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How to download YouTube videos on Android

Save YouTube videos on an Android phone with Chrome, and find them in your gallery afterwards.

Updated

Android makes downloading easy because files go straight into a Downloads folder that your gallery and music apps can see. Here's how to save a YouTube video on an Android phone using Chrome.

Download the video

  1. In the YouTube app, tap Share under the video, then Copy link.
  2. Open Chrome (or Samsung Internet, Firefox, whichever browser you use) and go to the YouTube downloader.
  3. Long-press the box and tap Paste.
  4. Keep Video and MP4, then tap Download.

Chrome shows a notification while the file downloads. Tap it when it finishes to play the video.

Where to find it

  • Gallery or Google Photos: most phones show downloaded videos in a Downloads album. In Google Photos, look under Library, then Downloads.
  • Files app: open Files by Google (or My Files on Samsung) and tap Downloads.
  • Chrome: tap the three dots, then Downloads, for a list of everything you've saved.

Picking the right quality

You'll get the best version YouTube has, up to 1080p. A long 1080p video can run to a few hundred megabytes, so check your free storage before saving one. The file plays in any Android video player.

Audio only

Switch the selector to Audio and choose MP3 to keep just the sound. MP3 files in Downloads are picked up by most music players, so a lecture or podcast ends up in your music library. See YouTube to MP3 for more.

If the download doesn't start

  • Check you copied the full link. A link from Share looks like youtu.be/ followed by a code.
  • Make sure your phone has room. Android stops downloads silently when storage is full.
  • Private, members-only and live videos can't be downloaded. More fixes are in video won't download.

Quick answers

Does this work on Samsung phones?

Yes. Use Samsung Internet or Chrome. Downloads show up in the My Files app under Downloads, and in the Gallery app.

Can I save to an SD card?

Chrome saves to internal storage by default. Some phones let you change the download location in Chrome's settings, or you can move the file afterwards in your Files app.

Is it safe? There's no APK to install.

That's the point. Everything runs in the browser, so you don't need to install apps from outside the Play Store.