Last updated on 2024-06-20, by
How to Download YouTube Members Only Videos?
YouTube is an outstanding platform to watch amazing videos that gains many users. According to Statista, it is now the second most popular social media as of April 2024. However, you may sometimes come across a situation in which you cannot watch videos tagged as "members only". This kind of video is only available to paid members. So, in this case, if you are not a paid user, you may wonder how to watch members only videos on YouTube for free and how to download members only YouTube videos.
No worries. We get you covered. In this article, we will introduce methods to help you access members only videos. But first, before we go to the details, let's lay out some fundamental information.
Outline
Part 1: What are Members Only Videos on YouTube?
Since 2018, YouTube has allowed content creators to earn a monthly fee by offering exclusive videos to subscribers. So, in addition to free videos, exclusive videos have also been introduced that are not open to free users. Only subscribers who have joined the channel memberships can access this unique content.
You can consider exclusive content as VIP things offered by the channel owner, and they can be divided into up to 6 levels and different perks, such as community posts, custom emoji, member-first videos, like chat, live stream, personal shoutouts, early access to new videos, etc.
In short, YouTubers offer members only content and an exceptional watching experience for those who pay to join their channel's membership. Additionally, all these can help YouTubers create a strong community for loyal fans, let YouTubers get income, and motivate them to create better content.
1. How to join members-only channel?
In case some of you are willing to join the membership to access exclusive benefits from the YouTuber you follow, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to become a member and start enjoying exclusive content from your favorite creators.
Step 1. Not all YouTubers offer membership access. So, you need to make sure that the YouTuber supports a membership. Go to the channel homepage and click on the "Join" button. If there is not a “Join”, membership is unavailable.
Note: The “Join” button is not available on the iOS version of the YouTube app. So, you need to use a computer browser or a non-iOS device.
Step 2. Choose a members-only tier from the available options after you view the perks and benefits.
Step 3. After you finish the processes, you can start to enjoy your members only videos.
2. How to find members-only videos on YouTube?
So, as a non-paying user, how to find the members only videos of the channels that you are interested in. You can follow this step-by-step guide.
Step 1. Go to your YouTube and enter the YouTuber homepage.
Step 2. Find the "Community" tab on the homepage. It is a place where YouTubers react with their audiences through posts, polls, etc.
Step 3. Browse through the Community tab and look for videos tagged as "Members Only. If you want to find a specific member-only video, you can also choose to use the searching ability. Just enter the keywords in the search box next to the "Store" button.
Step 4. Additionally, there is a members only video section on the YouTuber homepage. Just scroll down and find it.
By following these steps, you can effectively find and access the members only videos from YouTube.
3. How to cancel YouTube members-only channel?
If you are no longer interested in the channel, satisfied with the content, no longer get the value of those perks and benefits, or cannot afford the membership cost any more, you can just quit the membership at any time you want. Follow the following steps to cancel it.
Step 1. First, log in to your YouTube account. Click on your profile and select the "Purchases and Memberships" option.
Step 2. In the "Purchases and Memberships" section, you can see all your purchase histories. Find the channel membership to which you have subscribed. Click on the "Manage membership" button next to the channel's name.
Step 3. It will redirect to a new page where you can see the subscription information. Click on the "DEACTIVATE" button. This will suspend your membership but will not cancel it permanently.
Step 4. If you decide to proceed with canceling your membership entirely, select "END MEMBERSHIP." This will end your membership permanently, and you will not be able to access the new exclusive content.
Step 5. Before finalizing the cancellation, a prompt with a confirmation screen outlining the consequences of ending your membership. Review the information carefully, then confirm to complete the cancellation process.
Part 2: Can You Watch Members Only Videos on YouTube for Free?
Yes. Although members only videos are unavailable to non-paying users, there are still ways out. Here are 5 ways available for you to watch YouTube members only videos for free.
1. Free trial
Some YouTube channels offer free trial memberships for non-paying users who want to access members only videos. But these opportunities are often temporary and serve to attract new subscribers. Once you submit a free trial, you can watch the members only video within 30 days.
2. Check for other social media
In some cases, the video creator may upload the members only videos to other social media. What's more, there is a situation where some paid users may record the video and upload it to social media. So, non-paying users may have a chance to access these videos from other platforms.
3. Share access
Sharing the account that supports membership from your friend or family is also a way, although it may be against the YouTube terms of service and may result in account suspension or termination.
4. Special events
Although it is rare, sometimes the content creator may unlock members only videos as a special event for part of the promotion to all audiences.
5. YouTube members only videos downloading
A 30-day free trial may not be enough for you, and frequently borrowing YouTube membership accounts from others can be inconvenient. For an unlimited watching experience, you can download these videos to your computer during the trial or after borrowing an account so that you can watch them as many times as you want.
Part 3: How to Download YouTube Members Only Videos?
Now, you have learned ways to access members only videos for free and understand their drawbacks. You may find out the best way is to download members only YouTube videos for unlimited offline enjoyment. So, how to download members only videos on YouTube? CleverGet YouTube Movies Downloader is one of the best YouTube video downloaders that we recommend you use.
It is a dedicated YouTube members only video downloader, but also supports downloading YouTube movies, TV shows from YouTube’s Movies & TV channel. It is compatible with both Windows and MacOS devices. With the ability to let you download videos from YouTube to MP4 or MKV format at a lossless quality, it retains up to 1080P resolution. What's more, it supports batch processing and lets you do multiple tasks at once, saving you time. For a better watching experience, it can remove the ads within the video and keep multilingual audio tracks and subtitles.
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CleverGet YouTube Movies Downloader
- Hardware acceleration to quicker downloading speed.
- Remove popup ads.
- Retain up to 1080P resolution.
- Support batch downloading.
- Support output files in MP4 and KMV.
Follow this step-by-step guide to start download your members only YouTube videos.
Step 1. Launch the software. Log into your YouTube account within CleverGet and start adjusting the general settings like saving destination.
Click the three dots "..." in the upper right corner on the page. In the drop-down menu, click "Settings". Locate "General" tab, set a destination to save members only videos in the "Save Video To" section. You can also make other settings to your preference as well. Click the "Save" button to quit Settings.
Step 2. Make sure you have joined the channel. Play the desired members only video within CleverGet because CleverGet can only parse and download the video when it is in playback.
Step 3. After the software detects the video, it will prompt you that DRM encrypted video requires YouTube movies downloader. Just click on the “Continue” button to proceed.
Step 4. In the pop-up window, choose the output format and quality and adjust other settings if necessary. If you want subtitles to come along with the video, make sure you check the "Remux into file" option, then click Download to start.
Part 4: FAQs
Q1. What's the difference between channel membership and YouTube premium?
They are two different service from channel owners and the official YouTube.
Channel membership:
You can consider the channel membership as a VIP status that you pay monthly to the content creator so that watch members only YouTube videos from the channel.
YouTube Premium:
It is a premium service that YouTube offered. You paid monthly to YouTube the company to get YouTube membership so that you can watch ads free videos, play video in background, watch video offline, get free YouTube music premium, etc.
Q2. If my YouTube channel membership expires and I renew it, will I keep my membership badge be at the same level?
Yes. You can keep the same level membership badge no matter what time you renew the membership.
Q3. Will YouTube members only videos available for me if I cancel my membership?
Yes. It is not about when you cancel your membership. It is about when your membership expires. So, you will have access to members-only until the end of the billing period. But remember, unless you renew your membership, you cannot access new exclusive content.
Q4. Is it safe to download members only videos on YouTube?
It depends. Use a reliable downloader like CleverGet YouTube Movies Downloader and download it from the official website are safe.
However, if you use a cracked downloader, you may risk yourself with viruses and malware that will harm your devices and personal property. Also, if you use the downloaded members only videos for commercial use, it may cause legal issues.
Q5. How long does a YouTube channel membership last for the subscribers?
One month. Because a YouTube channel membership is charged monthly, so you need to pay the fee every month after the end of the billing; otherwise, your membership will expire.