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How to automatically download videos from the Web

Sometimes we want to download videos from YouTube or other sites for offline viewing or for other reason. VSO Downloader makes it simple.

Rob Lightner

Streaming video is one of the great perks of 21st-century living (so far), but sometimes we want to store copies of the videos we watch for later viewing, sharing, or other purposes.

It's possible to do so through most browsers, but it can be a pain. VSO Downloader is a standalone program that monitors your viewing and automatically saves a copy of any video you watch to your hard drive. Here's how to use it:

Step 1. Download and install VSO Downloader.

Step 2. Launch VSO Downloader before you start watching videos, and minimize it to the system tray, if you'd like.

Step 3. When you start watching a new video clip, the program will automatically detect it and start to download. It works with thousands of sites and all the major browsers, but you may find that some videos remain undetected.

Step 3: Automatically download detected videos.

Step 3: Automatically download detected videos.

Step 4. If you'd rather pick which videos are downloaded, click "Options," then "Settings," then select "Download settings." Uncheck the box next to "Download automatically detected media." From now on, you'll need to instruct VSO Downloader which videos to download. You can also change the folder to which video save.

Step 4: Change download settings.

Step 4: Change download settings.

If you're feeling adventurous, you may want to tinker with the more-advanced download and detection settings, but I found the defaults to work fine.

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