Downloadhelper. An extension to download videos from the web

Last updated on 21 February 2025

DownloadHelper is an extension for your Firefox or Chrome browser that allows you to download videos from the web very simply.

If you've ever wondered how to retrieve this damn video from YouTube on your computer so you can show it to your students in class without the need for an internet connection, DownloadHelper is the tool for you.

Here is a very practical module for all teachers or trainers. You will be able to download videos from the web and save them on your computer with one click. Ideal for all those who do not have an internet connection in class or who have experienced this great moment of loneliness of a flickering internet connection during a presentation in class or in training.

DownloadHelper is arguably the best extension of its kind. It has the advantage of working with most online video storage platforms: YouTube, Dailymotion, Vimeo and even Facebook or Twitter. The list of compatible platforms is impressive.

It is easy to use. Once installed on your browser, a small icon appears in the menu bar. When you are on a web page containing a video, it is displayed in colour with a small number that corresponds to the number of videos that the extension found on the page. Clicking on it will take you to a drop-down menu that offers you all available video formats and sizes. All you have to do is choose, click and download. That's great.

By default, documents are placed in a folder named "dwhelper". But you can set another place on your hard drive and then play or rename the downloaded video file.

This extension is free. Note that it works better on Firefox than on Chrome where it was brought later. I have seen, for example, that on the latter, it is impossible to download a video from YouTube.

An essential extension in your toolkit of small practical utilities.

Link: DownloadHelper for Firefox — DownloadHelper for Chrome