Best & Fastest Ways to Download a Video to Your Device

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Quick and easy ways to access and download movies online

Co-authored by Luigi Oppido and Travis Boylls

Last Updated: March 13, 2024 Fact Checked

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Torrents

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Free Movie Sites

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On-Demand Services

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Video

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Expert Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

Want to download a movie so you can watch it whenever you want? Thanks to free movie download sites and services like BitTorrent, it's never been easier to save movies and other videos to your desktop or laptop computer. This wikiHow article will teach you the easiest ways to download movies legally using on-demand services, torrents, and movie archives.

Downloading a Movie

Use BitTorrent clients at your own risk. In many countries, it is illegal to download copyrighted material this way.
Use free movie websites, such as Vimeo and YouTube, to download movies that are in the public domain or are made available for download by their creators.
Click the download button if available to download movies offered by subscription streaming services.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Torrents

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In most countries, downloading a movie that you have not purchased legitimately is a violation of copyright laws and you can face massive fines and even jail time. Use a trusted VPN to hide your IP address when using a torrent client. Additionally, many torrent clients come bundled with additional software downloads, adware, or malware. Pay careful attention during the installation process and make sure you don't download any additional software you don't want.
2
Download and install a BitTorrent client. BitTorrent is one of the most effective and popular methods for downloading large files on the internet and is, therefore, a popular method for download movies. It requires a BitTorrent program (referred to as a BitTorrent client) to download files, and a BitTorrent search engine website (referred to as a torrent tracker) to search for a movie.
- Popular BitTorrent clients include uTorrent, qBittorrent, Transmission, Deluge, and Tixati.
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3
Search for a movie on a BitTorrent search engine. There are many popular torrent tracker sites and torrent search engines that can be used to find torrent files, but you can also use regular search engines, like Google, as well. Many torrent tracker sites and torrent search engines contain invasive ads, graphic adult material, and can sometimes have files that contain malware or viruses. Find a safe and reputable source before downloading anything.^{[1]
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- http://www.publicdomaintorrents.info has only legal movies that you can download using BitTorrent and is a good place to start.
Double-click on the torrent file to load it into your torrent client. Depending on your settings, the download should begin automatically.
Scan the downloaded file for viruses. When the torrent file is finished downloading, be sure to scan the file with an antivirus program to make sure it has no viruses or malware.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist

Expert Interview. 1 April 2020.}
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Open the movie file. Once the torrent has finished downloading, your client software will save the video file to the location you indicated.
- Delete the torrent file or remove from your BitTorrent downloader if you want. This will prevent other people from downloading the torrent file from your computer.^{[3]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Luigi Oppido
  Computer & Tech Specialist
  
  Expert Interview. 1 April 2020.}

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Free Movie Sites

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1
Go to a free movie site in a web browser. Many of the free movie sites have offerings that include shorts, classics, foreign language, and other public domain content. Sites that offer free movies include:
- The Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/feature_films
- Free Movies Cinema: https://www.freemoviescinema.com
- Vimeo: https://vimeo.com
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com
- If you're using a third-party site to download videos, make sure it's a site you can trust. Ask for recommendations from friends who use similar sites, or search sites like Reddit to see what other people have used.^{[4]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Luigi Oppido
  Computer & Tech Specialist
  
  Expert Interview. 1 April 2020.}
2
Search for a movie. The website may have a search bar at the top of the screen or a button or tab that says "Search". It may have an icon that resembles a magnifying glass. Use this feature to search for movies you want to download.
- Alternatively, you can browse movies that are available on the home page. Most movie websites will display recommended movies on the home page. Additionally, you can usually browse movies by genre and other categories.
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Check to see if it's available for download. Not all streaming content is available for download. Videos that are available for download may have a download button or a list of formats the video is available for download in.
- On some websites like YouTube and Vimeo, you can use a third-party download website or app to download streaming videos using the video web address.
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Select the movie quality and format. Many movies are available in formats that range from low (360 dpi) to high (1080 dpi) resolution, as well as different file formats, such as MP4, MP2, WMV, or MOV.
- Higher-definition movies will use more storage on your device.
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Click Download
to download the movie. You can watch most movies from most services on your desktop computer immediately.
- If a movie is downloadable, the Download button(s) are typically below the player window.
- If you want to watch on your mobile device, you may need to add it via iTunes, Google Drive, or another cloud-based service.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using On-Demand Services

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1
Choose an on-demand service to fit your needs. Some subscription-based services, such as Netflix, charge a monthly fee that allows you to stream movies instantly as well as download them to your computer so you can watch them offline. Other services, such as iTunes and Google Play, offer movies that you can purchase and download individually with no monthly fee. And some services, such as Amazon Video, offer both options. Some of the popular on-demand movie services are:
- iTunes Store (requires the iTunes app for desktop or the iTunes Store app for mobile)
- Google Play Store: https://play.google.com
- Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/browse
- Amazon Prime Video: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/getstarted^{[5]
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- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com^{[6]
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Once you've decided which on-demand service you want to use, go to their website in a web browser or download the corresponding app on your smartphone.
3
Sign in or create an account when prompted. Most movie sources require you to have an account before you can access their content.
- Many streaming services offer free trials when you sign up but will eventually require paid subscriptions.
- YouTube does not require an account, but if you sign up for YouTube Red, its premium streaming service, you're able to download content without hassle.
- With YouTube, you can watch many streaming movies for free but downloading requires either a subscription to Red or a workaround.
Most streaming services and content download apps display recommended movies when you sign in. You can also browse movies by category or use the Search function to search for movies by name.
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Check to see if it's available for download. Not all streaming content is available for download:
- How to check availability for download from Netlfix.^{[7]
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Many movies are available in both standard (SD), high (HD) definition formats, and 4K ultra high definition (4K) formats. HD movies tend to be more expensive and will use more room on your device.
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Decide whether to rent or buy the movie. Apple iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, and CinemaNow offer movies for both purchase and rental. Streaming services like
- Rental pricing and terms vary by source. Compare pricing among the different sources to make sure you're getting the best deal.
- Rental movies are removed from your device or disabled at the end of the rental period.
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Click Download
to download the movie. The download button often has an icon that resembles an arrow pointing down over a line. You can watch most movies from most services on your desktop computer immediately. To get them to your mobile device, you'll usually need to use the streaming service app to watch the movie in offline mode. The app is available from the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store, or the Amazon App Store.
- To watch on your TV, you may want or need additional equipment such as AppleTV, Google Chromecast, Amazon FireTV, Roku, or a smart TV.

Expert Q&A

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Question

Is it safe to download a torrent?

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist
Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.

Luigi Oppido

Computer & Tech Specialist

Expert Answer

There are good torrent files that exist, but a lot of torrents are used for piracy, and it can be hard to know which ones are safe. If you do use a torrent downloader, be sure to scan the file right away with an antivirus and antispyware program to be sure it isn't malware.

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Question

How do I download a movie from YouTube?

Community Answer

Right-click on the YouTube video when it is playing. Copy the video URL, and in a new window, open the site clipconverter.cc. Paste the video URL in clipconverter.cc, and click on download.

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Question

How can I download videos?

Community Answer

It depends on what type of video you are wanting and/or the video source. If you try to download a video from YouTube, there are several sites that can download YouTube videos by putting the link in the required box.

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Tips

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Warnings

Downloading movies illegally can lead to your internet service provider limiting your internet access or legal action against you.

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Even if you own the movie in another format, downloading a pirated copy can still get you in legal trouble.

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To avoid getting a virus on your computer, do not download a movie if you don't know where it's coming from.^{[8]
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Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist

Expert Interview. 1 April 2020.}

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