2 Proven Ways to Download YouTube Videos with VLC on Win/Mac

VLC is a famous open source player project that can not only play local multimedia files, but also network stream and download online videos like those from YouTube. Based on my hands-on testing, there are several facts to be aware of when using VLC for YouTube video downloads:

• VLC currently downloads YouTube videos at a maximum resolution of HD, typically in 360p, 480p or 720p.
• Download speeds are slow, usually 1.0x or slower.

If those are acceptable for you, VLC can be a safe and handy YouTube downloader option. Or you can use a VLC alternative to download YouTube videos without these limitations. This article will cover two methods that work to download YouTube videos with VLC on Windows and Mac, along with relevant troubleshooting tips to ensure a successful download.

 

Simple Method: Download YouTube Videos with VLC and Browser 

The first way to download YouTube videos with VLC is straightforward but has a slower download speed compared to Method 2. The steps are basically the same for both Windows and Mac OS. Please install the latest version of VLC media player on your computer and follow the steps below.

Step 1. Play YouTube Video in VLC

• Copy the full URL of the YouTube video you want to download from the address bar.
• Run VLC media player on your computer, press Ctrl+N (Command+N on Mac) to open network stream. Or you can go to Media > Open Network Stream (or File > Open Network on Mac).
• Paste the copied video URL into the bar, and hit Play. VLC will start playing the video in seconds.

Step 2. Get Video Location URL

• Once playing, press Ctrl+I (Command+I on Mac) to check media information.
• ​In the pop-up window, copy the long URL in the Location bar. Here you can check the video resolution and codec information under the “Codec” tab. 

Step 3. Download the YouTube Video

Open any browser and paste the location URL in the address bar. Hit Enter on your keyboard and you’ll see the video playing. Right click on the video and select “Save video as" option to rename and download the YouTube video to your computer.

Note: Please do not close your browser until the download is complete.

 

Advanced Method: Stream Download YouTube Videos in VLC

This method allows you to download YouTube videos in different formats using VLC’s streaming and converting features. While trying this method, I found that if I follow the steps of current tutorials online to directly stream and convert YouTube videos, odd are it doesn’t work and only results in a 0 byte (160 byte) file.

So I improved the existing method myself after many tests on PC and Mac. Follow the steps below to stream and convert the YouTube video to a file in VLC without any problem.

On Windows 

1. First you still need to play the YouTube video in VLC. Follow step 1 in Method 1.
2. When the video playing, click the playlist icon to toggle the playlist. Right click on the video title and choose Stream option.
3. Click Next to proceed. Then click Add to set a destination. Under the new File tab, click the Browse button to specify a save folder and filename, as shown below. Then hit Next.
4. The next window is to select the output format, usually we leave the default options untouched to convert YouTube to MP4. You can also select a preferred format from the Profile menu. Click Next again to continue.
5. Finally, click Stream to start downloading and converting the YouTube video in VLC.

Tip: Go back to the main interface and you’ll see the progress bar showing the conversion progress.

 

On Mac

1. First, use VLC to play the YouTube video you want to save. Same as Step 1 above.
2. Display VLC playlist by clicking the playlist icon aside the progress bar, and select the YouTube video title. Then go File on the menu bar and choose Convert/Stream.
3. On the Convert & Stream window:

• Drag the YouTube playback from the playlist to “Drop media here” window to add it.
• Then pick a video format you want from the Profile drop-down list, like Video - H.264 + MP3 (MP4).
• Click Browse to set a save destination and filename.

4. Finally, click the Save button to start downloading the YouTube video to Mac in VLC.

Tip: In this way, the YouTube video can only be saved as a .m4v file, an iTunes video format. You can manually change the file extension to .mp4 after the download is complete.

 

Fix VLC Not Playing YouTube & Other Issues

Of all the problems about VLC YouTube download not working, the most common one is not being able to play YouTube videos in VLC. A warning window pops up showing “Your input can’t be opened”.

There are two main causes - YouTube restrictions and VLC settings. The YouTube video may be blocked in your region, age-restricted or has other playback limitations. Issues with VLC settings can also prevent YouTube playback and downloading.

Below are some solutions you can try to fix the problems.

1. Set proxy settings in VLC to bypass regional block

If a YouTube video is blocked in your region, you need to use a VPN and also set proxy in VLC to help VLC stream the YouTube video. Steps to set proxy in VLC:

1. Press Ctrl + P to open the Preferences window.
2. Under the Input/Codecs tab, navigate to Network settings and enter your HTTP proxy in this format: http://proxy:port, such as http://127.0.0.1:8080.
3. Click Save to save the changes. Now try to network stream the YouTube video to see if it work.

2. Replace YouTube.lua file 

1. Download the latest YouTube.lua file here.
2. Go to C:\Program Files\VLC\lua\playlist folder, delete the youtube.luac file and replace it with the new youtube.lua file downloaded before. Now you can go back to VLC to verify if it works.

3. Disable Cookies forwarding

1. Run VLC media player, hit Ctrl + P to open Preferences window. Select All from Show settings.
2. Click Input/Codecs and expand Access modules, here tap HTTPS.
3. Uncheck Cookies forwarding option, and click Save.

4. Reset preferences

Sometimes you can reset preferences in VLC if the YouTube videos suddenly not playing in VLC. I solve the problem on Mac one time. Just open the Preferences window and click Reset All option.

 

5. Update/reinstall VLC

The YouTube video download may not work if you’re using outdated VLC. So you can update or reinstall it. Open VLC media player, click Help from the top menu bar and choose “Check for Updates” to see if it’s the latest version. Follow the instructions to update it.

6. Use a VLC alternative to download YouTube videos

VLC is not a professional video download software, and issues like blurry image, lagging, slow download speed are fixed problems with VLC YouTube download. So the ultimate solution is to use an alternative program to download YouTube videos if you want get rid of these limitations. Read on to next section to learn more.

 

Easily Download YouTube Videos with The Best VLC Alternative

As mentioned at the beginning, VLC mostly downloads YouTube videos in 360p or 720p, and it can take a long time to download one video off YouTube. Why not to use a dedicated YouTube downloader to avoid these drawbacks?

iFunia YouTube Downloader is an ideal VLC alternative for downloading YouTube videos. It can download any YouTube video in best quality up to 8K, download multiple videos at the same time and save YouTube playlists and channels. Besides YouTube, iFunia also supports a wide range of streaming sites, such as Facebook, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Twitch, VK and more.

How to use iFunia to download and play YouTube videos without any hassle:

Step 1. Download, install and launch iFunia YouTube Downloader.

Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7 Free Download macOS 10.11 or later

Step 2. Copy and paste the URL of the YouTube video into the address box. Hit Enter to analyze the link. You can add as many videos as you like by repeating this step.

Step 3. After the YouTube video is loaded, you can choose an output format and video resolution from the Format drop-down list.

Step 4. Hit the Download  button to initiate the download process.  

Tips:

1. After the YouTube video is downloaded, you can play the video in iFunia by clicking the Play icon on the thumbnail.

2. Click the Check icon to quickly locate the downloaded file.

 

The Button Line

Downloading YouTube videos with VLC remains a feasible option in 2023. Following the techniques and tips above will ensure you can save your favorite YouTube videos to watch offline anytime - without any extra software required.

However, as YouTube is increasingly tightening access, VLC’s capability in downloading may continue to be limited in the future. Also, VLC now maxes out at HD quality. To download 1080p or 4K YouTube videos, a dedicated downloader tool is recommended as an alternative.