How to Download YouTube Videos in 4K for Free
We are rapidly entering the era of 4K standard definition, and new 4K content is available on YouTube every day. Unfortunately, you cannot watch these videos offline in full resolution using the standard YouTube options.
Youtube Premium members ($ 12 per month) can save videos and music for offline playback on their phones, but only at the maximum 1080p resolution. YouTube creators can upload their uploaded videos in MP4 format, but only at 720p, max.
However, this does not mean that it is impossible to download 4K videos from YouTube for offline viewing. There are several third-party apps that allow you to download YouTube videos in full and at the highest possible resolution, including 4K and 8K.
The most reliable of these apps I’ve come across is 4K Video Downloader for Desktop .
It is free to download for Windows, Mac and Linux and has been tested to be free of viruses. All versions can download videos up to 8K resolution (depending on the video’s native resolution, of course) and can extract subtitles for videos with subtitles. You can even queue up full playlists for download.
However, the free version has several limitations to keep in mind. You can download no more than 30 videos per day, only five videos per day from one channel, and only 10 videos in each playlist. It is also ad-supported. Ads don’t get in the way, but you’ll see banners for other products in the app all the time.
Premium users get ad-free access to the app with unlimited daily downloads and can download up to three videos at the same time for $ 15 per month. There is also a $ 45 a month “Pro” tier, which increases the concurrent download limit to seven and adds several other business-focused features. However, if you absolutely don’t need the increased daily allowance, I would suggest sticking with the free version of the app.
Wait, is downloading YouTube videos legal?
Before we show you how the app works, we must mention the legality of ripping YouTube videos. While YouTube can’t always tell if someone is uploading a video, this is technically against YouTube ‘s terms of service .
However, if you’re just doing an offline backup for private browsing, you probably won’t have a problem. YouTube and Google have yet to crack down on YouTube downloader apps and websites, and they have never reprimanded or threatened legal action against users of the apps.
Getting in trouble for you to broadcast or re-upload your uploaded video without proper permission or proper credit or stealing copyrighted content. The severity depends on the video license.
Most of YouTube’s content is downloaded under YouTube’s standard license, which means that videos are only allowed to be viewed on YouTube through the website or mobile app. You are not allowed to download, re-upload, or rebroadcast the vast majority of YouTube content without the consent of the user who uploaded the video. This applies to the vast majority of YouTube content. However, using a short clip of someone else’s upload as material for your own video may fall within the scope of fair use. Better to ask permission first and at least give them their due. However, the original creator may still legally ask you to remove a video, especially if you are monetizing a video that contains footage of it.
Certain YouTube channels upload their videos under a Creative Commons license, which allows people to freely view, stream and play their content without specifying the author who uploaded the video. These videos are the safest to download. YouTube search filters include a Creative Commons option if you need help finding videos.
This guide has an even more detailed explanation of the YouTube Standard License, Creative Commons, and the differences between them.
Finally, there is a selection of premium content on YouTube. It is illegal to download paid copyrighted material you have not purchased, such as music, movies or even YouTube premium content — and it is super illegal to re-upload or stream this content. In fact, many of these videos cannot be downloaded by third-party apps at all.
So the bottom line: downloading YouTube videos for private viewing is technically against the rules, but if you don’t re-upload or share content without consent – and you’re not stealing premium videos and music – you’re probably in the clear. Okay, with all this information, here’s how to use 4K Video Downloader.
How to Download YouTube Videos with 4K Video Downloader
- First download and install 4K Video Downloader on your computer.
- Open YouTube in your browser. YouTube PWA works as well.
- Find the video you want to download.
- Copy the video link from the address bar or from the Share button on the video player controls.
- Open 4K Video Downloader and click “Insert Link”.
- The app will analyze the video data. This usually takes only a few seconds, but may take longer depending on the size of the video.
- In the first drop-down list, select “Download Video” . You can also select Extract Audio to download only the audio from the video .
- Select the desired video format and quality (the available video quality options depend on the native video resolution).
- Use the Load Subtitle drop-down list to select the desired subtitles.
- Click Download.
- Wait for the download to complete. As with parsing the data in step 6, download times will depend on the size of the video and your internet speed. Most 1080p videos will only take a few minutes to download (depending on length), but 4K videos may take 30 minutes or more.
After a video has downloaded, you can click on it in the download history feed to watch it. If you want to find and move the file itself, the default 4K Video Downloader download folder is This PC> Videos .