How do I download Youtube videos? A guide to saving Youtube movies.

Have you watched a video on Youtube, Dailymotion, or Myspace and wished that you could save it? If you watched it, you can save it! Read on to learn how.

How to save files from video sites like Youtube

One way to save videos is to use special programs or websites. However, these don’t always work and can be slow. Instead of using these unreliable methods, I will show you how to save the file. In fact, your computer has already saved the video. All you have to do is find it. Unlike the other methods, this one is completely general and will work for any video site that shows FLV flash movies (like Youtube).

First, I recommend you use Mozilla’s Firefox internet browser, available here. When you use Firefox to watch a video, it will store a temporary copy of the video as a file on your computer. To find this file, go to your File Explorer and find the directory:

C:\Documents and Settings\Local Settings\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\i8rf43gv\Cache

The junk sequence “i8rf43gv” will always vary. Inside this directory, you will see a large number of files with strange names. Most of the files will have very small sizes around 30 KB. Sort the files by Date Modified and look for large files around 1 MB or more. These are temporary movies files. The most recent one corresponds to the most recent video you watched on Youtube.

Let’s say the file is called 2DBAA2CFe03. Copy this file into another location, like your Desktop. Rename this file to something with a .flv extension, such as YOUTUBE.FLV. Now you can watch your favorite movie any time you want!

If you are wondering how to watch FLV files, see this other great FAQ, Where can I find a free FLV player?

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