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How to Download YouTube Video to Google Drive Directly?

 

How can I upload a YouTube video to Google Drive without it passing through my local device?

There is a video on YouTube. I want to save a copy of the video to my Google Drive. Due to data plan considerations, I don't want to first download it to my local device and then upload it. I want everything to happen in the cloud.

I have found some ways to do this, but they were quite complicated. I'm posting this here in the hope of finding more convenient methods.

- Question from webapps.stackexchange.com

Downloading YouTube videos to Google Drive is ensential while YouTube contains important information you want to keep. So, how to download YouTube Video to Google Drive directly? Is there any considerations to take? You will learn everything about YouTube to Google Drive MP4 migration. Let’s get started.

YouTube
YouTube

Why Save YouTube Videos to Google Drive?

There are multiple reasons you might consider saving YouTube videos to Google Drive especially if you are a students, professionals, and casual users alike. Let’s check it out now:

  • Preserve Important Content

Videos disappear from YouTube all the time - copyright claims, channel deletions, or creator decisions can wipe out content in an instant. By saving to Drive, you create your own personal archive that won't vanish overnight.

  • Watch Without Internet

Heading somewhere with spotty service? Videos in your Drive can be made available offline, perfect for flights, road trips, or areas with poor connectivity where YouTube streaming might fail.

  • Avoid Distractions

YouTube's algorithm is designed to keep you watching, often leading you down rabbit holes. Having the video in Drive lets you focus on just the content you need without recommended video temptations.

  • Share Without Links

Need to share a video with someone who shouldn't have full YouTube access (like kids or employees)? Drive lets you share specific content without exposing them to YouTube's full platform.

  • Add to Presentations

Embedding a Drive video in Slides or Docs often works more reliably than YouTube embeds, especially in professional or academic settings where YouTube might be blocked.

  • Higher Quality Control

Sometimes YouTube automatically lowers quality based on connection speed. Downloaded videos maintain their quality regardless of your internet situation.

How to Save a YouTube Video to Your Drive | 3 Ways

Way 1. Easiest Way to Download YouTube Video to Your Drive

Typically, you can download YouTube video to your computer if you have a YouTube Premium plan, or you can’t download YouTube videos if you’re a free user due to the limitation. So, how to download YouTube videos if you’re a YouTube free user? Don’t worry, here comes the powerful online multiple cloud storage manager, MultCloud, to help. It can be treated as the best free way to download YouTube to Google Drive. Check the following advantages of downloading YouTube videos:

It supports 40+ clouds and services, including Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, pCloud, MEGA, MediaFire, Google Photos, SharePoint Online, Wasabi, Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Google Workspace, ownCloud, and so on.
It offers Video Downloader allows you to download videos from 1,000+ sites directly, including YouTube, Twitter, Vimeo, Bilibili, and many more.
It downloads videos in original resolutions or other resolutions you’d prefer.
You can download YouTube videos to your computer, or save them to your online cloud storage directly.

Now, curious about how to save a YouTube video to your Drive with MultCloud, here are the simple steps for reference:

1. Head to the YouTube website and open the video you’d like to download. Copy the YouTube video link from the address bar.

 

2. Go to your MultCloud Dashboard after logging in. Register for a MultCloud account if you don’t have one.

3. Click Video Downloader on the top menu, then click Add Cloud > Google Drive to add Google Drive first.

Add Google Drive
Add Google Drive

4. After that, click Video Downloader on the left side. Input the YouTube video link into the search bar, then it will automatically generate the video in different formats and resolutions.

Save YouTube Videos to Cloud
Save YouTube Videos to Cloud

5. Press Save to Cloud while hovering over the YouTube video with the right format and resolution, choose Google Drive as the destination. It will save YouTube video to Google Drive directly without taking up space on your local disk.

Choose Google Drive to Save YouTube Videos
Choose Google Drive to Save YouTube Videos

You can check the progress in Task List to monitor the YouTube downloading process.

Tip: You can also download YouTube video directly to your hard drive, then you can move it to your flash drive or other devices for safekeeping.

  • Smart Share: Share cloud files via public, private, or source mode.
  • One-key Move: Quick data transfer, sync, and backup among clouds.
  • Email Archive: Protect emails to other clouds or local disks.
  • Remote upload: Effectively save web files to clouds via URL.
  • Save Webpages as PDF/PNG: Keep them locally or online.
  • Instagram Download: Archive Instagram materials locally or online.
  • Easy: Access and manage all clouds in one place with one login.
  • Extensive: 30+ clouds and on-premise services are supported.

Way 2. Download from YouTube and Upload to Google Drive

If you’re YouTube Premium users, you can directly download YouTube video to Google Drive by downloading to computer and then upload to Google Drive manually, it’s not the easy way but feasible:

1. Go to the YouTube website and log in to your Premium account, find the YouTube video you’d like to download.

Download YouTube Videos to Computer
Download YouTube Videos to Computer

2. Click Download at the bottom right under the video, choose the quality to download, and wait for it to complete. Find it in the Downloads folder on your computer.

3. Go to the Google Drive website, and log int to your account, tap the + New button > File upload.

Upload YouTube Video to Google Drive
Upload YouTube Video to Google Drive

4. Choose the downloaded YouTube video on your computer, hit Open to upload YouTube videos to Google Drive.

This way can be time-consuming especailly when the video is very large, it takes much more time to download, and uploading process can also cost much more time. If your Internet connection is unstable, the time will be much longer.

Way 3. Use Extension to Download YouTube Video to Drive

If you find yourself frequently needing to download YouTube video to drive, browser extensions can help you download. These add-ons add download buttons directly below YouTube videos, cutting out several steps from the online converter method. The tradeoff is that you're installing software that has access to your browsing data, so stick to extensions with many positive reviews.

1. Install a reputable extension like "Video DownloadHelper" for Firefox or "YouTube Video Downloader" for Chrome from their respective web stores.

2. After installation, you'll typically see a new download button appear below YouTube videos - often near the "Share" button.

3. Click this and choose your desired quality and format before downloading. The file will save directly to your computer's downloads folder.

4. Now navigate to Google Drive in your browser, click "New" then "File upload" and select the video from your downloads.

For even faster access, some extensions offer direct Drive upload options in their settings - enable this to skip the manual upload step entirely.

Tips:

  • Extensions can sometimes stop working after YouTube updates its interface. If the download button disappears, check for extension updates or temporarily switch to another method.
  • For better organization, rename files before uploading to Drive - YouTube video titles often become messy filenames with random characters. Consider adding the date or your own tags to the filename for easier searching later.

Write in the End

Until now, you have learned how to save a YouTube video to your Drive. You can try one of the solutions to download YouTube video in Google Drive easily and effortlessly. Besides, you can also download Instagram videos and photos in bulk, archive Gmail emails to Google Drive, migrate files from one Google Drive to iCloud Drive, etc.

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