How To Save ANY YouTube Video Without a “Free Website”

Downloading YouTube videos can be very inconsistent and tiresome. That “free website” no longer works, or it compresses one’s videos terribly. Here is a sure-fire way to download ANY YouTube video.

Disclaimer: According to Google’s Terms of Service for YouTube, “You shall not download any Content unless you see a ‘download’ or similar link displayed by YouTube on the Service for that Content.” If you absolutely must download a video, make sure it’s strictly for your own personal use — or you risk violating MANY privacy and copyright laws.

Download VLC or another media player that allows Network URL viewing
Open VLC and click Media -> Open Network Stream
Paste the YouTube URL you want to extract. Then, play it.
Go to Tools -> Media Information and highlight the LOCATION at the bottom of the pop-up window.
Paste that URL into a browser and right-click “save video as”
Name the file and desired location