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The document provides instructions for downloading YouTube videos using the website ClipGrab. It details the steps to copy a YouTube video link, launch ClipGrab, paste the link into ClipGrab, choose download options like format and resolution, and customize the download location. It also mentions some command line options for downloading videos on Linux and notes legal considerations around copyright for downloaded content.

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anfal azam
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89 views

Download

The document provides instructions for downloading YouTube videos using the website ClipGrab. It details the steps to copy a YouTube video link, launch ClipGrab, paste the link into ClipGrab, choose download options like format and resolution, and customize the download location. It also mentions some command line options for downloading videos on Linux and notes legal considerations around copyright for downloaded content.

Uploaded by

anfal azam
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 8

1. Go to ClipGrab.

org

Point your browser to ClipGrab.org and click the Show All Download Options link. You'll see download
links for Mac, Windows, and Linux there. I'll show you the Mac version in this article, but the interface is
virtually identical on all three.

2. Copy the YouTube video link

Copy the video link of the YouTube video(s) you wish to download. You can do this up in your browser's
URL bar or by clicking the Share button under the video itself. 

3. Launch ClipGrab

Make sure that you're on the Downloads tab and then choose the Launch ClipGrab option. 

4. Copy and Paste 

Copy and paste the URL of the video you want to download into ClickGrab. 

5. Click Grab this clip!

Once you've copied and pasted the desired video link into the ClickGrab browser, select Grab this clip!
Put one link of a video at a time into the top Downloads tab browser on ClickGrab. Once you're ready to
download, select Grab this clip!

David Gewirtz/ZDNET

6. Choose the video format

On ClickGrab, you can also tweak options.

For example, you can choose the format you want the video to be in when it's stored on your computer.
I generally go with Original, but I'll specify something else if that doesn't work. 

Also: How to turn on Private DNS Mode on Android (and why you should)

You can also choose download resolution. Depending on the video's original resolution, you can choose
to download the full resolution video or reduce the resolution to save space.

David Gewirtz/ZDNET

7. Customize

Finally, tapping the Settings tab lets you customize where ClipGrab deposits your newly downloaded
videos.
David Gewirtz/ZDNET

Linux command line options

I would be remiss (or so I've been told in the comments below, on Twitter, and in my email inbox) if I
didn't mention that Linux users have a command line option (because, of course they do) to download
YouTube videos. As with all things Linux command line, there are some gray areas here, such as whether
the tool even works or whether there's a better tool (because of course there is).

Also: How to install Linux applications from the command line

The first in this command line hit parade is youtube-dl. You can get access to it via its own site, on
GitHub, or your favorite package manager. It should be noted that the GitHub repository was taken
down for a while due to an allegation of DMCA violations, but GitHub later reinstated it. There's a very
interesting story about GitHub's reasoning and response you can read. 

Some folks claim that youtube-dl is old hat and hasn't been updated in a while. That's not really true. I
just visited its repo and the header said youtube-dl was updated two weeks ago. It looks like it's getting
ongoing maintenance. That said, there's another open source project on GitHub, called yt-dlp, that
claims to be a fork of youtube-dl with more features. I haven't tested it, use it at your own risk.

Also: Linux is not just for developers and command line pros

Both youtube-dl and yt-dlp offer a very, very wide range of features if you need them. Personally, I'm
going to stick with ClipGrab, because I don't have time to turn YouTube downloading into a second or
third full time job. But, 'tis up to you.

What happened to SaveFrom.net?

Some of you may be familiar with the site SaveFrom.net. It allowed you to download from YouTube,
Vimeo, DailyMotion (and a few other sites), merely by pasting a URL into a web page on the site. It also
had a browser extension that facilitated downloads. But, highlighting the topic in our next section,
SaveFrom.net has shut down its operations in the United States and the UK, saying this from the UK (and
the equivalent in the U.S.):
Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET

However, one of our intrepid editors (not me) set his VPN to the Czech Republic and found that
SaveFrom.net is alive and well, hiding far away from copyright laws:

Screenshot by David Gewirtz/ZDNET

Speaking of copyright laws...

Some moral, ethical, and legal considerations

Now that you know how to download YouTube videos, should you? First, do be aware that different
jurisdictions have different laws. It may or may not be legal to download a given video, even if all you
want to do is watch it offline.
If you want to download a video to incorporate it into something you're producing, keep in mind that
some countries have the concept of Fair Use. In those jurisdictions, small clips of copyrighted media can
be incorporated into your productions. But also, remember that YouTube has algorithmic systems
looking for people reusing videos, and your channel might get a strike against it for reusing media.

Also: How to record a phone call on an iPhone

When in doubt, it's always best to ask.

There you go. Do you have other techniques for accomplishing the same thing? Let us know in the
comments below.

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