How to Download YouTube Videos on Mac (Free, Up to 4K)

By NUR Technologies · October 25, 2026 · 5 min read

macOS has no built-in way to save a YouTube video, and most “free downloader” websites are packed with ads, pop-ups and fake download buttons. Here is the clean way to do it on a Mac, in about a minute, plus the limits you should know about before you start.

What you need

• A Mac with Apple Silicon running macOS 14 or later.
• SuDown, a free Mac app: no account, no license, no ads.
• The link of the video or playlist you want.

Download a YouTube video step by step

1. Get SuDownDownload the DMG from the SuDown page, open it and drag the app to your Applications folder. It is signed and notarized by Apple, so macOS opens it normally.
2. Let it set up (first launch only)The first time, SuDown downloads its download engine (yt-dlp, ffmpeg and Deno) and keeps it updated. It needs internet and happens once.
3. Paste the linkCopy the video URL from your browser, open SuDown and paste it, or press ⇧⌘V.
4. Choose VideoPick Video and the quality you want. MP4 goes up to 4K when the video itself is available in 4K.
5. Press DownloadWatch it fill in. When it finishes, open the file in Finder. Change the destination folder any time with ⌘O.

Download a whole playlist

Paste the playlist link instead of a single video. SuDown lists every video so you can pick the ones you want, then saves them numbered in their own folder, so the order of the playlist is kept. You can queue several downloads at once and cancel or retry any of them.

Why not a website or a screen recording?

• Websites depend on ads to pay for themselves, and many push you toward installing things you did not ask for. An app has no reason to.
• Screen recording (⇧⌘5 on a Mac) works, but you capture the player in real time at screen quality, with any interface glitch included. A real download keeps the original video file.

What you can and cannot download

SuDown cannot download private, age-restricted or region-blocked videos, or live streams. If YouTube asks to verify you are human, wait a few minutes and try again. If a download suddenly fails, close and reopen SuDown so it refreshes its engine: YouTube changes often.