Download browser videos safely

Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article methods. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Method 1. Start by navigating to YouTube in your browser. This method should work for most videos, but sometimes may display a "Your input can't be opened" error during the download.

The only way to get around this is to use a download website not subject to this, such as mpgun. Go to the video you want to download. You can search for the video using the "Search" bar at the top of the screen. Once you select the video, it should begin playing right away. Copy the video's URL. Open VLC Player. It's the icon of an orange traffic cone.

VLC is an open-source video player with a lot of beneficial features for playing all kinds of files. Open a new network stream. Network streams allow you to play content from your web browser in VLC. If you are still unable to play any YouTube videos, copy the text on this web page and paste it into a new Notepad or TextEdit file. Save the file as " youtube. On Mac, right-click on VLC. Delete the "youtube. View the video's codec information.

Mac: Click Window , then click Media Information. Copy the "Location" field. At the bottom of the window, you'll see a long address that you'll need to copy. Highlight the entire address and then follow these steps to copy it: Windows: Right-click the highlighted link and click Copy.

You can skip this step if you're using a Mac as the video should already appear in a browser. If you're using Windows, open a new browser tab, right-click the address bar, and then click Paste. Right-click the video and select Save video as. This should open your computer's "Save" dialog. Download the video. Right-click the video in your browser, then click Save video as in the resulting drop-down menu. The video will begin downloading onto your computer as an MP4 file with the name "videoplayback".

Select a location and click Save. This downloads the video to your computer. Once the file is downloaded, you can view it by double-clicking the file. Method 2. Download the 4K Video Downloader setup file. The 4K Video Downloader setup file will download onto your computer. Install 4K Video Downloader. Once the 4K Video Downloader setup file finishes downloading, you can install it by doing the following: Windows: Double-click the setup file, click Yes when prompted, and follow the on-screen setup instructions.

Mac: Double-click the setup file, verify the installation if necessary, click and drag the 4K Video Downloader app icon onto the "Applications" folder, and follow any on-screen instructions. The video should begin playing.

Copy the video's address. Open 4K Video Downloader. If 4K Video Downloader didn't automatically open upon finishing its installation, click its link in the Windows Start menu or your Mac's Applications folder. Click Paste Link. It's in the top-left corner of the 4K Video Downloader window. Doing so will cause the 4K Video Downloader to extract the address you copied. Select a video format from the "Format" menu.

If you don't see "4K" listed in the quality options for a video which you know supports 4K, changing the video format from MP4 to MKV will usually prompt the 4K option to appear.

Select a quality. By default, the highest possible quality will be selected, but you can check the box next to a different quality e. For example, many laptop screens don't support 4K video, meaning that downloading a video in 4K is pointless. Click Download. It's at the bottom of the window.

Your video will begin downloading onto your computer. Open your video's location. Once your video finishes downloading, right-click it and then click Show in Folder in the resulting drop-down menu. This will cause a File Explorer Windows or Finder Mac window with your downloaded video to open, at which point you can double-click the video to play it in your computer's default video player.

On a Mac, you can hold down Ctrl while clicking the video to prompt the right-click menu to appear. Method 3. Install Documents by Readdle on your iPhone or iPad. Apple makes it sort of difficult to download files to your iPhone or iPad, so you'll use an app called Readdle. Here's how to get it: Open the App Store. Tap Search at the bottom-right corner. Type readdle into the search bar at the top of the screen and tap Search. Follow the on-screen instructions. Open YouTube on your iPhone or iPad.

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Convert files at a 90X faster speed without quality loss. Full-featured video editor for your creativity with advanced features like Smart Trimmer, Watermark Editor and Subtitle Editor. Compress large video file to smaller file without losing quality. YouTube Downloader 1. This article has been viewed , times. Videos can be downloaded safely by ensuring a secure environment on your device, using care when choosing sources, and diligent use of virus scanning software.

You will want to make sure that your browser, OS, and virus scanner are all up to date with the latest security fixes. When downloading from sites, you will want to make sure that the site itself is reputable. If you have any doubt about what you are downloading or where it is being hosted, then best to find another place to get it.

Our Expert Agrees: The best thing you can do is to find a friend who's downloaded videos, and ask them what they use. That way, you'll know that you're probably not downloading something with malware.

You could also search online using Google, since they're usually pretty secure, or you could search a site like Reddit for recommendations others have posted. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers.

Please log in with your username or email to continue. No account yet? Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article methods.

Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Method 1. Make sure your web browser is up to date. Keeping your browser up to date ensures the latest security fixes are active while you browse the web.

Many modern browsers will update themselves in the background as they become available. Chrome will also flag suspicious files when they are downloaded with a prompt if you want to keep it. Safari users can update by opening the App Store and clicking the "Update" tab. Make sure your operating system is up to date. Updating your OS ensures that you have the latest security fixes for your device.

Although this is not a foolproof solution to risky downloads, it will help secure your computer against potentially malicious files. Keep in mind that availability of system updates can vary depending on the mobile carrier and age of the device. Older devices may not be compatible with the latest OS updates. Windows 10 downloads and installs updates automatically this feature can't be disabled.

Avoid file-sharing websites and programs.