How to download online videos
Downloading a video sounds like one action, but it's three: finding the real media behind the page, choosing which version of it you want, and getting that file onto your device. Almost every problem people hit comes from the middle step.
- A page URL isn't the video — the media lives behind it, often split into separate streams
- Every site publishes a different set of qualities; nothing can add one that doesn't exist
- File size, not resolution, is the number to check before you commit
A link is a page, not a file
When you copy a URL from YouTube or Instagram, you're copying the address of a page. The actual media sits behind it as one or more separate streams, which is why you can't simply rename a link to .mp4. A downloader's first job is to resolve that page into the list of files it references.
Why the quality list changes per video
Sites generate a set of renditions at upload time. A video shot on an old phone might top out at 720p and never gain a 4K rung, no matter which tool you use. If something offers you a resolution the source doesn't have, it is upscaling — inventing pixels and charging you the file size for them.
Check the size, not just the number
Resolution alone tells you very little. A 4K file at a low bitrate can look worse than a well-encoded 1080p one, and it will be several times larger. This is why every rung here shows its real size before you pick it.
Where the file ends up
In a browser, downloads go wherever your browser puts them — the Downloads folder on desktop, Files or Photos on mobile. Nothing needs to be installed, and nothing needs an account. If a site asks you to install a helper app to finish a download, close it.