Downloading videos off the internet is surprisingly easy. Here are free ways to grab any video you want.
Do you want to download videos from the internet? If you see a video you like on Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, or other leading video sites, you might want to create a copy to keep it forever.
Thankfully, downloading videos off the internet is surprisingly easy, and we'll look at the best ways to do it for free.
In this article, we cover video downloaders for specific social media sites, flexible all-in-one downloaders, and screen recorders so you can be sure to get any video you want online.
1. Y2Mate
Y2Mate is one of the best YouTube video downloaders. Just copy the URL of the YouTube video you want to download, paste it into the Y2Mate’s URL field, and press Enter. On the next page, click the green Download Video button.
Then, choose from five download resolutions (144p, 240p, 360p, 480p, 720p, and 1080p) in MP4 or WebM format. The estimated file size is also shown. Click the Download button next to your preferred resolution to start downloading the YouTube video for offline viewing.
You can also use Y2Mate to download the MP3 audio of YouTube videos.
2. SSSTik
SSSTik is a popular TikTok video downloader. This tool stands out because it lets you download TikTok videos without the watermark.
Like Y2Mate, the download steps are essentially the same. Just copy the TikTok video’s URL, paste it to SSSTik’s URL field, and click Download. Then, click the Without Watermark button to download the TikTok video.
You can also use SSSTik to download the MP3 audio used in the TikTok video.
3. DownloadTwitterVideo
Twitter doesn’t have as many video posts as TikTok or Facebook, but if there’s any video you want to download from there, Download Twitter Videos does the job.
Copy the tweet's URL containing the video you want, then paste it to Download Twitter Videos. You can select whether you want to save it as MP4 or MP4 HD.
4. iGram
Instagram initially forged its reputation as a photo-sharing service, but it has since also positioned itself as a video platform. iGram helps you download Instagram reels and videos as MP4 files.
Besides videos, you can also use iGram to download Instagram photos. You can choose three different resolutions, but any photo you download will only be available as a JPEG.
5. FDown
FDown is a tool for downloading public videos or reels off Facebook. Just copy the Facebook URL and paste it to FDown to download it. You can choose to download the Facebook video in normal or HD quality.
Take note that FDown may sometimes provide an inaccurate video duration estimate. For example, the site may detect that your 3-minute video is 180 hours. You can simply ignore this. Rest assured that your downloaded file will have the correct duration.
FDown also has a Chrome extension called Video Downloader Plus. With the extension, you don't need to leave the social network's homepage if you find something you want to save. However, the extension will only let you download videos in HD quality, and thus the file size will be larger.
In the past, FDown also served as a private Facebook video downloader. Although the service has been disabled since 2019, there are still alternative methods to download private Facebook videos.
6. Pokopin
Pokopin is a Pinterest video downloader. If you’re browsing your topic of interest and come across a good video tutorial, you don’t have to find its original YouTube or TikTok source to download it. With Pokopin, you can download the video directly from Pinterest.
In Pinterest, tap the video pin to open it on a new webpage. Then, copy its URL and paste it into Pokopin’s URL field. Click the red Download button. Pokopin will generate a link to download the Pinterest video in MP4 format.
7. Freemake Video Downloader
Freemake Video Downloader is a desktop app that lets you download videos from over 10,000 sites. The list includes YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, Dailymotion, and more. The app is available for both Windows and Mac.
You can use Freemake to save videos, playlists, and channels in formats such as MP4, MP3, AVI, WMV, MPEG, 3GP, and FLV. All you need to do is launch Freemake, copy the video URL from your web browser, paste it into the app, and pick your preferred format.
Overall, Freemake is a top all-in-one app. However, note that it does not support downloading videos from YouTube Music or any other copyright-protected video.
8. ClipConverter
If you don’t want to go out of your way to install a video downloader app on your computer, you can head to your web browser and try out ClipConverter.
With ClipConverter, you can easily download any video from popular sites like YouTube and Vimeo. Other supported platforms include (but are not limited to) Reddit, Tumblr, MySpace, and Twitch.
You can opt to download your video in MP4, 3GP, AVI, MOV, and MKV formats. If you just want the audio, you can download that in MP3, M4A, or AAC format. The developers also offer a browser add-on for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
9. Online Video Converter
OnlineVideoConverter is an alternative video downloader you can check out too. Besides common platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and Instagram, OnlineVideoConverter also lets you download videos from sites like TED, 9GAG, and Veojam.
After pasting the video URL, change the format dropdown to MP4 and select your preferred video quality. Click Start for OnlineVideoConverter to generate your video download link.
10. VLC Media Player
VLC Media Player is one of the best free media players. The beauty of using VLC is that it's a program many users already have installed on their machines and negates the need for third-party apps.
If you already have this desktop app, you can download online videos for free right away. The first step is to copy the web URL of your video. Next, in VLC, go to Media > Open Network Stream. Paste the URL in the empty field under Please enter a network URL and click Play.
Your video should start playing in VLC. Then, go to Tools > Media Information. Copy everything in the Location field, paste that into a new web page, and you’ll see the video in your browser. Click the ellipsis icon and select Download to get the video in MP4.
Unfortunately, VLC can't download YouTube videos. However, you can still use it for other sites, such as Vimeo and Dailymotion.
11. OBS Studio
We're closing out our list with one final tip and software recommendation. When you have exhausted all other download possibilities, you can instead play the video, set it to full screen, then screen record your device. Make sure you also enable system sound recording to record the video's audio.
OBS Studio is one of the best free screen recorder apps on the web. It's available on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and it also includes a powerful editing tool. There are other similar free screen recorders for Windows and Mac, but you should start with OBS Studio as it's one of the better options.
Alternatively, simply check if your device has a built-in screen recorder, so you don’t need to install third-party ones. You can screen record on your Windows PC using the default Xbox Game Bar. There are also a couple of methods to record your screen on a Mac.
Downloading Videos From the Internet? A Word of Warning…
Please remember that all the tools listed in this article are for creating recordings of free online videos for personal use. They should not be used to save and distribute copyrighted material. Doing so could get you in serious trouble with the law.
Downloading videos is also against some sites' terms of service. Your
account could be suspended or permanently banned. Keep this in mind
when you’re thinking of downloading any video from the internet.
Source: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/18-free-ways-to-download-any-video-off-the-internet/
