Here’s how to download videos from YouTube

I’m editing an important YouTube tutorial for a client. Of course, I have a deadline! The timing feels right, and my transitions are smooth. But there’s one clip I need to reference again. I open the tab, hit play, and encounter endless buffering.

Having the reference video on my computer is a huge help, but it’s not that easy to download videos from YouTube. I’ve tried random online downloaders, and I hate those ads and pop-ups. Even if I ignore those, the downloading process is endless, and I’m going through it all for a blurry file as a result.

I needed to figure out how to download a YouTube video on Mac in a more reliable way. So I asked my fateful AI assistant Eney, and it suggested an app that made a huge difference.

Why you might need a reliable YouTube video downloader for Mac

I’ve heard that question many times before. Why would you want to download YouTube videos in the first place? You can access that content anytime.

Well, if I’m taking the side of video creators, I must say we’re constantly learning from others. We may be studying color grading from a filmmaker. Maybe we’re referencing tutorials in a workshop. In other words, YouTube is our classroom.

It’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything we want to revisit. Even I can’t handle that many open tabs. When that one valuable video disappears or your Internet drops in the middle of a session, your creative momentum suffers.

As for free online downloaders, they all promise HD downloads in seconds. Never deliver. They all flooded me with ads, gave inconsistent results, or stopped working after a while. Besides, I was always wondering: Is this safe for my Mac?

Downie solves all the problems I had with free online downloaders. It’s a reliable app that never makes me doubt my Mac’s safety. I get downloads of the sharpest quality, without a single failure.

The app is a part of Setapp, so I get it along with 250+ other apps under the same subscription. Setapp has a trial period, so you can try it with no strings attached.

Downie: The creator’s shortcut to HQ downloads

When I first tried Downie, I felt sorry for the time I wasted on unreliable tools. This is an app built for Mac. It’s meant for creators who value clarity, speed, and precision.

Here’s how to download a YouTube video on a Mac with Downie:

1. Copy the link of the YouTube video you want.
2. Paste it into Downie.
3. Choose your preferred subtitles (you can remember the choice so you’ll skip this step in the future).
4. Let Downie handle the rest.

You’ll get a clean, high-quality file saved directly to your Mac. There are no pop-ups, no hidden watermarks, and no questionable websites. Reliable results every time!

Do you need to download videos from Instagram, too? Downie can handle that. You can check out this ChatGPT assistant that suggests other tools for downloading Instagram videos, based on your needs.

How Downie fits into my work

Once I included Downie in my routine, my work was instantly lighter. I found a way to collect the content I needed. There are no interruptions, buffering, or endless re-clicking through shady sites.

Here’s how I use the app in real situations:

• When I’m preparing editing workshops or analyzing storytelling styles, I’ll download reference videos. I don’t do this to repost them. I study them to break down their transitions, pacing, and structure, frame by frame.
• Before a trip, I’ll download videos from YouTube on my Mac to watch offline. It keeps me learning without Wi-Fi.
• When I instruct my teammates, I use clips as examples for analysis. I always credit the original creator.

There’s one other tool that assists this process: Eney. It’s a so-called Computerbeing with an extensive list of skills:

• It checks storage space before big downloads.
• If my file is too large, Eney can compress the video without destroying its quality.
• If I only need a portion of a video for analysis, Eney trims out the segment I want.
• Sometimes I’ll record my screen while walking through edits or noting visual techniques. Eney has a tool for that, too.
• If I’m short on time, I ask Eney to summarize long YouTube videos. It gives me a quick overview before I decide whether to download a YouTube video on my Mac in full.

Eney’s creators let you add yourself to the waitlist, so you can try the tool before it becomes widely available.

Stay creative and ethical with video downloads!

Before this setup with Downie and Eney, my process was chaotic. I’m talking about dozens of tabs, pop-ups all over the place, and downloads failing in the middle of the process. Now it’s clean, reliable, and calm. Just like I need my work to be.