Macs are fantastic machines, and their awesomeness has gained them a vast user base. However, when it comes to YouTube videos, Macs are limited like other operating systems like Windows. To watch a YouTube video offline on a Mac, you have to think a bit harder because the OS does not have inbuilt capabilities to download those videos. Various methods are available to Mac users who would like to watch their YouTube videos offline. Let us explore them.
Third Party Downloaders
The best option for you when you want to download YouTube videos is investing in third-party software for downloading videos. YouTube videos may be unique because they belong to the world’s second most visited website, but they still share some characteristics with most videos found online. In fact, most videos found online are YouTube videos, as even other sites prefer to use YouTube as their default video format.
The best software as far as Mac computers are concerned is Airy. It is an application in its own class because it enables you to download YouTube videos as if you own the website. It allows you to download not just one video but several videos simultaneously. Furthermore, with the software, you can download entire YouTube video playlists. How cool is that?
If you are a fan of a particular YouTube channel that has playlists for specific videos, this software enables you to get the entire thing. I find this so amazing because it is cumbersome downloading one video at a time when you are targeting a whole playlist. In addition, you can extract audio from YouTube videos using the software. It is nothing but convenient. This software is the answer to those wondering about how to save YouTube videos on Apple Mac.
If you would like to try out other options for downloading videos from YouTube, other websites are available with online video downloaders. A good example is KeepVid, where you paste the link to the video you want to download, and it will download the video for you. It is a fast and convenient solution for those who do not want to install more software on their computers, but it does not offer robust and cool features like Airy.
Screen Recording
The other option you have for saving YouTube videos is using screen recorders. Apple’s free QuickTime comes with an inbuilt screen recorder. Unfortunately, it records the desktop without audio, and the video quality is not that impressive either. I am sure this is not what you want.
The best option as far as screen recording is concerned is getting a dedicated screen recorder. Chances are that it will cost you, but you will get better results than QuickTime. You will be able to record whatever is happening on your desktop with excellent video and audio quality. Consider ‘Camtasia 2’ if you would like to explore this option.
What About Your Web Browser?
Just as you can download files like documents using Safari and Firefox, you can also download videos. The only challenge is that videos use a different technology and that is why most browsers do not innately support video downloads. Safari comes with the capacity for downloading flash-based videos only. Firefox, on the other hand, has a free extension called Download Helper that will enable you to download videos. However, this extension does not come pre-installed on the browser. You will have to download it separately.
And those, friends, are the available options for downloading YouTube videos on a Mac. I started with the best choice because it is the best option. Also, I wanted to give you other options to explore and compare them to the first one so that you see how superior it is and why it is the best one. If you have reached this far into the article, you will never again struggle with downloading YouTube videos.
