Download your YouTube videos in their original resolution

Google Takeout
Nicole Cozma/CNET

YouTube is a great medium for sharing your videos with friends, family or the world in general. However, if you want to post your videos elsewhere, you’ll need to keep copies on your hard drive. If you don’t have backups, you could download them from YouTube, but you’ll get lower-resolution copies of your videos. As a solution, the Digital Inspiration Blog recommends skipping YouTube’s video downloads and using Google Takeout instead. Here’s how:

Step 1: Head to www.google.com/settings/takeout

Google Takeout preferences.
Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET

Step 2: Click the Select none button at the top of the list, then flip the switch next to YouTube. Press Next when finished.

Select your archives!
Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET

Step 3: Choose the file type you want and the delivery method from their respect drop-down boxes. Finish by clicking Create Archive.

Note: Saving video files to your Google Drive space means that they will count your storage limit. Also, files over 2GB will be divided to meet the limit.

Now, whether you choose to get videos delivered in a link to your Gmail, or you upload them to Google Drive, it will be easy to share them on another video service.