Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Change the URL of the YouTube video. One of the easiest ways to download and archive your YouTube videos to MP4 is by simply changing the URL in your brower's address bar. Web services such as PwnYouTube or 3ouTube provide download links by adding "pwn" or "3" to the domain. For example, if the video is located at www.YouTube.com/watch=1234, by changing the URL to www.PWNyoutube.com/watch=1234 or www.3outube.com/watch1234 you will be directed to various download options including the MP4 format. This is by far the simplest way of saving the video to MP4.
Use a browser extension. Two of the most popular web browser, Mozilla FireFox and Google Chrome, allow for user created extensions or add-ons to extend the native capabilities of the browser. There are numerous extensions that offer ways to download YouTube vides to your desktop. After installing one of these extensions, visit the desired YouTube page and click on the newly present "Download" link. This is only useful if you currently use FireFox or Chrome, as Safari and Internet Explorer do not offer third-party extensions.
Use a desktop application. There are various applications for both Mac and Windows that allow the user to browse YouTube videos without actually visiting the site. Locate the desired video and select the option to save or download the video within the application. Select your desired video output (MP4) and save it to your desktop. This option is helpful for users looking to avoid the often slow and crash-prone Flash-laden site.