How to Download Videos from YouTube on Mac for Free 2024

Kawhi Dumingz
5 min readMay 7, 2024

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YouTube is still the most popular video hosting website on earth in 2024. When you search for an answer in Google for a specific question, especially computer related, then you will see YouTube tutorial videos ranked in the front of the page.

And sometimes you need to download the video from YouTube on Mac for offline viewing. By doing this, you will focus on the video content and no ads in the downloaded video.

In the following sections, we will show you three different ways to download video from YouTube on Mac, including online video downloader, web browser extension and video downloader app.

Preparation: Find the URL of YouTube Video/Short/Playlist

The first step is to find the right URL of a YouTube video, shots or playlist. You can directly copy from the web browser. Below are the examples:

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmQybtSUcyI

YouTube Shorts: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/iSKKe0i6VBY

YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPgr7w0ZPCI&list=PL0Vjw6WFv-xZe45JBmlWSyBz6TbgNs4RQ

Method 1: Online Video Downloader

This is one of the most popular ways to download video from YouTube on Mac. When you search from Google, most of the frontend suggestions are online video downloaders. You don’t have to download any additional software to complete the process.

And there are many websites available for doing this. However, only a few of them are legit and the others are dangerous sites that prompt downloading adware or malware. Just be careful and check the file name of downloaded file. Make sure it is the video title not some unknown malware!

One good online site to download video from YouTube on Mac:

https://ssyoutube.com/en777PJ/

Pros:

  • Free download YouTube video.
  • No software installation.

Cons:

  • Only download one video per time.
  • HD video not available in MP4.
  • No batch download.
  • Not support other video sites.

Conclusion: If you want to download a few videos and no demand for high quality video, then online video downloader is the best option for you!

Method 2: Chrome Web Browser Extension

Chome is one of the most popular web browsers on Mac. One of the greatest benefits with Chrome is that there are thousands of useful extensions to simplify our digital life. This means you can use the Chrome web extension to download video from YouTube on your Mac if you are a big fan of Chrome browsers.

To do that, first download Video Downloader professional, a popular Chrome extension that allows users to easily download videos from various websites with just a few clicks. This powerful tool works seamlessly with popular platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, and more. This gives users the ability to save their favorite videos for offline viewing.

Open YouTube video from the Chrome browser and click the extension icon at the top address bar. Upon clicking, you will see the download button under the ‘Found video files’ menu.

However, there might be security issue for video download extensions. If you are concerned about your privacy, please use SysCute AllClipDown Video Downloader instead.

Pro:

  • Free of use.
  • Download YouTube video in one click.
  • High success rate.

Cons:

  • Potential security risk.
  • No Bulk download.
  • Less options for output resolutions.
  • Can’t download YouTube shorts and playlists.

Method 3: Video Downloader Software for Bulk Download

Most of the online YouTube downloader and browser extensions don’t come with a bulk download option. This means you can only download one YouTube video on your Mac at one time. This is pretty frustrating when dozens of videos or a playlist need to be downloaded. For such a case, a dedicated video downloader is more suitable.

I am a big fan of SysCute AllClipDown as it has a bulk download option for YouTube videos. You can download up to 50 YouTube videos at once. It also supports YouTube shorts and playlists with a fast download speed and ultra simple user interface.

Besides YouTube, you can also bulk download videos from TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and 1000+ sites.

Step 1: Download Syscute AllClipDown app on your Mac from the following link:

https://www.syscute.com/download/AllClipDown.dmg

Step 2: Open the software on your Mac and input the links of YouTube videos into the app.

Step 3: Click the ‘Analyze’ button and wait for the download options.

Step 4: Choose a video solution and set a location to save the downloaded files.

Step 5: You can monitor the video downloading process from the ‘Downloading’ section.

Step 6: When the download process is done, you can see the videos in the ‘Finished’ section.

Pro:

  • Bulk download YouTube videos.
  • 10X faster downloading speed.
  • High quality video output up to 1080P.
  • Support 500+ online websites.
  • Extract audio from YouTube video.

Cons:

  • Only the first three videos are free.
  • Not working on old macOS versions.

Conclusion

It is no longer tough task to download videos from YouTube on Mac. Instead, there are many online websites, browser extensions and third-party video downloader software you can use in 2024. It is really hard to choose the right one.

In this article, you will learn the pros and cons of three YouTube video downloading suggestions. Please choose the one you’d like best.

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Kawhi Dumingz

Tech content writer & blogger who’s passionate about computer software and hardware.