Is it legal to download a video? A plain answer
Written by FolkCraft Studio · Published August 17, 2026
Personal use is not a magic phrase. Here is how VidLoad thinks about copyright, platform rules, and what we will not help with. Not legal advice.
Short version
Owning a browser tab that can play a video is not the same as owning a file you can copy, sell, or re-upload. Copyright sits with the creator or the company that signed them. Platform terms (TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, Vimeo, VK Video, and other hosts) also restrict how you may copy their streams. VidLoad is a technical helper for public links. It does not grant rights you did not already have.
This is not legal advice. Rules differ by country. If the file matters — a client deliverable, a classroom archive, a commercial project — ask a lawyer or use the platform’s official offline / “download your data” tools. For advertising on this site, see Google’s AdSense program policies.
Uses that match why we built this
- A talk, lesson, or clip you recorded and posted yourself
- Media you have a written license to keep offline
- Family or class material the owner asked you to save
If you would not be comfortable emailing the creator “I kept a copy,” do not treat this tool as a workaround.
What we refuse
- Private, friends-only, or passworded posts
- Anything that needs a login wall or age gate we cannot pass as a guest
- DRM, rentals, paywalls, or “members only” streams
- Bulk automation that looks like scraping a catalog
Credit people when you share something you actually own. Prefer a retweet, quote, or official embed when you just want others to see the original.
The longer product stance is on personal & lawful use. Copyright complaints go through Copyright & DMCA.