(If you see a warning that you need to install Flash, for example, it really could be a scam, or at worse malware!)īefore we start, we have to point out that you should be aware of copyright issues. In our experience the free apps are usually more trouble than they are worth and potentially dangerous. There are also free and paid for apps that will also do this for you with a little more finesse, and we will include some of these options below too. Apple makes it possible to screen capture what is playing on your Mac, so ripping a YouTube video with the audio on to your Mac is not too much of a challenge. However, just because YouTube doesn’t make it easy to download YouTube videos on a Mac doesn’t mean you can’t. For some reason these services do not seem to want people to download anything to a Mac, perhaps this is because they offer apps for mobile devices and therefore have control over how those recordings are stored and how long they are available for (YouTube Premium only lets subscribers download video and music on to mobile devices, and it will only be available to watch offline for 30 days, for example).

The same is true of Disney, Netflix and Prime, who also allow downloads to mobile devices, but not the Mac. The most curious thing about this particular issue is that YouTube allows YouTube videos to be downloaded to an iPad or iPhone (if you subscribe to YouTube Premium, $11.99/£11.99 a month, one-month free trial). Making a copy of YouTube videos on an iPad or iPhone is really easy, but the same can’t be said if you want to save YouTube videos on your Mac. You can download those YouTube videos your kids (or you) love to watch to play back offline.

If the idea of a long car journey or bedtime without a connection to the internet leaves you trembling with fear, there’s a solution.

How to download a youtube video free