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Step-by-Step Tutorial: how to download youtube videos


Introduction: Having some trouble trying to download youtube videos? You've come to the right place. This step-by-step tutorial will show you exactly what to do to download youtube videos, and will also explain problems you may encounter.


Step 1: Navigate to the video on YouTube.com - you can search for it, click a direct link, whatever. Here is an example:

find youtube video


Step 2: On the right side of the page there is a box that contains the official URL to the video. This contains the official permanent URL to the video. This may be different than the URL in your address bar. Usually either one will work, but when in doubt, the official URL is the way to go. You need to copy this URL for use in the next step. See below:

copy youtube url


Step 3: Once you have copied the URL, you must now open up http://clipnabber.com in a new window (or tab). You can do this by pressing cntrl and N. After reaching ClipNabber, paste the URL in the input box where it says to paste the URL. Now, click Nab Video button.

paste youtube url on clipnabber


Step 4: After you click Nab Video, ClipNabber will display "Loading" for a few seconds before displaying the download link(s).

youtube download links


Step 5: Click on a button to download in either FLV or MP4 format. In this example we will click on "Download MP4." This will bring up a dialog asking you where you want to save the file.

save youtube file


Step 6: The file will begin downloading automatically.

download youtube file automatically


Step 7: Now find the file that you downloaded and open it up with a media player. VLC Player is a popular choice, but in this case we will use QuickTime (the default mac media player).

play youtube video


Conclusion: You are all done! You now know exactly how to download youtube videos!
If you followed all the steps, but still have trouble, please see below for common issues:

  • some of the wording may be a bit off in this tutorial because different browsers use different text to describe the same thing.
  • make sure to copy the offical URL (as described) for best results
  • if the video is private, it cannot be downloaded
  • if the video has embedding disabled by request, it cannot be downloaded
  • finally, if the video is banned in the United States (pretty rare), it cannot be downloaded



If you have further questions, please feel free to contact us at support [at] clipnabber.com