How to Save Videos Legally (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram)

Save YouTube videos: Premium, Studio and Google Takeout

For videos you do not own, YouTube Premium is the supported route. Tap Download under the player in the YouTube app and the video is stored inside the app for offline playback. Downloads stay in the app rather than becoming loose MP4 files, and the app needs to reconnect to the internet periodically (currently about once every 29 days) to keep them. Some videos cannot be downloaded if the rights holder restricts it, and limited free offline downloads exist in some countries.

• Your own uploads: in YouTube Studio open Content, hover over the video, open the three-dot Options menu and choose Download to get an MP4 copy.
• Your whole channel: Google Takeout (takeout.google.com) can export YouTube and YouTube Music data, including the videos you uploaded, as a download archive.
• Someone else’s video: ask the creator for the original file. Many will share it for a class, event or review if you ask and credit them.

Save Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Vimeo and X videos

Social apps have their own built-in options. Menu names change often, so if a step looks different, search the platform’s Help Center for the feature name.

• Facebook: for a video you posted, the video’s three-dot menu usually offers Download video. To back up everything you shared, use Accounts Center → Your information and permissions → Download your information.
• Instagram: the same Accounts Center “Download your information” tool exports your own posts and Reels. In some regions Instagram also lets you download public Reels from the share menu when the creator has allowed it.
• TikTok: tap Share → Save video. The option only appears when the creator has turned downloads on, and the saved file carries TikTok’s watermark. Settings → Account → Download your data exports your own videos and history.
• Vimeo: a Download button appears under the player only when the owner has enabled downloads for that video.
• X (Twitter): Settings → Your account → Download an archive of your data exports the media you posted.

When you need permission (and what fair use does not cover)

Being able to press a download button is not the same as having the right to reuse a video. A copy saved for private offline viewing is one thing; putting it in your own video, course, ad or website is another, and usually needs the creator’s permission or a license. This is general information, not legal advice.

• Videos you recorded, or that your employer or client owns and has given you, are the simplest case.
• Creative Commons videos can be reused under the license terms, typically with credit. YouTube shows the license in the description when a creator chooses CC BY.
• Stock libraries such as Pexels and Pixabay offer free clips with their own licenses; read them before using a clip commercially.
• Fair use (US) and similar exceptions elsewhere are narrow and judged case by case — commentary, criticism and teaching can qualify, but copying a whole video rarely does.
• When in doubt, embed or link to the original instead of copying it. Embeds keep views and credit with the creator.

Edit the videos you own with free GrabCast tools

Once you have a file you are allowed to use — your own recording, an export from YouTube Studio, a Takeout archive or a clip a creator sent you — these free tools run entirely in your browser, so the video is never uploaded:

• Video Compressor — shrink a file for email, Discord, WhatsApp or a phone with limited storage.
• Video Trimmer & Subtitles — cut the part you need and add automatic subtitles or burned-in captions.
• Crop & Resize Video — reframe to 9:16, 1:1, 4:5 or 16:9 for Shorts, Reels and TikTok.
• Video to GIF — turn a short moment into a lightweight GIF.
• Audio Converter — extract the soundtrack of your own video as MP3, M4A or WAV.
• Audio Cutter — trim that audio, add fades or make a ringtone.

Need the words from a recording? AI Voice-to-Text Studio transcribes your own audio or video privately on your device.

Step-by-step

Common mistakes to avoid

Pro tips

Frequently asked questions