How to Download YouTube Videos on Your Android Device

Watch your favorite videos offline with a Premium subscription, or use a third-party app

By
Luis E. Chavez Saenz
Luis Chavez
Luis E. Chavez Saenz
Writer
  • New Jersey Institute of Technology
Luis Chavez is a former Lifewire writer and a System Administrator with 5+ years' experience writing about technology for end users.
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Updated on March 27, 2024
Reviewed by
Jon Fisher
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Reviewed by Jon Fisher
  • Wichita Technical Institute
Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek.
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YouTube

What to Know

  • You can download videos with the YouTube app if you pay for Premium or use the trial.
  • Tap Download below the video, choose a quality option (e.g., 1080p), then select Download again.
  • To save videos without YouTube Premium, install TubeMate or visit Invidious.

This article explains how to download YouTube videos for offline playback on an Android device. The information below should apply no matter who made your Android phone: Samsung, Google, Huawei, Xiaomi, or another brand.

Use YouTube Premium to Save Videos Offline

YouTube Premium subscribers can easily download videos from YouTube. You need to have the official YouTube app for this to work. This method does require a paid subscription, but there is a trial available and it comes with other features beyond the ability to save videos.

  1. Open the video you want to save.

  2. Tap Download below the video.

  3. Choose 1080p, 720p, or any other video quality available from the list. Downloaded videos are saved in the You > Downloads section of the app.

    The Full HD video download option in the YouTube app

Install the TubeMate Video Downloader

TubeMate is a third-party app that downloads videos from YouTube. It's not as simple to use as the official YouTube app, but it works and it's free. Here's how to save a video offline, from start to finish:

A Premium subscription is the only YouTube-approved way to download videos from the platform. This third-party app and the other method described below should only be used to save videos you have permission to download, which includes your own content, videos that explicitly give you permission, or public domain content.

  1. Download TubeMate and then open it to find the video you want to download.

    This app is not available from the Play Store. You'll need to install the app manually via its APK file (it's what you get through the link above).

  2. Tap the Download icon at the bottom of the app.

  3. Select the quality of the video you want to download.

  4. Tap the red Download icon.

    TubeMate download button, video resolution on Android

    You might be asked to install an additional app from the same TubeMate developer to facilitate the download process. Go ahead and follow any on-screen prompts, if you see them.

  5. Tap the small, white Download icon from the bottom of the app to find the offline video. From there, move it to a new location, extract the audio from the video, rename it, or delete it.

Use the Invidious YouTube Downloader Website

Invidious is handy because it looks a bit like YouTube, so there's a search bar you can use to find the video you want to download. Here's how it works:

  1. Visit Invidious and search for and select the video you want to save offline.

  2. Pick the desired video quality from the menu under Download as.

  3. Tap Download to instantly start downloading the video. Depending on its size, it could take several minutes to save.

    Saving a YouTube video from Invidious
FAQ
  • How do I download YouTube Videos on an iPhone?

    The easiest way to download a YouTube video to an iPhone is to subscribe to YouTube Premium, play the video on your iPhone, select More (three dots) next to the video's title, and then select Download Video.

  • How do I download YouTube videos on a Mac?

    The only legal way to download YouTube videos on a Mac is through a YouTube Premium subscription. Launch YouTube, play the video, and select Download below the video player.

  • How do I download music from YouTube?

    If you have a YouTube Premium subscription, you can download music from YouTube Music. You can also access the downloaded music offline if you’ve used YouTube Music within the past month.

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