Why you can't download YouTube videos, and which videos you can save

A stream is many small pieces

When a page links to video.mp4, there is one file at one address. The browser can save it like a PDF or a photo, and so can any download manager.

Streaming sites work differently. To start quickly and adapt to your connection, the player first loads a playlist, then fetches the video in pieces of a few seconds each, switching between quality levels as your speed changes. Picture and sound often arrive separately. The player stitches all of this together in memory and hands it to the video element under a temporary blob: address that only exists inside that tab.

So there's no single file behind the video, only a long list of pieces that aren't playable on their own. To save it, IDM - Bulk Download Manager Extension reads the playlist, fetches the pieces in the quality you pick and joins them into one file you can watch, without changing the picture or sound. This works for many videos that play in a page, but not for protected videos or live streams, which never end.

Paid streaming services are encrypted

Movie and TV services go a step further and protect their streams with encryption (DRM). The pieces can only be decoded by the player with a license for your account, and the license doesn't come along with a copy. That's why their apps have their own offline mode instead. IDM - Bulk Download Manager Extension doesn't try to get around this: protected videos are not offered, and the popup says so.

The store rules

The Chrome Web Store doesn't accept extensions that download videos from YouTube, and YouTube's own terms only allow downloads where YouTube itself offers them or with permission. IDM - Bulk Download Manager Extension follows both: on YouTube, video and audio files are never listed, and links to YouTube videos aren't downloaded from other pages either. A short note in the popup explains this when you open it on YouTube.

Images still work there, so you can save thumbnails and channel art.

What you can download instead

Plenty of video and audio on the web is offered as regular files: product demos, course material, press kits, sample clips, podcasts and archive footage. IDM - Bulk Download Manager Extension finds video files in MP4, WebM, MOV, MKV and other formats, and audio such as MP3, M4A, WAV and FLAC, when a page links to them or plays them from a file address. Many videos that play in the page in pieces are listed too.

1. Open the page with the video

   Let the video player load. If the video only starts loading when you press play, play it for a moment.

2. Open the popup and choose Videos

   Click the IDM icon. The Videos and Audio buttons show how many were found. When a video comes in several qualities, pick one from the menu on its row.

3. Download

   Select the videos and click Download selected. Video files can be paused and resumed in the Downloads tab. A video saved from pieces shows its progress there while it is joined into one file, and it can't go in a ZIP.

Honest ways to watch offline

• The site's own download option. YouTube offers offline viewing in its apps for Premium members, and most paid streaming services have a download button in their mobile apps.
• Your own uploads. Creators can download their own videos from YouTube Studio.
• Ask the creator. Many teachers and companies are happy to share the original file, or already link it on their website.

FAQ