How to download your own YouTube videos

If you uploaded a video to your channel and need another copy on your computer, you can download it from YouTube Studio. Studio provides an MP4, and the resolution depends on the video’s size. I’ll take you to the download menu, then cover what to check if the option is missing.

Download a copy from Studio

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio with the account that manages the channel.
2. Open Content in the left menu.
3. Find the video you uploaded and open its options menu.
4. Select Download. When the download finishes, open the file from your downloads folder and check that it plays.

YouTube provides an MP4 copy in 720p or 360p, depending on the video size. It may not be the source file or a copy in the resolution you originally exported. If you need all your uploads, YouTube also points to Google Takeout; that is a separate export, not the individual Studio download. These limits appear in YouTube Help for downloading videos you uploaded.

If “Download” is missing

Check the conditions YouTube lists for this download:

• The video was removed from YouTube.
• It has a copyright or Community Guidelines strike. Help refers to a strike, not every Content ID claim.
• It uses a preapproved audio track.
• You already downloaded that video five times in the last 24 hours. The limit applies per video; wait for that period to pass, then check the menu again.

The help page describes these steps for a computer. Do not confuse an MP4 downloaded from Studio with saving other channels’ videos in the YouTube app for offline viewing. That is a separate YouTube Premium feature and does not download a file to your computer.

If you need a copy before editing claimed music, see how to remove or replace claimed music on YouTube. For image edits, see how to trim an uploaded YouTube video or blur faces and objects.