Why download a video at all? For example, then to watch it offline: where the Internet is expensive in roaming, there is no Wi-Fi or there is no connection at all. Or maybe you bought a paid subscription on the site and want to download more videos before it ends. Or you just want to save the video, because even on YouTube not all videos are stored forever: some are deleted at the request of the copyright holder, and some – at the initiative of the channel owner himself (sometimes together with the channel). And so, so that nothing is lost, we will look at how to download streaming video to Google Chrome.
Is it possible to download a video from Google Chrome
In Chrome itself, there are no separate buttons for downloading videos. On video hosting sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, Vkontakte, they may also not be. But, nevertheless, you can download videos from the browser. It would be strange if it were impossible.
The main ways to download videos:
- With extensions.
- through online services;
- with the help of installed programs.
In addition, to capture what is happening on the screen, you can use any video capture program: for example, Bandicam or Shadowplay. But this is a long and inefficient way: a 20-minute video will be recorded for 20 minutes, an hour for an hour. It is only suitable for extreme cases when nothing else works. Therefore, within the framework of this article, we will not consider programs for capturing video from the screen.
Use of programs and extensions
Until 2019, it was possible to download videos from the browser cache using Chrome's developer tools (Ctrl + Shift + I). In various outdated articles you may have seen on the internet, it is still mentioned, but it no longer works.
Extensions are usually installed from the Chrome Store, although there are exceptions – for example, the "Assistant" from SaveFrom.net is installed from the developer's site.
Online services do not require installation. Usually they are an empty line where you need to insert a link to the video, and a "Download" button next to it.
There are also programs that do not allow you to download videos from Google Chrome directly, but require a separate installation. Not only is it not very convenient, it is often also paid. Therefore, we will not consider such programs.
SaveFrom.net
One of the most convenient services for downloading videos from YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Vkontakte and Instagram.
Copy the link to the video. This can be done in different ways, depending on the site:
- select the address of the page in the address bar of the browser and press Ctrl+C;
- right-click on the video and select "Copy video link" or "Copy video URL";
- Click the Settings button (on Facebook) or Share (on most other sites) and copy the link from there.
Paste the received link on the SaveFrom.net, click the green arrow and get a download link.
In addition, SaveFrom.net has an "Assistant", which is installed as an extension – it adds a "Download" button directly to the interface of YouTube, Vimeo and other sites.
This allows you to download videos "without leaving the cash register" – no need to jump from YouTube to the service's website and back. And from some sites, for example, from Odnoklassniki without the "Assistant" will not be able to download at all.
SaveVideo.me
Another online service. In principle of action and appearance, it is similar to the previous one. The interface is also fully Russified.
Unlike SaveFrom.net is able to download videos via a link from TikTok and Coub.
In addition, it works with:
- Dailymotion;
- .com;
- Flickr Videos;
- LiveLeak;
- Twitter and a host of other sites.
The full list can be viewed on the main page at the bottom – in the drop-down menu "Video sites are supported".
Video DownloadHelper
An extension that is installed from the Chrome Store is https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions?hl=ru.
He can download videos from almost anywhere, including from Twitch.
In the store search, write Video DownloadHelper, then click "Other Extensions" and scroll down until you find this particular plugin. For unknown reasons, it is not in the top of the issue, but in the middle, although it has a high rating and 2 million users.
I must say that it's not just that people prefer Video DownloadHelper to similar plugins:
- it is time-tested – it has existed for more than 10 years;
- it doesn't behave strangely – it doesn't install Tampermonkey and doesn't fit into Windows startup;
- it is reliable – it works with the vast majority of sites.
For ease of use, the installed extension can be pinned to quick access. To do this, click on the "Extensions" button (such a gray puzzle detail in the upper right corner of Chrome) and click the "Pin" icon next to Video DownloadHelper.
How to download a video: open it in the browser – click on the extension icon – a small window with the name of the video will appear – click on the black arrow.
The down arrow indicates downloading to the default folder. This is usually the C:Users username of the user dwhelper. The right arrow allows you to select a folder to download.
Important point: Video DownloadHelper for Chrome does not know how to download from YouTube. When you try to do this, he will tell you that "Unfortunately, the Chrome Web Store does not allow extensions to download videos from YouTube, so this feature is missing from the Chrome version of the add-on. You can use Video DownloadHelper to download YouTube videos using the Firefox version."
