YouTube Shorts burst into the scene as YouTube's answer to the rising popularity of short-form video content, a trend popularized by platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. Launched in September 2020, YouTube Shorts allows creators to engage with their audience through catchy, brief videos, typically lasting up to 60 seconds.
Unlike normal YouTube videos, which can range from a few minutes to several hours in length, Shorts are designed to be quick and easily consumable, catering to the fast-paced, scroll-friendly habits of today's internet users.
If you fall into the bucket of someone who wants to master the creative side of YouTube shorts, then you are probably looking to start saving YouTube shorts as inspiration for your own production.
In this article, we are going to break down the step-by-step process to save and download youtube shorts like a pro completely free.
Whether you are looking to create a content mood board or simply download shorts for offline viewing, here's how you can download youtube shorts for yourself without using a buggy youtube video downloader or needing to keep track of the youtube short video link.
Download YouTube Shorts in 3 Steps (From Other Accounts)
If you are anything like me you have been searching how to download youtube shorts videos for a while... after endless failed solutions this method for saving & downloading YouTube shorts is if you want to save shorts from youtube accounts you do not own. If you are simply looking to download the YouTube shorts that you have posted, continue to the next section.
1. Download the Foreplay Chrome Extension (Free)
The first step to download YouTube short videos is to download the Foreplay Chrome Extension. The Foreplay Chrome extension allows you to save social video or advertising content from various places, allowing you to organize them into collections and mood boards. This is more than a simple youtube shorts downloader!
If you want to download videos from other platforms, here are our other guides you can follow which include organic content saving and even saving content from ad platforms.
2. Find the YouTube Short Video you want to Save/Download, Click the Blue "Save to Foreplay" Button
When you are scrolling on youtube Short our Chrome Extension will inject a save button directly on your screen. This means you will not need to copy, or paste any links - you can save youtube shorts with a single click.
This will save the YouTube short to your Foreplay dashboard forever. This means that even if the YouTube short gets deleted you will have access to it forever! When you save a youtube short using foreplay it will also chrystalize the original video URL.
For those looking to save youtube shorts as creative inspiration this is your last step, however, if you are looking to download youtube shorts as an .mp4 to your desktop, continue to step 3.
3. Download YouTube Shorts as a .MP4
For many of you downloading videos to your PC or Mac is the reason for wanting to save youtube shorts in the first place. If this is the case, you will want to open up the video you saved in your Foreplay Dashboard.
You can do this quickly by clicking the button again once it turns green and says "Saved".
Once the ad is opened in your Foreplay Dashboard, you will see a "Download" button at the bottom of the right-side column. Click this download button, to download the YouTube short video as a .mp4 to your Mac or PC.
If you download youtube shorts using this method it means the video quality will be as high as possible when taking into account YouTube's own video compression.
That's it, you now have access to the tried and true way to download YouTube shorts. Now you can begin saving creative video inspiration with a single click and begin to inform your creative video strategy.
Once you begin posting youtube shorts, you might want to download them after posting. In the next section of the article, we are going to show you how to download your own youtube shorts after posting.
How to Download Your Own YouTube Shorts Videos
Downloading your own YouTube shorts to your computer is a lot simpler then saving shorts/reels from other accounts. Here is the step-by-step process.
- Go to YouTube Studio (studio.youtube.com) from your channel by clicking on your profile avatar. You can also click this link.
- On the left side column click "Content".
- This will show you all the youtube videos you have posted. To easily display only Youtube shorts or reels, click "Shorts" on the top menu under the "Channel Content" headding.
- Choose the YouTube shor you want to download and click the three dots under the video name (only displayed when hovering).
- Click "Download" from the dropdown menu. This will download your youtube short to your Mac or PC completely free.
For mobile users, a similar workflow is available for the official youtube app on android and ios devices.
FAQ for YouTube Shorts Video Download
Is YouTube Shorts available for Desktop?
Yes! Although all youtube shorts video are optimizes for mobile devices (given their 9:16 aspect ratio) You can watch youtube shorts videos by clicking on a shorts video you see when browsing YouTube or by directly to concise videos by going to youtube.com/shorts/
Can I use the youtube shorts videos I download anywhere?
It is important when downloading youtube shorts to not repost these videos or use them for your own promotional purposes unless you have explicit consent from the original youtube short creator.
How long are youtube shorts videos?
Online videos are becoming more bite-sized every day. YouTube shorts are no different with a maximum length of 60 seconds and should be a minimum of 15 seconds long.
Is there a Chrome Extension to download youtube shorts video?
Yes, you can use the Foreplay Chrome Extension to save and download youtube shorts from any account.
Founder of Foreplay.co
