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Use this popular media player to save streaming videos to your computer
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This wikiHow teaches you how to download an online video using VLC Media Player. While you can still download streaming videos with VLC, it no longer works with most YouTube videos. Make sure you install VLC Media Player on your Windows or Mac computer before continuing if you haven't already done so.

How do you download videos with VLC?

Copy the URL of the video you want to download. In VLC Media Player, click the File or Media menu and select Open Network Stream. Click the down arrow next to the "Play" button and select Convert. Choose a saving location and save the video as an MP4 file.

  1. In a web browser, go to the website that hosts the video you want to download. You can start playing the video to ensure it's the correct video.
    • Unfortunately, this process no longer works with most YouTube videos, though you may occasionally find one that will download. If you want to download YouTube videos, check out How to Download YouTube Videos.
  2. Right-click the video and select Copy video URL or similar. If you don't see this option, try highlighting the address of the video at the top of your browser and pressing Ctrl+C on Windows or Command+C on a Mac to copy it.
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  3. It's the app with the icon of an orange traffic cone.
    • If you don't have it already, you can download VLC for free at https://www.videolan.org. VLC is an open-source video player with a lot of beneficial features for playing all kinds of files.
    • On Windows: Click Media, then click Open Network Stream.
    • On Mac: Click File, then click Open Network.
  4. Make sure the entire URL was copied.
  5. This opens an option for converting the streaming video to a format you can save to your computer.[1]
  6. Click Browse and choose a folder to save your downloaded video in. End the name of the file you're creating with ".mp4". Then, click Open or OK to return to the Convert window.
  7. It should be selected by default next to "Profile," but if not, select it now.
  8. This will download the video over the network and save it as an MP4 file. The longer the video, the longer this will take.
    • If you get an error, you won't be able to download that particular video using VLC Media Player.
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  • Question
    I saved my file as an .mp4 file. Why can't I insert it into Powerpoint?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    You'll need to convert the file to an .mp3 file. Powerpoint won't work with .mp4 files.
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  • You can download files from many sites using VLC Media Player; however, if there are server restrictions, you may be unable to download from your selected site (for example, YouTube and websites run by the government).
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About This Article

Nicole Levine, MFA
Written by:
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions. This article has been viewed 444,465 times.
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Co-authors: 8
Updated: August 5, 2024
Views: 444,465
Categories: VLC Media Player
Article SummaryX

1. Open the video in YouTube.
2. Copy the URL.
3. Open VLC.
4. Click File or Media.
5. Click Open Network Stream.
6. Paste the URL.
7. Click Play or Open.
8. Copy the "Location" URL.
9. Paste the URL into a new browser tab.
10. Right-click the video and select Save video as.

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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 444,465 times.

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