QuickTime Player: The Ultimate Guide to Downloading YouTube Videos on Your Mac
How to Download YouTube Videos with QuickTime Player
QuickTime Player is a built-in media player for Mac that can play various formats of audio and video files. It can also be used to record, edit, and share videos on your Mac. One of its features is screen recording, which allows you to capture anything that happens on your screen, including YouTube videos.
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In this article, we will show you three methods to download YouTube videos with QuickTime Player on your Mac. You can either use screen recording, VLC Player, or an online converter. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you can choose one that suits your needs and preferences. Let's get started!
Method 1: Screen Recording
This method involves using QuickTime Player's screen recording feature to capture the YouTube video as it plays on your screen. This is a simple and convenient way to download YouTube videos without installing any additional software or visiting any websites. However, this method also has some drawbacks, such as:
You need to play the YouTube video in full screen mode to avoid capturing other elements on your screen.
You need to adjust the volume and mute any notifications or sounds that might interfere with the recording.
You need to have enough storage space and battery life on your Mac to record the video.
You might lose some quality or frames in the recording process.
If you are okay with these limitations, you can follow these steps to download YouTube videos with QuickTime Player's screen recording feature:
Step 1: Open QuickTime Player and select New Screen Recording.
To launch QuickTime Player, you can either use Spotlight Search, Finder, or the Dock on your Mac. Once you open it, go to the File menu and select New Screen Recording. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Command + Shift + 5 to access the screen recording feature.
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Step 2: Adjust the recording settings and select the area of the screen.
Before you start the recording, you can adjust some settings by clicking on the Options button on the screen recording toolbar. You can choose the audio source (such as built-in microphone or system sound), quality (such as high or maximum), and destination (such as desktop or documents) of the recording. You can also enable or disable some features such as show mouse clicks, show floating thumbnail, or remember last selection.
After you adjust the settings, you can select the area of the screen that you want to record by dragging the cursor over it. You can also click on one of the preset options such as full screen or window to select a specific area. Make sure that the area covers the YouTube video that you want to download.
Step 3: Start and stop the recording.
Once you are ready, you can click on the Record button to start the recording. You will see a countdown before the recording begins. You can then play the YouTube video in full screen mode and watch it until the end. To stop the recording, you can either click on the Stop button on the menu bar or use the keyboard shortcut Command + Control + Esc.
Step 4: Save and edit the recording.
After you stop the recording, you will see a preview of your video in QuickTime Player. You can then save it as a video file by going to File > Save As and choosing a name and location for your file. You can also edit your video if needed by using QuickTime Player's editing tools. You can trim, rotate, or crop your video by going to Edit > Trim/Rotate/Crop. You can also split, cut, copy, paste, or delete parts of your video by going to Edit > Split Clip/Cut/Copy/Paste/Delete.
Method 2: Downloading with VLC Player
This method involves using VLC Player, a free and open-source media player that can play various formats of audio and video files. It can also be used to download YouTube videos by using its network streaming feature. This is a more advanced and reliable way to download YouTube videos without visiting any websites or using any converters. However, this method also has some drawbacks, such as:
You need to install VLC Player on your Mac if you don't have it already.
You need to copy and paste the YouTube video URL twice in different places.
You need to get the streaming URL of the video from VLC Player's media information window.
You might encounter some errors or glitches in the downloading process.
If you are okay with these limitations, you can follow these steps to download YouTube videos with VLC Player on your Mac:
Step 1: Install VLC Player on your Mac.
To install VLC Player on your Mac, you need to visit its official website [12]( and download the latest version for Mac OS X. Once you download it, you need to open it and drag it to your Applications folder. You can then launch it from there or from Spotlight Search, Finder, or Dock.
Step 2: Copy the YouTube video URL.
To copy the YouTube video URL, you need to open your web browser and go to YouTube.com. Then, you need to find and play the video that you want to download. Then, you need to copy the URL of the video from the address bar of your browser. You can either right-click on the URL and select Copy, or use the keyboard shortcut Command + C.
Step 3: Open VLC Player and select Open Network.
To open VLC Player, you can either use Spotlight Search, Finder, Dock, or the Applications folder on your Mac. Once you open it, go to the File menu and select Open Network. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Command + N to access the Open Network feature.
Step 4: Paste the YouTube video URL and click Open.
To paste the YouTube video URL, you need to click on the URL box in the Open Network window and use the keyboard shortcut Command + V. You will see the URL appear in the box. Then, you need to click on the Open button to add the video to your VLC playlist.
Step 5: Get the streaming URL of the video and paste it into your browser.
To get the streaming URL of the video, you need to right-click on the video in your VLC playlist and select Media Information. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Command + I to access the Media Information window. In this window, you will see a tab called General that contains some information about the video, such as title, artist, album, genre, etc. You will also see a field called Location that contains a long URL. This is the streaming URL of the video that you need to copy. You can either right-click on it and select Copy, or use the keyboard shortcut Command + C.
To paste the streaming URL into your browser, you need to open a new tab in your web browser and use the keyboard shortcut Command + V. You will see the URL appear in the address bar of your browser. Then, you need to press Enter or Return to play the video in your brow