RP Staff·

Download Long YouTube Videos With 4 Reliable Methods In 2024

Are you a fan of a concert or star? Some concert recordings or movies can be rather long. Before going on a long trip, downloading long movies or videos is always the best method of entertainment. You may ask: how can you download these lengthy videos from YouTube to a local file location?

Download Long YouTube Videos with or Without App

This post is going to solve your problem. There is one thing that you cannot avoid: long YouTube videos always take up more space. So, before guiding you on how to save lengthy videos from YouTube to your local file location, you should make sure that you have enough computer space, or you can prepare an external USB drive and save these videos there for the large file size. Now, let’s come to the main topic.

Method 1. Download Long YouTube Videos Without Losing Quality

The first method is always the most effective one. Using professional software to download YouTube videos longer than 2 hours is the best choice for users because of its proficiency and fast download speed.

Let me introduce EaseUS Video Downloader, a wonderful video downloader for Windows and Mac computers. When talking about video downloading over long hours, you may think about long-time processes and large file sizes. With EaseUS Video Downloader, you can download long videos from YouTube in a rather short time without losing any quality.

Benefits of using EaseUS Video Downloader: 

Cons:

  • An extra-installation is required;
  • The download process lasts short, so you do not have much time to do other things.

Now, follow the steps below to see how to use EaseUS Video Downloader to save long YouTube videos:

Step 1. Download and install EaseUS Video Downloader on your Windows or Mac computer. Click the “Settings” icon from the main interface.

Step 2. A new window for “Download Settings” will appear. Here, you can choose the desired video quality or format. If you have plugged in a USB drive, you can directly choose it to save computer space. After settings are done, click “Confirm” to continue.

Step 3. Then, copy the YouTube video link and head back to the software. Click the blue “Paste Link” button. EaseUS Video Downloader will automatically analyze the video link you just copied and start downloading.

Step 4. All you need to do now is wait for the download process to complete. You have successfully saved the long video from YouTube to your local file location.

Disclaimer: For your information, these downloaded videos can be used for personal use only. For any action of re-editing or commercial reasons, permission should be requested from the content creator due to copyright protection. EaseUS doesn’t advocate any actions that are against copyright protection.

Method 2. Save Long YouTube Videos on PC with VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player is open-source software for media playing, downloading, and basic editing. The good thing about an open-source tool is that users have nothing to pay for, and all functions are free to use. However, it may be difficult to operate if you are a novice to computers.

Pros:

  • Totally free

Cons:

  • Options are hard to find
  • Not friendly to computer novices

No need to worry. This post is written to help you successfully save YouTube videos with VLC, even those over 2 hours.

All you need to do is to follow the tutorial below:

Step 1. Launch VLC Media Player on your computer first. Then, open the video page you’d like to download and copy the video address looks like “https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=****”.

Step 2. Click “Media” > “Open Network Stream..” or use the hotkey “Ctrl + N” to add the media file to VLC.

Step 3. Then, paste the link to the bar from the window. Click the down arrow beside the “Play” button and click “Stream” to continue.

Step 4. Click “Next” to choose the file location and then the file format.

Step 5. After all settings are done, click the “Stream” button, and the video will be saved to the specific file location you just selected.

Method 3. Download Hours of YouTube Videos Online

If you don’t want to download an extra tool to save videos, you can choose an online download website to save the long YouTube video. You can search for those online video download websites and choose the one you like.

Pros:

  • No extra-installation
  • The Online Direct download process is fast

Cons:

  • Many unwanted ads cannot be blocked
  • No security guarantee

Here, the tutorial is written by taking Media Mister as an example. The steps work on most online downloaders:

Step 1. Like all steps above, you should copy the video link from YouTube first.

Step 2. Go to the official site of Media Mister. You can find a bar to paste the YouTube video link here. Click the “Find Video” button.

Step 3. The website will analyze the video link and give you multiple choices on the screen scale. Click the one you prefer, and the site will lead you to a new tab.

Step 4. Click the three-dot button from the new tab. Then, choose “Download” and choose where you’d like to save the long video. Click “Save,” and the download process will begin.

Step 5. Your video will be saved to the default download location set on your browser. You can go to the “Download” file folder and drag the video to your external USB drive to keep your computer working.

Method 4. Download Lengthy Videos from YouTube with a Browser Extension

Another method that you don’t want an extra installation is to use a browser extension. This method works steadily better than online download websites. To remind you, a browser add-on cannot be added if you use the Incognito mode.

Pros:

  • Less space occupied on your computer
  • It’s convenient to download the video from the webpage directly

Cons:

  • Not stable
  • Less choice of format and quality
  • No direct download to your external hard drive

Now, let’s learn how to download long videos from YouTube with a browser extension on Firefox:

Step 1. Search for Video Downloader extensions for Firefox first. This tutorial takes Video DownloadHelper for Firefox as an example.

Step 2. Click “Install For Firefox” and follow the guide to add Video DownloadHelper on your Firefox.

Step 3. Click the puzzle button from the top bar on the browser. Find Video DownloadHelper and enable it. This extension will automatically recognize the media files if you are playing something.

Step 4. Open the video page you’d like to download with, and click “Video DownloadHelper”. A small window will show up. You can choose to download the long media file with MP4, MP3, MKV, etc. Choose your desired format and quality.

Final Words

After reading the whole content above, you have learned four effective methods to download YouTube videos longer than 2 hours in MP3 or MP4 format.

If you are still wondering which method suits you best, EaseUS Video Downloader is always your best choice for its proficiency in video downloading. With this fantastic video downloader, you can get high-quality YouTube videos, even if they are longer than 2 hours, within a rather short time.

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