How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP4?

Converting YouTube videos to MP4 format requires the right downloader tool to complete the process smoothly and securely. In this article, we recommend several highly-rated converters that allow quick and easy YouTube to MP4 conversion within just a few clicks. These recommended tools have been thoroughly tested for reliable performance, fast speeds, and safe downloading without any malware or bloatware. No matter if you are using Windows, Mac, Android, or iOS, we will cover trusted YouTube to MP4 conversion solutions optimized for each platform. By using these hand-picked converters, you can avoid the hassles of low-quality software. Continue reading to learn how to safely and quickly convert YouTube videos to MP4 using the best tools tailored for your device. With the right converter, you will be enjoying YouTube MP4 videos in no time.

Why You Need YouTube to MP4 Converters

Save Videos for Offline Viewing

Furthermore, converting YouTube to MP4 allows you to save videos. You can then watch the videos offline. This is possible when you don’t have an internet connection. This is great for frequent travelers. They want entertainment on the go. They do this without relying on mobile data or public WiFi.

MP4 files can be stored directly on your phone, tablet, laptop, external hard drives, USB drives, SD cards, etc. to watch videos during your commute, on a plane, or anywhere without connectivity. You don’t have to waste your limited mobile data allowance streaming videos. This gives you much more control and access to videos whenever needed, even in remote areas.

Edit Videos

Additionally, MP4 is compatible with most major video editing software. By converting YouTube videos to MP4 first, you can then import the clips. You would import them into your editing platform. Then you can remix the footage without compatibility issues.

This allows you to customize and enhance YouTube content by cutting clips, adding visual effects, color grading, inserting voiceovers, subtitles, transitions, titles, recording voiceover, chroma keying, green screen effects, and much more. You can turn even simple YouTube videos into professional home movies by editing them after conversion.

Share Videos in Messaging Apps

Moreover, MP4 files can be readily shared on messaging and social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, TikTok, Telegram etc. YouTube’s FLV format may not be supported across all apps and devices.

Converting to the universal MP4 format ensures maximum compatibility and easy sharing when you want to forward funny video clips or memorable moments with friends, family, followers, or groups. MP4 will play directly inside nearly any messaging and social media app for convenient video sharing.

Avoid Quality Loss from YouTube Compression

Likewise, YouTube compresses uploaded videos which leads to quality loss over multiple downloads and re-uploads. Each time a compressed video is downloaded and re-uploaded, more data is lost.

Converting the original high-quality video to MP4 avoids this generational loss in quality over repeated compression. This preserves the video quality for repeated offline viewing.

Burn Video to DVD

Finally, MP4 files can be burned onto DVDs to playback on TVs and home entertainment systems which usually don’t support YouTube’s FLV format natively. Converting to MP4 first allows you to save your favorite YouTube videos to enjoy on the big screen.

You can build a custom DVD collection of converted YouTube videos to watch using your DVD player and TV. Great for creating original mixes and playlists.

5 Top YouTube to MP4 Converters

Here are 5 top recommended YouTube to MP4 converters along with their key features:

Cisdem Video Downloader for Mac

Cisdem Video Downloader for Mac is a tool. It is easy-to-use and fast. It is for downloading videos. The videos are from YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo and 1000+ other sites. It supports batch downloading. It can download multiple videos at once. It can auto-detect videos playing in your Safari browser. Then it enables one-click saving.

Key Features:

1. Downloads videos in their original quality with no compression or quality loss. This retains the best video resolution and sound.
2. Supports downloading entire YouTube playlists or channels with a single click. Great for saving full course lessons or curated music collections.
3. Offers preset profiles for quickly optimizing settings based on the download destination. For example, settings for iPhone, iPad, Android phones, etc.
4. Can automatically name files and save to custom folders according to your preferences. This keeps your downloads neatly organized.
5. User-friendly and intuitive Mac-style interface. Very easy to use even for beginners.

Additional Features:

• Downloads Facebook, Dailymotion, Vimeo and other videos beyond just YouTube.
• Fast multi-threaded and accelerated download engine for quick saves even with large 4K videos.
• Automatically retries failed downloads to avoid incomplete videos.
• Converts downloaded videos to MP3 audio only files if needed.

Potential Limitations:

• Only available on Mac OS, no Windows version offered.
• Download speeds may be slower than dedicated browser extensions.
• Paid software so not free, but reasonably priced for the features.

SSyoutube online

SSyoutube online is a free online service. It makes it easy to download videos. The videos are from YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, Dailymotion and other major video platforms. It can be used right in the browser. All you need to do is copy and paste the video URL.

Key Features:

1. Supports downloading videos from many popular platforms beyond just YouTube. Great for one tool that works across sites.
2. Browser extensions available for Chrome, Firefox, Opera and Safari. This allows one-click downloading from the browser itself.
3. Downloaded videos retain original quality, resolution and formatting with no compression or re-encoding.
4. Audio extraction features let you download just the audio track in MP3 format. Useful for songs or podcasts.
5. Totally free to use with no signup required. Just visit the site and start downloading.

Additional Benefits:

• Fast downloading even with very large Ultra HD videos. Leverages multi-threading for speed.
• Can download entire YouTube playlists or channels with a single click.
• Useful URL shortener tool to create short links of lengthy video URLs.

Potential Drawbacks:

• Contains ads on the site due to being a free service. No paid ad-free option.
• Limited customization options for fine-tuning video output settings and formats.
• No standalone desktop application, web browser required.

FLVto.biz

FLVto.biz is a free online video downloader. It can save videos from 1000+ sites. The sites include YouTube, Facebook, Dailymotion, Vimeo and more. It offers advanced editing features. These go beyond basic downloading.

Key Features:

1. Downloads high quality HD and even massive 4K Ultra HD videos smoothly.
2. Trimming, cropping and rotating tools allow editing videos after download.
3. Audio extraction feature lets you save just the audio track from videos as MP3s.
4. Useful post-download options like adding custom subtitles, metadata and more.
5. Available across Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS devices.

Additional Highlights:

• Supports playlists and entire channel downloads from most major video sites.
• Fast and smooth downloading engine even with very large 8K videos.
• Can convert downloaded videos into alternate formats like MP4, AVI, MOV, etc.

Potential Cons:

• Contains some ads due to being a free service without paid tier.
• Advanced features can have a learning curve for non tech-savvy users.
• Some concerns around the legitimacy of the site and legality of services.

SaveVideo.tube

SaveVideo.tube is a free online tool. It is for downloading videos. The videos are from YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and 1000+ other sites. It is very easy to use. All you need is a simple copy and paste.

Key Features:

1. Supports downloading from a huge library of video platforms beyond just YouTube.
2. Downloaded videos retain the original quality, resolution and format without transcoding.
3. Fast multi-threaded and chunked downloading algorithm for quick saves.
4. Can download entire YouTube playlists or channels in one go.
5. Available as a browser extension for one-click downloads right from the browser.

Additional Benefits:

• Download videos up to 8K UHD quality smoothly.
• No limits on downloads or conversions for free users.
• Simple and clean interface ideal for beginners.

Potential Limitations:

• No advanced editing features like trimming videos.
• Lacks options to customize output video settings.
• Contains ads due to being a free service.

Ripyoutube

Ripyoutube is a popular free online video downloader supporting 1000+ sites like YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, SoundCloud and more. It offers useful advanced features.

Key Features:

1. Downloads high resolution 4K and 8K videos smoothly.
2. Audio extraction to convert and save only the audio track.
3. Basic editing tools like trimming, cropping and rotating videos.
4. Fast multi-threaded downloading engine for quick batch downloads.
5. Web and Android app available across devices.

Additional Highlights:

• Bypasses age restrictions to download age-gated videos.
• Automated tagging and organization of downloaded videos.
• Allows downloading entire playlists and channels.

Potential Cons:

• No desktop application, web browser required.
• Contains some ads due to being a free service.
• Questionable legitimacy of site and services.

When evaluating converters, look for speed, quality, ease of use, device support, formats supported, subtitles support, and advanced editing features. Try out multiple options to find your favorite.

The guide to convert YouTube to MP4 File Format

1. Find the YouTube URL

First, open the YouTube video you want to download in your browser and copy its URL from the address bar. This tells the converter exactly which video file to pull from YouTube’s servers.

Make sure you copy the entire URL including “https://www.youtube.com/…” and not just the video ID. The full URL is required.

2. Select MP4 as Output Format

Next, go to your preferred YouTube MP4 converter, paste the URL into the input box and select MP4 as the output format. Some converters let you tweak resolution, bitrates and other settings we’ll cover next.

The URL points the converter to the right video, while MP4 saves it in that format on your computer.

3. Customize MP4 Settings (Optional)

You can optionally customize the MP4 resolution, frame rate, bitrate and other video and audio settings:

• Resolution – Higher resolutions like 720p and 1080p result in larger files but better quality. For mobile, 480p is often sufficient.
• Frame Rate – Increasing frame rate makes videos smoother but larger. 25-30fps is common.
• Bitrate – Higher bitrate equals better video quality but larger files. 
• Sample rate refers to audio sample rate. A sample rate of 48000 Hz should be used. This is for good sound quality.

If you are unsure, stick to the default settings that the converter pre-selects for optimal conversion. But advanced users can tweak the values above.

4. Download the Converted MP4

Next, click “Convert” or “Download” to start converting the YouTube video into an MP4 based on your settings. The conversion usually completes in a few minutes depending on video length and settings.

Some converters directly play the MP4, while others prompt you to download the file. Make sure to save it!

5. Enjoy Your MP4 Videos!

Finally, once the MP4 file downloads, you now have an offline copy of the YouTube video to enjoy on any device! Transfer the MP4s to your phones, tablets, TVs and more for viewing without internet.

Important Tips for Video Conversion

Here are some tips to get the best results when converting YouTube and other online videos:

• Higher quality YouTube uploads will convert better into MP4. Prioritize 1080p or 4K source if available.
• Subtitles and closed captions often don’t transfer over. Use a converter that embeds captions into the MP4.
• Expect a minor decline in quality compared to the original due to re-encoding the file format.
• DRM protected videos like rented movies usually won’t convert. YouTube and other user uploads are fine.
• For Macs and iPhones, M4V may offer better compatibility than MP4. Test both formats.
• Try online and desktop converter apps to see which solution works best for your needs.

The Bottom Line

In summary, YouTube to MP4 converters provide an easy way to download videos for offline viewing, editing and sharing. Following the step-by-step tutorial, you can convert your favorite YouTube clips to MP4 using trusted converters.

The MP4 format gives you more control over videos for playback anywhere, remixing footage, and sharing easily across devices. Unlock the full potential of YouTube videos by converting them to versatile MP4 files.