Open VLC and go to Media > Open Network Stream (or press Ctrl + N ). macOS: Go to File > Open Network (or press Command + N ).

VLC does not have a "Download" button; instead, you must find the temporary source URL that YouTube uses to serve the video data to the player. How to download Youtube videos with VLC Media Player

The first stage involves feeding the YouTube URL into VLC’s network engine so the player can analyze the raw video stream.

This guide provides the updated 2026 workflow for downloading YouTube videos using VLC on Windows and macOS, along with essential troubleshooting for the common "MRL" error. Step 1: Open the YouTube Stream in VLC