After the recording is complete, save the video to your favorite directory.
The above are two practical methods for downloading YouTube videos on Mac. The first is to use desktop software, it supports batch downloading, and can maintain the original quality of the video, which is very powerful. The second method is to use the screen recording tool, which is also a good choice if you only need to download a few videos.
In addition to what we mentioned, you can also use an online Mac YouTube video downloader to save your favorite videos. However, with the update of the YouTube algorithm, most websites have stopped working, even if there are survivors, they are very unstable thus not recommended to use. If you like this article, please share with your friends and family. By following Jihosoft’s blog, you can learn more useful video-related tips and tricks.