How to download YouTube videos in Chrome: Install Local YouTube Downloader

Although you won’t find YouTube video downloaders in the Chrome Web Store, you will find the Tampermonkey extension, which lets you install Local YouTube Downloader. Here’s how to set it up.

1. Open the Chrome Web Store and search for “TamperMonkey” or go straight to the Tampermonkey Chrome extension page. Click “Add to Chrome” in the top-right corner.

how to download YouTube videos in Chrome – chrome webstore

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2. Click “Add extension” to install Tampermonkey. For easy access, you can pin the add-on to Chrome’s toolbar. Click the Extensions button (the one that looks like a jigsaw piece) and select the ‘“Pin” option next to Tampermonkey.

how to download YouTube videos in Chrome – pin extension

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3. The Tampermonkey website will open in a new tab and tell you the extension has been successfully installed.

You should now head to a userscripts site called Greasy Fork, where you’ll find the Local YouTube Downloader script. Click the “Install this script” button.

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how to download YouTube videos in Chrome – greasyfork

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4. This will take you to Local YouTube Downloader’s page on the Tampermonkey website. Click the Install button here to add the script to Tampermonkey.

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how to download YouTube videos in Chrome – install script

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5. To check that the script installed correctly, click the Tampermonkey extension button and choose Dashboard. Here you should see Local YouTube Downloader listed as “Enabled.”

how to download YouTube videos in Chrome – dashboard

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How to download YouTube videos in Chrome: Download a YouTube video
Now that you’ve installed Local YouTube Downloader, it’s time to put it to the test with an uncopyrighted video, or one you have permission to download.

Here’s how to use the script to download videos from YouTube directly in Chrome, or by using Tampermonkey in another browser.

1. Visit the YouTube website in Chrome and find a video that’s free of copyright or which you have permission to download.

You can filter your search results to show only videos with a Creative Commons license. Click the Filters button at the top of the page and choose Creative Commons.

Click to play the video as usual.

how to download YouTube videos in Chrome – creative commons

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2. If you have an ad blocker installed, you’ll be prompted to copy a new “rule” to it, so the Local YouTube Downloader script can work. If you don’t know how to do this – or can’t be bothered – just disable your ad blocker instead.

how to download YouTube videos in Chrome – copy rule

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3. Once your ad blocker, or lack of ad blocker, allows the script to run, you should see a new option below the YouTube video player labelled “Download high resolution MP4 in one click.”

Click this and Local YouTube Downloader will convert the video to a hi-res MP4 file, and let you download it to your PC or Mac. Note that the script may not work on videos of more than 1080p resolution.

how to download YouTube videos in Chrome – download mp4

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4. To save the video at a different resolution and in a different format, click Show/Hide Links. This will open a range of download options, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs.

how to download YouTube videos in Chrome – show links

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5. Click one of the Stream options on the left (we found those on the right didn’t capture audio) and the adjusted video player will open in a new Chrome tab.