YouTube is currently testing an official way to download videos on your desktop web browser saving you the hassle (and danger) of having to install sketchy 3rd party mods and having to go through 3rd party websites just to download your favourite songs.
Users who want to see if they are eligible to be part of the testing phase, which runs through 19 October, should check out YouTube’s experimental features page, which lists any new features being tested that are currently available to Premium subscribers.
The Verge writes that not everyone will be able to take part in the test.YouTube is currently testing an official way to download videos on your desktop web browser saving you the hassle (and danger) of having to install sketchy 3rd party mods.
YouTube is currently testing an official way to download videos on your desktop web browser saving you the hassle (and danger) of having to install sketchy 3rd party mods.
For the users who are opted-in, you will first need a supported browser – the latest versions of Chrome, Edge, or Opera (no Firefox support, apparently), according to Google – and then when you’re watching a video, you should see a small download button under the video player.
When you click the button, YouTube will download the video which can be watched from the Downloads section that’s accessible from the hamburger menu (the three horizontal bars) on the left side of the screen.
There doesn’t seem to be a way to get the downloaded videos onto your actual PC, they simply remain in the Downloads section of YouTube, which may mean this feature is more of a way to watch YouTube offline.
As of right now, the system can be a little buggy, and it is entirely possible that Google may decide the scrap it, or simply take several months to work out the flaws and kinks before allowing it to go live.