Best Free Video Downloader for Chrome and Edge

Saving a video for offline viewing sounds simple, but Chrome and Edge don’t have a built-in “download video” button for most sites. That gap has been filled by dozens of browser extensions — and, unfortunately, a lot of them are outdated, ad-stuffed, or simply broken since Chrome’s Manifest V3 rules and the Chrome Web Store’s stricter policies reshaped what extensions are even allowed to do. This guide walks through what’s actually still working, what to watch out for, and where to get each tool.

A quick word on what’s legal before you download anything

Before installing anything, it’s worth being clear-eyed about two separate issues: platform terms of service and copyright.

• Most streaming and video sites (YouTube included) prohibit downloading videos through their terms of service, even for personal use. That’s a contractual restriction, separate from copyright law.
• Copyright law generally restricts redistributing or publicly using someone else’s video without permission. Downloading a copy for strictly personal, offline use of content you already have rights to watch is a much lower-risk activity than redistributing it, but the legal picture varies by country and by the specific license on the content.
• Because of this, the Chrome Web Store’s policy blocks extensions from supporting YouTube downloads outright — Google owns both properties and won’t allow extensions to ship that capability. Nearly every legitimate extension you’ll find explicitly excludes YouTube for this reason.

The safest and clearly legal use cases are: your own uploaded videos, Creative Commons or public-domain content, content a site explicitly provides a “download” button for, video calls or webinars you recorded with permission, and video hosted on your own company’s internal tools (Vimeo business accounts, Wistia, Loom, etc., where your organization owns the content).

With that out of the way, here are the extensions that are currently functional, safe, and free.

1. Video DownloadHelper — the long-standing generalist

Video DownloadHelper has been around for well over a decade and is one of the most recognized names in this space, with a large installed user base on both Chrome and Firefox. It works by detecting downloadable media on the page you’re viewing — video, audio, and even images — and lets you save them in your preferred format (MP4, MKV, WebM, and more), with the option to extract audio as MP3. It also has some support for HLS/DASH adaptive streams and live streams, which trips up a lot of newer extensions.

What it does well:

• Broad site coverage beyond just the obvious video platforms
• Recognizes adaptive streaming formats, not just plain MP4 files
• Actively maintained and rebuilt for Chrome’s Manifest V3 requirements
• No account or sign-up required for the core functionality

Limitations:

• No YouTube support, per Chrome Web Store policy
• Some advanced features (batch conversion, certain formats) require an optional paid “companion app”
• On some sites you may need to click into the extension’s popup menu rather than getting a one-click download

Get it: Video Download Helper on the Chrome Web Store

This same Chrome Web Store listing works in Microsoft Edge too — see the Edge instructions below.

2. Video Downloader — a lightweight, no-frills option

If Video DownloadHelper feels like more extension than you need, there are several simpler “Video Downloader” extensions built around one job: detect a video stream on the current page and give you a one-click save button. One widely installed example supports multiple resolutions and formats automatically, without any setup, and — like virtually every extension in this category — excludes YouTube because of Chrome Web Store rules.

What it does well:

• Extremely simple interface, good for people who just want a quick save-to-disk option
• No account creation
• Works across many general websites that host direct video files

Limitations:

• Less capable with complex adaptive streams (HLS/DASH) than dedicated tools
• Free tiers on this category of extension often show ads or upsells for a “pro” version
• Quality and reliability vary a lot between similarly named extensions, so check reviews and install counts before trusting one

Get it: Video Downloader on the Chrome Web Store

3. HLS/DASH-focused downloaders

A growing category of newer extensions specializes in streaming-manifest formats — HLS (.m3u8) and DASH (.mpd) — which is what a lot of modern video players (news sites, learning platforms, some webinar tools) actually use under the hood instead of a plain MP4 file. General-purpose downloaders sometimes miss these entirely.

If you regularly run into a video that plays fine but that generic downloaders can’t detect, search the Chrome Web Store directly for terms like “HLS downloader” or “m3u8 downloader” and check:

• How recently the extension was updated (anything not touched in the last year is a red flag given how often streaming players change)
• Whether it processes video locally in your browser rather than routing your video through an external server (better for privacy)
• The permissions it requests — an extension that only needs access to media on the current tab is safer than one asking for broad access to “read and change all your data on all websites you visit”

4. yt-dlp — the power-user’s command-line tool

If you’re comfortable outside the browser, yt-dlp is a free, open-source command-line tool that handles an enormous range of sites and formats, and it’s frequently recommended as the most capable option for people who don’t mind a bit of setup. It isn’t a browser extension — you install it separately and run it from a terminal — but many people pair it with a Chrome or Edge extension for copying video URLs, then let yt-dlp do the actual downloading and format conversion.

What it does well:

• Handles an unusually wide range of sites and stream types
• Actively maintained by an open-source community
• Free with no ads, subscriptions, or watermarks

Limitations:

• Command-line only — not beginner friendly
• No graphical interface out of the box (some third-party GUIs exist)
• You’re responsible for using it in line with each site’s terms and applicable copyright law

Using these extensions in Microsoft Edge

Edge is built on the same Chromium engine as Chrome, so almost every Chrome Web Store extension — including the ones above — can run in Edge. There are two ways to install one:

1. Enable Chrome Web Store extensions directly in Edge:
   • Open Edge and go to edge://extensions
   • Turn on “Allow extensions from other stores” (Edge will prompt for this the first time you visit the Chrome Web Store)
   • Visit the Chrome Web Store link for the extension and click Add to Chrome — Edge will install it normally
2. Check the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store first: Microsoft maintains its own extension marketplace at microsoftedge.microsoft.com/addons, and some developers publish an Edge-native version separately. Search the extension’s name there before falling back to the Chrome Web Store method.

Either way works fine; the Chrome Web Store route just has a larger selection since it’s a bigger marketplace.

How to avoid the bad extensions

Because “video downloader” is such a heavily searched term, it attracts a disproportionate number of low-quality or outright unsafe extensions. A few checks before you install anything:

• Read the permissions request. A video downloader legitimately needs access to media on the page you’re viewing. It does not need access to your clipboard, your browsing history across all sites, or the ability to read and modify data on every website, unless there’s a clear reason given.
• Check the developer and reviews. Look for a real support page, a changelog, and reviews that mention specific, plausible details rather than generic five-star praise posted all on the same day.
• Be suspicious of anything promising “unlimited YouTube downloads” as a Chrome extension. As covered above, this isn’t something the Chrome Web Store allows, so an extension claiming it either doesn’t actually work, is about to get removed, or is doing something shady to get around the rule.
• Prefer extensions that process video locally in your browser rather than uploading the video to an external server to be converted — this is both a privacy and a safety consideration.
• Uninstall anything you’re not actively using. Old, unmaintained extensions are one of the more common ways browsers pick up unwanted behavior over time.

Quick comparison

Frequently asked questions

Can I download videos from YouTube with a Chrome extension? Not through the Chrome Web Store — Google’s policy blocks that feature specifically because it owns both Chrome and YouTube. YouTube does offer its own official offline/download feature within the YouTube app and website for Premium subscribers, which is the sanctioned way to save YouTube videos for offline viewing.

Why do so many “video downloader” extensions get removed? Chrome tightened extension policy significantly around Manifest V3, removing some of the background APIs older downloaders relied on, and the Chrome Web Store has also cracked down on extensions that facilitate downloading from platforms with protective terms of service. A lot of listings you’ll find through search are simply gone or non-functional.

Is it safe to use these on a work or school computer? Check your organization’s device policy first — many workplaces restrict which extensions can be installed, and a video downloader could be flagged by IT security tools even when it’s legitimate.

What about downloading videos on my phone? Extensions don’t run in mobile Chrome or Edge the same way. For mobile, you’d typically need either an app the video platform itself provides (again, YouTube Premium’s offline downloads are the legitimate example) or a dedicated downloader app, which comes with its own set of trust and legality considerations to weigh.

The best choice really depends on what you’re downloading. For everyday direct-video files on ordinary websites, a lightweight one-click extension like Video Downloader is usually enough. For streaming sites using HLS or DASH, look specifically for an extension built around those formats, with Video DownloadHelper as a solid general-purpose fallback. And if you’re comfortable with a terminal, yt-dlp will get you the furthest — just keep the terms-of-service and copyright considerations above in mind for whatever you’re saving.