How to download YouTube videos to your Computer

       How do I download or save a YouTube video to my personal computer(PC)? This is one of the most common questions for people who consume a lot of YouTube video content online.

YouTube has been designed to only allow users to watch and view videos on the YouTube website. Many users want to save their favorite videos to their computer so they can watch and share them with  friends, family, and coworkers without being connected to the Internet or so they can watch them on other devices like your iPad, iPhone, blackberry 
device or even burn these files onto a DVD and watch them on your television.

        There are many different services that will help you copy and save your favorite YouTube clips. Often, to download these videos, the only thing you'll need to do is download a specific piece of software and copy and paste the video's Web address(URL). 

         Keep in mind before choosing a YouTube download software, though, that some programs are free, while others will cost money and may only work with certain browsers.

Also I'd want to stress that most of these tools do violate the YouTube Terms of Service and that if you use them, you do so at your own risk. 

        Below are a few of my favorite YouTube download software links.

1. KeepVid - KeepVid is a simple and free utility that's not quite as slathered with ads as some in the free downloader playing field. Just paste the URL of the video (works with YouTube as well as several other video sites) and you'll get an option to download it in either FLV or MP4 formats -- the extra format option is a nice touch here, too.
2. Easy YouTube Video Downloader - This one's actually a Firefox extension that adds a download button option to the YouTube Video interface itself. Conversions are available to MP4 and 3GP, with HD quality options displayed where available.
3.  Downloader9 - This plain and simple free site lets you paste in a video URL from YouTube, Metacafe, DailyMotion or Myspace and generates a download link for the FLV file. As with many of these bare bones options, you'll have to rename the file to something.FLV and have your own FLV player to watch the vids.
4. iDesktop.tv - This freemium service supports YouTube downloads in the following formats: AVI, MP4, MOV, 3PG, 3PG2, WMV, FLV, EXE, ZIP and MP3 (paid plans only for MP3). You have a limited number of daily download credits under the free plan, with unlimited downloads and more file formats available under the $7 a month Downloader plan.
5. SaveTube - Another simple paste and download tool in the vein of Downloader9 or KeepVid, SaveTube works fine but the downside is it's so heavily ad-supported you have to tread carefully to avoid accidentally clicking on an ad.
6. VideoGetting - This one is free and supports conversion into multiple formats (WMV, MP3, MP4, MOV, 3GP, AVI, MPG, MPEG), but you'll have to tolerate annoying pop-ups and ad traps to use it.
7. VDownloder - Another survivor from our first round look at YouTube downloaders, VDownloder is a free app with support for a number of online video sites including a handful of (ahem) adult sites. It supports video search right from within the app and can save to AVI, MPG, MP$ (iPod/iPhone), PSP, 3GP, Nokia, VCD, SVCD, FLV and MP3.
8. YouTube Downloader HD. YouTube Downloader HD keeps things simple: You provide the URL of the video, select the video quality and format, and click the Download button. YouTube Downloader HD has a limited selection of output formats and can’t download from video sites other than YouTube, but it still shines with its adware-free installation, ability to download multiple videos simultaneously, and automatic conversion feature.

    These might not be comprehensive enough. So if you have a favorite tool for downloading YouTube videos to your computer, let me know in the comments!

     I hope this helps.