Introduction

YouTube is now hosting hundreds of millions of videos and is so far the largest video sharing service with countless users posting homemade clips & funny scenes online everyday. For whoever keen to enjoy their time watching video clips, tidbits, music videos, trailers and even full movies & TV series on YouTube, there are always ways to download them all to hard disk, for FREE.

These are several free ways to download YouTube to Mac:

1. Downloawd YouTube Video to Mac with Free YouTube Downloader for Mac

Free YouTube Downloader for Mac can guarantee fast and stable download. The download formats and quality are fully optional and you can even download high-resolution videos.

Step 1. Paste URL of YouTube Video

After you launch Free YouTube Downloader for Mac, copy the URL of the video page and then paste it in the box of "Paste Your Video URLs below". If you want to download multiple YouTube videos at one time, just paste their URLs one by one in the box.

Step 2. Choose Desired Output Format

Click "Options - Video", you will find various links of all video formats from the specific site listed in the dropdown menu of "Video Format", choose one as you need. If needed, you can choose the mix format for the downloaded video. To choose output folder, go to "General" tab and click "Open".

Step 3. Start Download

When you are done, click "Download" to start video download. All the related details will be provided like title, extension, size, percent, ETA, speed and status for progress control.

More Advanced Settings

For more smooth download, it is recommended to update the download engine now and then. What you need is just one click of "Update" button.

Click "Options" and more settings are available to suit your needs:
"Audio" - convert downloaded video to audio, choose audio format and quality
"Playlist" - specify playlist start and stop numbers, set max download number
"Output" - multiple ways to specify output name
"Subtitles" - download subtitle file by language/all available subtitles/automatic subtitle file, embed subtitles in the video, choose subtitle language
"Filesystem" - options for file and system settings
"Shutdown" - shutdown when download is finished
"Authentication" - For the sites that requires login to download video, input the correct username and password you use for particular site and video
"Connection" - specify user agent, referrer and proxy
"Localization" - choose localization language

The methods below can also solve your YouTube downloading issue but may come with some drawbacks: you may need to use install extra plugins in your browser, wait longer for the videos being complete processed, the time duration and amount of videos are limited, etc.

2. Directly from Internet:

Via Adding "SS"
If you are watching a video in your browser and in the address bar you can see the URL is like "www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxxxxxxxxxx" and you can simply add "ss" before youtube.com and make it look like "www.ssyoutube.com/watch?v=xxxxxxxxxxx". Then you just need to press Enter and the video will automatically downloaded. Easy, huh?

3. Via your Browser:

In Chrome
In Chrome Web Store you can get the plugin that does the work. On the menu bar, click "Window - Chrome Web Store" to search and download "Ultimate YouTube Downloader". After that a "Download" button will appear under the video.

In Firefox
In Firefox an Add-on can do this. On the menu bar, click "Tools - Add-ons" to search and install "DownloadHelper". After restarting your Firefox, you can see the DownloadHelper icon spin.

In Opera
In Opera an extension is needed to download YouTube videos. In the "Menu", click "Extensions - Get Extensions" to search and install "YouTube Downloader". After that a "Download" button will appear under the video. Also, there are a few optional qualities.

In Safari
Open the video URL and play the video for seconds, then pause it. When the grey progress bar is filled, on the menu bar, click "Window - Activity" and find the line that represents the video being streamed. Double-click on the line to start download.

4. Via VLC Media Player

VLC is easily one of the most popular media players and under the surface, there's a hidden feature to download YouTube videos. In VLC, click "Media - Open Network Stream", paste the YouTube link in the box and click Play. Under "Tools", click "Codec Information". In the box that says "Location", copy the block of text and paste it in the address bar of your browser. This will open the source file directly on YouTube's servers. Right-click the video as it plays and select "Save Video As".