It's one of the most common questions about video downloaders, and the answer is: it depends on what you download and what you do with it. Here's a plain-English guide to the main ideas, so you can save videos responsibly.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Copyright law differs between countries. If you're planning commercial use or something you're unsure about, talk to a qualified lawyer.

Three separate questions

When people ask "is it legal?", they're usually mixing up three different things:

  1. Copyright: who owns the video, and what you're allowed to do with it.
  2. Platform rules: what TikTok, Instagram, X or others allow in their terms of service.
  3. What you do afterwards: watching it yourself is very different from re-uploading it or selling it.

In most countries, a video is automatically protected by copyright the moment it's created. The creator (or whoever they work for) owns it. No registration or © symbol is needed. Music in the video usually has its own separate owners.

Copyright gives the owner control over things like copying, distributing and publicly showing their work. Being able to watch a video publicly doesn't mean you're free to republish it.

What's generally low-risk

  • Saving your own content. Downloading videos you created and posted, as a backup or to post elsewhere, is your right.
  • Content you have permission for. If a creator says you can use their clip, or a brand gives you access to its videos, you're covered. Get permission in writing when it matters.
  • Public domain and openly licensed videos. Very old works, some government footage, and videos released under licences like Creative Commons can often be reused. Check the licence's conditions, such as crediting the creator.
  • Watching privately. Saving a public recipe or workout video to watch offline is the most common use. Rules vary by country and by platform, but private viewing doesn't involve sharing anyone's work with others.

What's risky or not allowed

  • Re-uploading someone else's video as your own. This is the clearest copyright problem, and platforms remove these videos and penalise accounts.
  • Using clips commercially without permission. Putting someone's video or music in an ad, a product or a monetised channel requires a licence.
  • Removing credits or watermarks to pass work off as yours. Besides copyright, this can break platform rules and is unfair to creators.
  • Downloading private content. Our tools only work with public posts, and getting around privacy settings is not something we support.

Fair use and fair dealing

Some countries allow limited use of copyrighted material without permission for purposes like commentary, criticism, news reporting, teaching or parody. In the United States this is called fair use, and in the UK, Canada, Australia and others, fair dealing. These are judged case by case, so they're defences, not automatic permissions. Using a short clip to review it is very different from reposting the whole video.

Platform rules

Each platform's terms of service set rules about downloading and reusing content. Some platforms offer their own download buttons for certain videos. Others restrict downloading. Breaking a platform's terms usually affects your account rather than being a crime, but it's worth knowing the rules of the services you use.

That's also why our tools are deliberately limited: we only handle public posts, we don't download YouTube videos, and we remove content from our tools when rights holders ask (see our DMCA page).

A simple checklist before you reuse a video

  1. Did I make it? Then go ahead.
  2. Do I have permission or a licence? Keep a record of it.
  3. Is it public domain or openly licensed? Follow the licence terms.
  4. Am I only keeping it to watch myself? That's the most common and lowest-risk use.
  5. Am I commenting on it, reviewing it or teaching with it? You may be covered by fair use or fair dealing. Use only what you need and credit the source.
  6. None of the above? Ask the creator. Most are happy to be asked and to be credited.

Respect the people who make videos

Behind every clip is someone who spent time making it. Credit creators, link back to originals, and ask before reposting. It keeps you on the right side of the rules, and it keeps the internet a place where people want to create.

If you're a rights holder and want content blocked from our tools, see our DMCA and copyright page.