Is it legal to download videos from YouTube and other sites?
Updated October 7, 2026
Downloading a video isn't automatically legal or illegal: it depends on who owns it, what the site's terms allow and where you live. Your own uploads, public-domain films and Creative Commons videos are generally fine. YouTube's terms forbid downloading without its permission, and sharing someone else's video almost always needs the rights holder's consent.
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This is not legal advice
We build software; we are not lawyers. This page explains general principles so you know what questions to ask. For a real situation, especially publishing, selling or using videos at work, talk to a lawyer in your country.
Is it legal to download YouTube videos?
Two separate things apply. The first is copyright law, which varies by country. The second is the platform's terms of service, a contract you accept by using the site. Breaking a site's terms is usually a matter between you and the platform (it can restrict your account, for example), and it is a different question from infringing copyright.
YouTube's Terms of Service say you may not access, reproduce, download, distribute or otherwise use any content except “as expressly authorized by the Service” or “with prior written permission from YouTube and, if applicable, the respective rights holders.” Expressly authorized means things like offline downloads inside the YouTube app with Premium, or downloading your own uploads from YouTube Studio.
Other sites set their own rules; Vimeo and TikTok, for instance, let creators switch on downloads. If you save videos from a site regularly, read its terms.
Personal copy vs sharing: where the line is
In almost every legal system this is the line that matters most: saving a talk to watch on a flight and re-uploading it to your channel are very different acts.
| Situation | Usually | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Downloading your own videos | Fine | You hold the rights; YouTube Studio also lets you download your uploads |
| Public-domain films | Fine | Copyright has expired, though a restoration or soundtrack may have its own rights |
| Creative Commons videos | Fine, within the license | Credit the author; NC bans commercial use, ND bans edits |
| A lecture saved to watch offline, just for you | Grey area | Depends on your country's law and the site's terms |
| Re-uploading someone else's video | Not without permission | Copyright infringement; on YouTube, also Content ID claims |
| A short clip in a review or critique | May be allowed | Fair use or quotation rules depend on how much and why |
| Selling or sharing downloaded films or music | Not allowed | Copyright infringement |
| Bypassing DRM (Netflix, paid courses) | Not allowed in most countries | Anti-circumvention laws |
What the law says in the US, the EU and Russia
United States
US law has no general right to a private copy. Instead there is fair use (17 U.S.C. § 107): a court weighs the purpose of the use, the nature of the work, how much was taken and the effect on the market for the original. Commentary, criticism and teaching can qualify; copying a whole film for convenience is an open question. Section 1201 of the DMCA separately prohibits circumventing technical measures that control access to a work.
European Union
The InfoSoc Directive (2001/29/EC, Article 5(2)(b)) lets EU countries allow private copies by individuals for non-commercial ends, with fair compensation for rights holders. Each country implements it in its own way. In 2014 the EU Court of Justice ruled in ACI Adam (C-435/12) that the exception does not cover copies made from unlawful sources. The directive also protects technical protection measures.
Russia
Article 1273 of the Russian Civil Code lets an individual reproduce a lawfully published work without permission or payment, when needed and solely for personal purposes, with exceptions such as software, databases and complete books. For audio and audiovisual works, authors are paid through levies on equipment and media makers under Article 1245. Article 1299 prohibits circumventing technical protection measures.
Many other countries, including India and Pakistan, use “fair dealing” rules that list specific allowed purposes. The details differ everywhere, so check the law where you live.
Where to find videos you can download freely
- Your own uploads. Anything you uploaded yourself can come back via YouTube Studio, Google Takeout or our app.
- Creative Commons on YouTube. YouTube's search filters include “Creative Commons”: those creators allow reuse with credit.
- Open movies. Blender Studio's open films (Big Buck Bunny, Sintel, Tears of Steel) are released under Creative Commons. They're also the videos in our screenshots.
- Public domain. The Internet Archive (archive.org) hosts many old films and recordings whose copyright has expired; check the status of each item.
What Top Video Downloader does and doesn't do
- Downloads run on your computer, directly from the site, over your own connection. Our servers never receive the links, titles or files, so we don't know what you download.
- We don't host, cache or redistribute anyone's content.
- DRM-protected content (Netflix and other paid streaming services) is not supported. The app does not circumvent technical protection measures.
- Private or paid videos work only through your own sign-in to that site, and only for what your account can already watch. Your login stays encrypted on your device.
- Our Terms of Use require you to download only what you have the right to and to respect each platform's terms.
Is it illegal to download YouTube videos for personal use?
It breaks YouTube's terms unless YouTube or the rights holder has given permission. Under copyright law the answer depends on your country: the US relies on fair use, EU countries have their own private-copying exceptions, and Russia allows personal copies of lawfully published works. Sharing what you downloaded is not allowed almost anywhere.
Can I get in trouble for downloading videos?
We can't predict that for you. In practice, rights holders mostly go after distribution, such as re-uploads, file sharing and selling copies, rather than offline viewing. But “unlikely to be pursued” is not the same as “legal”. If you plan to publish a video or use it for work, get the creator's permission or ask a lawyer.
Is it legal to convert YouTube music to MP3?
The same rules apply as for video, but music is protected especially tightly: a song usually has several rights holders, including the songwriter, the performer and the label. Creative Commons music, public-domain recordings and your own tracks are fine to save. For everything else, the legal route is an official streaming service or store.
Can I use a downloaded clip in my own video?
Sometimes. A short excerpt used for review, criticism or teaching may fall under fair use in the US or quotation rules in the EU and Russia. What counts is how much you take, why, and the effect on the original. On YouTube such clips can still receive Content ID claims even when the use is lawful.
Is a video downloader app itself legal?
Downloaders are general-purpose tools, like a browser or a screen recorder: legality depends on what you download and how you use it. Top Video Downloader is built on the open-source yt-dlp project. Its predecessor, youtube-dl, was taken down from GitHub in 2020 after an RIAA complaint and then reinstated.
Can you see what I download?
No. Links, titles and files never reach our servers, because the download goes straight from the site to your computer. The server knows only your email, a random device ID, your rights balance and payments. Anonymous usage stats, unless you turn them off, include the platform name and error class, never the link.
Read next
- How to tell a safe video downloader from a malicious oneA safe video downloader comes from its official site, installs only itself, shows no ads or fake buttons, asks for no permissions it doesn't need and publishes checksums you can verify. Most malware around video downloading hides in bundled installers, look-alike download buttons, notification spam and browser extensions with broad permissions.
- How to verify Top Video Downloader and get past SmartScreenWindows SmartScreen and macOS Gatekeeper warn about Top Video Downloader because its installers are not code-signed yet, not because a threat was found. You can confirm the file is the one we published by comparing its SHA-256 checksum with SHA256SUMS on the GitHub release. In-app updates are checked automatically with an Ed25519 signature.
- How to download YouTube videos on your PCCopy the video link, paste it into Top Video Downloader, click Check formats and pick a quality. The MP4 lands on your disk. Public videos need no YouTube sign-in. A free account gives you 10 downloads a day up to 720p, MP3 audio included, while 1080p, 1440p and 4K cost 1 credit per video.
- How to convert YouTube to MP3 on your PCTop Video Downloader pulls the audio out of any YouTube video and saves it as MP3, or as M4A, Opus, FLAC or WAV. On a free account audio has no quality cap and counts toward your 10 daily downloads. One catch: YouTube's own audio is about 130 kbps, so a 320 kbps MP3 is bigger, not better.
- About Top Video DownloaderTop Video Downloader is a desktop app for Windows, macOS (Apple Silicon) and Linux that downloads video and audio from YouTube, TikTok, VK, Instagram and 60+ other sites we test daily. It bundles yt-dlp, ffmpeg and deno, runs every download on your own computer, and uses its server only for your account and download rights.