How to Download YouTube Videos Free in 2024

YouTube is the world's largest video platform, but its offline viewing feature requires a Premium subscription and only works within the app. If you want to save YouTube videos as actual files on your device — to watch on a plane, share with friends, or keep as a backup — you need a proper YouTube downloader. In this guide, we cover every method to download YouTube videos for free in the best quality, on any device, without installing any software.

Method 1: Using Vloady (Easiest Way)

1
Copy the YouTube video URL

Open YouTube in your browser or the YouTube app. Navigate to the video you want to download. On a desktop browser, the URL is visible in the address bar — click it and press Ctrl+C (or Cmd+C on Mac) to copy it. On the YouTube mobile app, tap the Share button under the video, then tap Copy link.

2
Open Vloady and paste the URL

Go to vloady.com in your browser. You will see a large input field at the top of the page. Click inside it and paste the URL you just copied (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V). Vloady also supports YouTube Shorts URLs, playlist URLs, and channel video URLs.

3
Choose your quality

After pasting the URL and clicking the search/download button, Vloady will display all available download options. You can choose from 4K (2160p), 1440p, 1080p Full HD, 720p HD, 480p, 360p, or MP3 audio only. Higher quality means a larger file size. For most purposes, 1080p is the sweet spot between quality and file size.

4
Download the video

Click the Download button next to your chosen quality. The file will be saved directly to your device's default Downloads folder. On mobile devices, it saves to your Files app (iPhone) or Downloads folder (Android). The download typically takes a few seconds to a minute depending on video length and your internet speed.

Pro tip: If the download opens in your browser instead of saving, right-click the Download button and choose "Save link as..." to force it to save as a file.

Supported Video Qualities

Vloady supports all standard YouTube video resolutions. The quality options you see depend on the original upload — if a video was only uploaded in 720p, you will not see 4K options.

QualityResolutionBest ForApprox. File Size (10 min)
4K Ultra HD3840×2160Large TV screens, archiving~1.5 GB
1440p (2K)2560×1440Large monitors, high quality~600 MB
1080p Full HD1920×1080Most screens, best balance~250 MB
720p HD1280×720Phones, tablets, laptops~100 MB
480p854×480Small screens, saving storage~50 MB
360p640×360Minimum quality, smallest size~25 MB
MP3 AudioAudio onlyMusic, podcasts, lectures~10 MB

How to Download YouTube Videos on iPhone and Android

On iPhone (iOS)

  1. Open the YouTube app or Safari and copy the video URL using the Share button.
  2. Open Safari (recommended for best compatibility on iPhone) and navigate to vloady.com.
  3. Paste the URL into the Vloady input field and tap the download button.
  4. Select your preferred quality (1080p or 720p recommended for iPhone storage).
  5. Tap Download. iOS will prompt you — choose "Download" from the options.
  6. The file saves to the Files app under Downloads. From there, you can move it to your Camera Roll using the Files app.
iPhone tip: To save the video directly to your Photos app, after downloading open the file in the Files app, tap the Share button, and select "Save Video" to add it to your Camera Roll.

On Android

  1. Open YouTube and copy the video URL from the address bar or Share menu.
  2. Open Chrome or any browser and go to vloady.com.
  3. Paste the URL and tap the download icon.
  4. Select your quality preference.
  5. Tap Download. Android Chrome will download the file automatically to your Downloads folder.
  6. Access the file through your Files app or the notification bar download notification.

How to Download a YouTube Playlist

Vloady supports downloading entire YouTube playlists at once, which is perfect for downloading a full music album, a course series, or a collection of tutorial videos.

  1. Go to YouTube and open the playlist you want to download.
  2. Copy the playlist URL from your browser's address bar. It will look like: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxxxxxxxx
  3. Paste the playlist URL into Vloady at vloady.com.
  4. Vloady will detect it as a playlist and display all the videos in the collection.
  5. Select your quality preference and click Download for each video, or use the bulk download option if available.
Note: Note: Private playlists and playlists containing age-restricted or region-locked videos may not be fully accessible. Vloady can only download publicly available content.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to download YouTube videos?

Downloading YouTube videos for personal, offline use is generally accepted. Always respect copyright and never redistribute downloaded content you do not own. Vloady is intended for personal use only.

Can I download YouTube videos for free?

Yes. Vloady is completely free with no subscription, no registration, and no hidden fees. You can download unlimited YouTube videos at no cost.

What is the best quality I can download from YouTube?

Vloady supports up to 4K (2160p) resolution for videos that were originally uploaded in 4K. You can also choose 1440p, 1080p, 720p, 480p, 360p, or MP3 audio only.

Can I download YouTube videos on my iPhone?

Yes. Open Safari on your iPhone, go to vloady.com, paste the YouTube URL, select quality, and tap Download. The video saves to your Files app.

Can I download an entire YouTube playlist at once?

Yes. Vloady supports YouTube playlist downloads. Simply copy the playlist URL from YouTube and paste it into Vloady to download all videos in the playlist.

Ready to Download YouTube Videos?

Vloady is 100% free — no account, no software, no limits. Start downloading now.

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