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If you are planning a long journey or wish to watch your favorite YouTube videos without an internet connection, downloading them to your Mac may be the solution. In this article, we will discuss the best and most recommended methods and tools to download YouTube videos on a Mac.
Before going into the details, we would like to remind you that you should be aware of copyright issues. Downloading someone else’s video and using it for your own purposes without permission may lead to legal consequences. Also, downloading YouTube videos is against YouTube’s terms of service, and you should only do it for personal, non-commercial use.
YouTube Premium
YouTube offers its own subscription service, YouTube Premium, which allows users to download YouTube videos for offline viewing. However, the downloaded videos can only be played on mobile devices and are only available for 30 days. To access YouTube Premium, you need to pay a subscription fee of $11.99/£11.99 per month.
Best Free YouTube Downloader for Mac
There are numerous tools available to download YouTube videos on a Mac. However, most free apps are unreliable and potentially harmful. Fortunately, there are some built-in functions within macOS that can help you download YouTube videos without any additional downloads.
Command + Shift + 5
If you have macOS Mojave, the built-in screen recording tool may be suitable for you. However, it only records the visual content, not the audio.
QuickTime Player
QuickTime is another built-in tool that is suitable for downloading YouTube videos on a Mac. Follow these steps:
- Launch QuickTime Player, go to File>New Screen Recording.
- Click the down arrow next to the red record button, and ensure that the “Internal microphone” is selected.
- Click on the red record button and drag the crosshairs over the video you want to download.
- Play the video, ensuring that the sound is turned on.
- Click the stop button in the menu once the video has finished playing.
- The video can be downloaded and saved to review later.
Third-Party YouTube Downloaders
Several third-party apps provide the option to download YouTube videos. However, it’s important to note that not all tools are trustworthy. Here are some examples:
iTubeDownloader
iTubeDownloader costs $8.99 plus student discounts and provides a free trial. It teleports to the YouTube homepage, where there is a “Download” button beside the URL bar. Clicking the option allows the user to view or download the video they are currently watching.
Parallels ToolBox
Parallels ToolBox offers a set of Mac tools that can be used to simplify a variety of tasks on your Mac. This tool offers numerous options, including downloading YouTube videos, and is available for $19.99 per year. Once downloaded, click on the “Download Video” button and paste the URL of the video. After enabling the Safari extension for downloads, the video will begin to download.
FAQs
1. Is it legal to download YouTube videos on a Mac?
No. According to YouTube’s terms of service, downloading videos is not allowed, and you should only do it for personal use. Downloading other people’s videos without permission can lead to copyright issues.
2. Do I need to pay for a YouTube Premium subscription to download videos?
Yes. To download videos using YouTube Premium, you need to pay a monthly fee of $11.99/£11.99.