How To Download YouTube Video To Flash Drive For Offline Watching

YouTube is a global video-sharing platform that empowers creators to share their content with a worldwide audience. Users can easily search, watch, and engage with a vast array of videos ranging from educational content to entertainment. Except for online watching, you can also download videos from YouTube to a portable USB drive for offline watching. This is the topic of this post.

The following content provides three methods in total to guide you on how to download YouTube videos to a USB flash drive free on Windows and Mac computers. Here is a list of the most suitable users:

  • For users who want to save videos to a hard drive directly, EaseUS Video Downloader will be your best choice.
  • For users who prefer downloading from the video page, you should choose a browser extension to help you.
  • For users who don’t want an extra installation, an online video download website suits you best.

Now, read through to find the step-by-step tutorials.

How to Download YouTube Video Directly to USB Flash Drive

Compatibility: Windows and macOS

Price: Free trial, $23.99 for a lifetime

The first method, with no ads and high efficiency, is to convert a YouTube video to your flash drive with a professional video downloader like EaseUS Video Downloader. You can find its desktop version for both Windows and macOS on the official site. One of the best things about this software is that after setting, you can save videos directly to the location you set. If you use an extension or an online website, you always need to do one more step to move the file.

Other reasons to choose EaseUS Video Downloader:

Here is a step-by-step tutorial about how to save YouTube videos to SSD card with EaseUS Video Downloader on PC:

Step 1. Open the YouTube video page and click the share button to copy the video’s page link.

Step 2. Install and launch the EaseUS Video Downloader on your Windows or Mac. You should choose the video format and quality on its main interface.

 Step 3. If you have plugged your USB into the computer, open “Settings” from the top right corner and select the desired file location. Then, click “Confirm” to continue.

Step 4. After all settings are done, click the “Paste Link” button, and the software will automatically analyze the link and begin downloading.

Disclaimer: You can use the downloaded videos and music for personal use only. EaseUS doesn’t advocate any actions that are against copyright protection.

How to Download YouTube Videos to USB Stick Without Any Software

The method above has told you how can you transfer videos from YouTube to a flash drive directly. If you don’t want to install extra software, you can try the methods below to download videos from their links without any software.

Save Videos from YouTube to a Hard Drive with a Browser Extension

Compatibility: Desktop web browsers like Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Bing, etc.

Price: Free

Another method you can try is to use a download extension for your browser. One of the advantages of using a browser download extension is that you only need to add the extension once, and then you can save videos directly from the YouTube page without other clicks. The following tutorial is based on Video Downloader Professional, you can search for other video download extensions for Safari, Chrome, Bing, Firefox, etc.

Steps for using a browser extension to transfer YouTube videos to a USB Stick are listed below:

Step 1. Search for extensions on Google. Take a Chrome extension as an example, find the download extension on Google first. Install and enable the extension on your browser. Then, reopen the browser to make it work well.

Step 2. Open the video page you want to save. Then, right-click the page. You will see a download option from the list. Click the “Download” button then.

Step 3. Now, it’s time to choose the file format and quality. After selection, click the “Download” button again to continue.

Step 4. The video will be saved in the Download location of your browser. Connect your flash drive with your PC, and then move the video file from the download file folder to the specific USB drive.

Save Videos from YouTube to a Hard Drive with an Online Website

Compatibility: All browsers, including desktop and mobile

Price: Free

If you don’t want to add an extension, using an online website to put a YouTube video on an external hard drive is your solution. The steps of using an online video downloader to save YouTube videos resemble each website. To better show you how to do it, the following content will take Y2mate as an example to guide you on saving YouTube videos to your hard drive.

Let’s see how to copy videos from YouTube to a USB drive with URLs using an online website:

Step 1. Open the YouTube video page and copy the video address from the top bar.

Step 2. Search for video download websites on Google, for example, search Y2mate. Go to its official site. Then, paste the video’s URL to the blank sheet.

Step 3. The website will begin to analyze the video link automatically. All you need to do now is wait for the result.

Step 4. After analysis, you can see a chart below the link, including accessible file formats, quality, and file size. Just choose the one you need and click “Convert” to continue. You can find the downloaded video and audio files in your “File Explorer” for Windows and “Finder” for Mac. Go to the “Download” section and then drag it to the USB drive.

In-Closing

Saving YouTube videos on a laptop to your USB stick can be easy as it has one more step of normal video downloading. The most efficient way you should try is to use EaseUS Video Downloader, as you have no need to do one more step of moving videos.

People Also Ask

This part includes some of the most frequently asked questions about saving YouTube videos to your external memory card on your PC.

Q1. Is it illegal to download videos from YouTube to a hard drive?

It depends on the location of copyright protection. In the US, you can download YouTube videos to a USB for offline watching for personal use only. If you use the videos for commercial or other reasons that are against copyright protection, it is illegal then.

Q2. Can I directly copy YouTube Music downloads to a USB drive?

No, you cannot directly move the downloaded files to your flash drive from YouTube or YouTube Music. The subscription means rental service only, it doesn’t mean that you can freely move the files and open them on another platform.

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