DEV Community

Cover image for Download YouTube videos with Chrome Dev Tools
David Armendáriz
David Armendáriz

Posted on

Download YouTube videos with Chrome Dev Tools

Did you know you can download YouTube videos by inspecting the network requests when you toggle the device toolbar?

Just open the dev tools with Ctrl + Shift + I and select the Network tab. Then toggle the device toolbar with Ctrl + Shift + M and reload the page. Filter by the heaviest network request and open it in a new tab, there you will be able to download your video.

You can see me in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eZeBg0jLy4&ab_channel=DavidArmend%C3%A1riz

Top comments (3)

Collapse
 
leonardokaprio profile image
Tariq Mehmood • Edited

You can download YouTube videos using Chrome Dev Tools by inspecting network requests. Open YouTube, play the desired video, and right-click to select "Inspect." Enable the device toolbar (Ctrl+Shift+M), go to the "Network" tab, refresh the page, and play the video again. Look for a media request, right-click it, and choose "Open in new tab." In the new tab, right-click the video and select "Save video as..." For a simpler option, consider using SnapTube Premium APK, which lets you easily download videos from YouTube and other platforms without the need for technical steps.

Collapse
 
emily_paris_12d907aa4314f profile image
Emily Paris

Absolutely, using Chrome Dev Tools, you can indeed download YouTube videos by inspecting network requests when you enable the device toolbar. Here’s a brief overview of the process:

  • Open YouTube and play the video you want to download.
  • Right-click on the page and select "Inspect" to open the Dev Tools.
  • Toggle the device toolbar by clicking the mobile icon or pressing Ctrl+Shift+M.
  • Go to the "Network" tab in the Dev Tools.
  • Refresh the page and play the video again.
  • Look for a request with a video or media type.
  • Right-click on the request and select "Open in new tab."
  • In the new tab, right-click on the video and choose "Save video as..."

However, if you're looking for a simpler and more straightforward method, I highly recommend using the SnapTube Mod APK. It provides an easy way to download videos directly from YouTube and many other platforms without the need for inspecting network requests. Give it a try for a more convenient downloading experience!

Collapse
 
geektechy profile image
geektechy

Hi David,
just wanted to ask, can't the site owner know that the video has been downloaded.
I want to try this on a e-learning portal, scared if that's good way to download without being tracked.