YouTube's rules
YouTube's terms only allow downloading where YouTube shows a download button or where the owner gives permission. That covers your own uploads and videos marked with a Creative Commons license. For everything else, use YouTube Premium's offline feature, which keeps the videos inside the YouTube app.
Finding Creative Commons videos
On YouTube search, open Filters and choose Creative Commons. Under each video, the description shows "License: Creative Commons Attribution (reuse allowed)". You may reuse those clips as long as you credit the creator — put their name and the original link in your description.
Backing up your channel
If you want every upload from your own channel, Google Takeout exports them all at once, including titles and descriptions. YouTube Studio also lets you download your own videos one by one from the three-dot menu. SLMtik is quicker for one or two Shorts you want to repost elsewhere.
Moving your Shorts to TikTok
Many creators post the same vertical video on Shorts, TikTok and Reels. Download your own Short as MP4, then upload it in the TikTok app. Add native TikTok text and sounds after uploading; videos that look cross-posted tend to reach fewer people. The reverse route is covered in how to repost TikTok to Reels and Shorts.
We built this page for creators and Creative Commons clips. Please do not use it to copy other channels' work.