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Like you, I spend a lot of time on YouTube: learning new skills, saving great music, or grabbing videos before they vanish. Every time I've tried to save a video, I've run into a mess of sketchy sites and confusing tips. Are these sites safe? Is it even legal? I get how overwhelming it is when all you want is a simple, safe way to download a YouTube video as an MP4. The good news? It’s totally doable, and I’m here to show you the easiest, safest methods that really work in 2025.
Is It Legal and Safe to Download YouTube Videos to MP4?
This is the most important question, so let's tackle it head-on. In short: it's a gray area. YouTube's terms of service state that you shouldn't download content without permission from the platform or the copyright holder with third party tools, but only through the official download function, which is only open to YouTube Premium users.
However, the consensus for personal use (like watching a video offline on a flight) is that it's unlikely to get you into trouble. The real risk and issues you may encounter comes from these things:
- Copyright Infringement: Never re-upload or distribute content you've downloaded. That is illegal.
- Unsafe Tools: The biggest danger isn't from YouTube, but from the third-party tools you use. A 2025 cybersecurity report from TechGuard Analytics noted that nearly 40% of free online video downloaders contain misleading pop-ups or bundle potentially unwanted software.
- Download Availability: Not every YouTube video is available for download. Therefore, you’d be unfortunate if you can’t find your required video with the downloading option.
- Device Limit: The official download feature is only accessible to iOS and Android users. Thus, you won’t be able to download your favorite videos on your PC, laptop, and other devices.
Free Solutions to Download YouTube Videos to MP4
1. yt-dlp
You must be joking if you are saying that you want to download YouTube videos to MP4, but you don't know about yt-dlp. This one is a CLI YouTube video downloader with plenty of functions, supports Windows, macOS, and Linux.
But you may get dizzy if the first time you use it without experiences using command-line on your PC. There is no button or image on your screen. You will only get a pile of characters, no pictures or buttons to let you click to download. In spite of that, some users developed their own yt-dlp in GUI version, but please be careful to them because you don't know the developer behind the screen is a kind guy or some spammer.
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I've tried to use it, but I failed and surrender to its command-line mountain. You can go to its official guide page for a clear instruction.
2. Online Youtube Downloaders
Another free way to download YouTube videos is online YouTube downloaders, such as the famous cobalt. These downloaders don't require any installation of software for users to start downloading their desired videos. All you have to do is copy the URL of your video’s link and paste it on this website. Hit download and the downloading process will begin.
When using an online YouTube downloader to download YouTube videos, please pick those reliable, without phishing links and ads that may contain malware or viruses. During our test, some online YouTube downloaders will navigate you to suspicious fraudulent/gambling sites.
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Search for Loader.to and open it. Be careful not to click those fake sites with a bunch of commercials and unknown links.
Navigate to the YouTube video you want on your browser. The URL is the key to download YouTube videos so copy the URL from the address bar or just right-click the video and press "Copy video URL"
Paste the URL into Loader.to and adjust specific settings. You can change the YouTube video format to your desire.
*Unlike other professional YouTube downloaders, online YouTube downloaders provide less options for you.
Make sure all options adjust to your desire and press the download button to download YouTube videos. The tasks can be found in the "downloads" of your browser.
3. Seal
This one is for Android users. Seal actually is a packaged yt-dlp with GUI. But it has lesser ads than any other YouTube video downloaders for Android, and its performance is also stable while I testing it.
The only question is, it has been a long time since the last update. Consider the recent moves of YouTube, such as adding DRM protection to TV client videos, etc. It's hard to say how long will Seal works.
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It works basically the same as the online YouTube downloaders introduced above, pasting link and click download, that's all the operations you will do by using it to download YouTube videos to MP4.
Advanced Solutions to Download YouTube Videos to MP4
1. StreamFab YouTube Downloader
StreamFab YouTube Downloader is an advanced YouTube video downloader that lets its users download YouTube videos for offline viewing in max 8k resolution. Also, unlike some YouTube download services, which may potentially harm your device and make you lose all your data, this software is pretty safe and secure to use with its built-in browser.
Advanced-download YouTube videos with max output quality, easy operations, and information safety.
Key Features of StreamFab YouTube Downloader
- Download YouTube videos to MP4/MKV/MP3
- Download YouTube videos up to 8k resolution with HDR
- Download VR 360° videos on YouTube
- Downloads from over 1000 different sites
- Automatically download the newly updated videos from subscribed YouTube Channels
- Batch-download an entire YouTube playlist
- Download from YouTube Movies & TV (Pro Version Only)
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*According to our test, only StreamFab YouTube Downloader can download YouTube movies among these 3 methods.
Search for any video you want to download, and then play it. When the video starts to play, there will be a black Download button appearing at the top-left corner of the playback screen. Click on it.
At the next popup window, click on the Video tab, and choose your preferred video quality from the available three options, 720p, 1080p, or even 4K and 8K (if the video itself is available in respective resolution).
When you’re done with your preferences, hit the Download Now button at the bottom of this window to download YouTube videos you desire as MP4 files.
2. ClipGrab
ClipGrab is a free YouTube downloader and converter. It also supports some other online video sites.
The core of its download function is based on the open-source project yt-dlp, so before starting to download YouTube videos, you need to download yt-dlp first.
It looks convenient and clear, right? But the fact is on the contrary. Its users suffered from viruses and junkware embedded with the installation program. Please consider the files on your device and your private safety before you download YouTube videos with those free YouTube Downloaders.
Download and install ClipGrab on your PC. The first time launching this YouTube downloader requires you to download yt-dlp as the engine of the download function.
Search for the video you want to download with your browser, and then play it. After playing started, right-click the video or move to the address bar to copy the video's URL.
To download YouTube videos, directly paste the URL into ClipGrab and wait until the analysis is done. And now you can change the format and quality to your desire.
Once you have set all things done, click the "Grab this clip!" button to download YouTube videos you want as an MP4 file.
Which YouTube Video Downloader Suits You?
| Downloaders | Supported OS/Platform | Max Video Quality | Formats Supported | Ads/Malware Risk | Batch / Playlist Download | VR/360° Support |
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| StreamFab YouTube Downloader | Windows,macOS |
8K HDR/4K/1080p/720p | MP4, MKV, MP3 | Low | ✅ | ✅ |
| yt-dlp | Win, macOS, Linux | 8K/4K (if source allows) | MP4, WEBM, etc. | None (official) | ✅ | ❌ |
| Seal | Android | 4K/1080p(varies) | MP4, M4A, WEBM, etc. | Very Low | ✅ | ❌ |
| ClipGrab | Win, macOS, Linux | 4K (depends on yt-dlp) | MP4, WEBM | Moderate (bundle risk) | ❌ | ❌ |
| Online YouTube Video Downloaders | All (Web browser) | 1080p/4K (limited) | MP4, WEBM | High (varies) | ❌ | ❌ |
FAQs
Some YouTube videos, especially music or movie content, use extra encryption, region blocks, or even new DRM technologies. Not all downloaders can bypass these protections. If you keep getting errors, your tool may not be up-to-date or simply can’t access protected videos.
Most tools let you select video quality up to what YouTube offers. Some free online downloaders limit resolution or audio bitrate. For the highest quality, use advanced desktop apps like StreamFab YouTube Downloader and select the best available quality during the download process.
Final Words
This is all for this article. In this post, we told you all that you needed to know about downloading your favorite YouTube videos. We talked about YouTube’s downloading feature and then introduced you to third-party YouTube downloaders that can download YouTube videos easily.
But, which one would we recommend? For us, it has to be a StreamFab YouTube Downloader. This is because of the range of unique features it has in store for its users. For instance, high audio and video quality, automatic playlist downloads, batch downloads, and access to over 1000 websites.
