[2024 Updated] Can't Download YouTube Videos? Try These Fixes!

In order to protect the original creator’s benefits and ensure ever-increasing ad revenues, YouTube only permits YouTube premium subscribers to download videos and playlists for offline viewing on the YouTube or YouTube Music app. For people who want to free save a video from YouTube, there is no direct download option anyway. But because of people’s soaring demands, a wide selection of third-party YouTube video download tools appear on the web. Therefore, it is never a tricky thing to download or convert a YouTube video.

Nevertheless, no matter which video downloader you’re using, you are likely to run into one or two YouTube download failed issues resulting from improper operations or certain objective factors. Why can’t I download YouTube videos? The following parts are the general causes of the problem and corresponding troubleshoots.

Cause 1. Out-of-date YouTube Video Downloader

YouTube features frequent video algorithm updates to prevent videos from being downloaded, which urges YouTube video downloaders to keep up with the changes to bypass the encryption and scrape video content. If you find that you fail to download any YouTube video, it is most likely a result of the outdated download tool. Try updating your YouTube downloader to the latest version to see whether the problem goes away.

Cause 2. Unstable Network Connection

Variable network connection is a unneglected cause to YouTube downloader not working. When you run into such network connection, the video detection or analysis process may be interrupted, and you may see download error messages. So, when you are unable to download YouTube videos using YouTube downloaders, make sure that you have a robust internet connection, then resubmit the download URL.

As an additional tip, you can also flush the DNS cache on your computer when encountering download failure. Here is how you can flush the local DNS cache on Windows:

Firstly, close the download application. Then, search for the Command Prompt app in the Start search bar and open the app. Type the ipconfig /flushdns command, and press Enter on your keyboard. You will see a message saying that it successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache. Next, try downloading YouTube videos in your YouTube downloader again.

Cause 3. Incomplete YouTube Video URL

Most YouTube downloaders download videos using URLs. If you have copied incorrect or partial of the video URL accidently, your YouTube downloader will fail to recognize the real video source. The right way to copy a YouTube video URL is right clicking on the playing video and select Copy Video URL.

Cause 4. The YouTube Video You Want to Download May be Protected

Some YouTube video downloaders fail to download videos containing music on YouTube or can’t save 1080p or higher resolution videos completely due to video encryption. Typically, you will receive error messages like “This tool is not available for videos containing music”, or the downloaded video will not include any audio track. If you can’t download such YouTube videos, the best solution is to use a more capable video downloader, for instance, WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Factory that can handle music video and videos in any qualities easily.

Cause 5. The Video is Not Available for Downloading in Your Country

When a YouTube video is only available on certain territories but you’re not in one of these areas, you will get a message like “This video is not available in your country”. Meanwhile, you can’t download it to your device unless you use a matching web proxy server or VPN server.

Cause 6. The Antivirus Software on Your Computer Block the Downloads

If you have installed antivirus software on your device, they may block download programs from downloading content from the Internet. You may reset the antivirus settings to allow downloads or disable them temporarily to check whether you can download videos from YouTube.

The 6 methods are workable in most cases when you can’t download YouTube videos. But if the problem remains unsettled after you have tried all the methods, you can use the following powerful YouTube downloader to save needed videos.

WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Factory is an advanced video downloader for PC. It is capable of downloading any public videos on YouTube. You can use it to download music video, download 1080p videos, download YouTube playlists, and other types of videos with ease. Featured with up-to-date video decryption tech and timely modification, WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Factory always enables you to download YouTube videos successfully. Follow the guide below to download videos from YouTube with the help of WonderFox Free HD Video Converter Factory.

Please free download free download and install the software on your PC.

This article has gathered 6 methods to help you resolve the problem that you can't download YouTube videos. Meanwhile, the versatile YouTube video downloader, Free HD Video Converter Factory, is also a backup solution if these 6 fixes don't work for you. If you have any question on the download process, please feel free to reach us via support@videoconverterfactory.com.