How to Download Movies on Mac to Watch Offline for Free

Want to watch a film to occupy yourself during a long wait, but don’t have Wi-Fi? Troubled by poor internet speed while streaming a movie? The solution is to download the movie. This post will focus on how to download movies on Mac to watch offline or locally. It works on all Mac laptop/desktop models, including MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, and Mac mini.

 

How to Download Movies on Mac from YouTube

This method requires a video downloader tool. Just copy-n-paste the movie link into the tool to download. It is very convenient. Below are 2 different types of tools.

#1 Desktop movie downloader for Mac - download movies from 1000+ websites

The best way to download movies on Mac is to use Cisdem Video Converter. It helps you to download 1080P HD/4K UHD Hollywood, Disney, Marvel, Bollywood, and adults movies with original quality. It supports 1000+ movie sites, including YouTube, Dailymotion, Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, Moviefone, and more.

This movie downloader for Mac can convert movies to any format you want, such as MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, etc. What's even more astonishing is its ability to convert movies from DVDs into digital format, allowing you to watch them whenever and wherever you want. It's fast and safe!

Free Download macOS 10.12 or later

Steps to download YouTube movies on Mac with Cisdem Video Converter:

1. Download, install, and open Cisdem Video Converter

Once you've installed the Cisdem movie downloader, open it up and go to the "Download" interface.

2. Copy URL

Visit youtube.com. Search for your target movie and copy its URL.

3. Paste URL

Go back to Cisdem. Paste the link into the text box at the bottom. Click the “+” icon to analyze and detect movie info.

4. Start movie download on Mac

Choose a format and resolution from the Format list. Click the down arrow icon in the lower right corner to download a YouTube movie on Mac.

Note: 

• Select different options, the size in the info will also change. A larger size indicates a higher level of quality.
• QuickTime does not support VP09 encoded videos, but don't worry, almost all other third-party movie players do. Or you can choose AVC1, AV01 encoded format.
• You can download multiple movies at the same time on Mac. A quick way to add multiple URLs to the queue is: Head to menu bar, click “File” > “Input URLs”, then copy-n-paste all the movie URLs you want to download.

5. (Optional step) Convert downloaded movie to any video and audio format

Click on the blue checkmark icon to find the movie you downloaded. Drag and drop it into the "Convert" interface. Open the format panel and you will see more output formats. Choose one and make a conversion.

 

#2 Online movie video downloader - download movies online for free

y2meta.app is an easy-to-use online movie downloader. The main benefit is that it doesn't need software installation and can be accessed directly through the browser. But there is no such thing as a free lunch. It also has some drawbacks:

• Fail to download HD movies on Mac. I tried the links for 4K and 1080P movies, which only detect up to 720p. And when I download a 720p movie, it fails. I ended up with a 480p download.
• Only download movies from YouTube
• Merely save movies to MP4, 3GP, MP3, and OGG formats

Steps to download movies for free online using y2meta.app:

1. Visit https://y2meta.app/ in your browser.
2. Copy a movie link from YouTube, and then paste it to y2meta.app. The online downloader will automatically parse and load movie information. If not, click the “Start” button.
3. Select an output option based on resolution, format, and filesize. Click “Download”.
4. From the pop-up dialog box, then hit “Download .mp4”.
5. Rename the file and click “Save”.

 

How to Download Movies on a Mac for Free from Torrent Site

Torrenting is the most efficient form of peer-to-peer file-sharing, allowing you to download free HD movies on Mac. This method has always been controversial. Most torrent websites not only contain suspicious ads but are also dangerous. They can be blocked at any time due to copyright infringement. Typically, websites that utilize the DMCA tend to include a reference in the footer of the website. If your copyright has been violated, you can submit a DMCA takedown notice.

YTS.MX is one of the best movie download websites for Mac users. It's the mirror and proxy server of YTS. YTS.MX has a huge library where everything is perfectly organized.

You can find 480p, 720p, 1080p, 1080p .x265, 2160p, and 3D movies with subtitles from the website, each of which shows IMDb rating. The interface is clean. When downloading a movie on Mac, the file undergoes compression, resulting in a smaller size while preserving its quality.

Important: Always comply with copyright regulations in your country or region. Do not download copyrighted movies

Now, follow the guide to download torrented movies on Mac. There are several good torrent clients available, such as BitComet, uTorrent, BitTorrent, and Vuze. In the following steps, I use BitComet as an example.

1. Download and launch BitComet to your Mac computer.
2. Head towards to the torrent sites - https://yts.mx/.
3. Search for the movie you want to download. Or if interested, you can go to download the latest YIFY movies torrent on the homepage.
4. Click the green download button.
5. Select movie quality, then continue downloading and saving the torrent file.
6. Double-click the torrent file you just downloaded. Then, it will be added to BitComet.
7. In the “Create new BitTorrent task” window, choose the output path and click “Download Now”.
8. Once finished, the movie will show in the “Complete” tab.

Apart from YTS.MX, you can download free HD movies to Mac from more reputable torrent sites, such as:

• The Pirate Bay
• 1337x
• EZTV
• 123Movies
• Limetorrents
• TorrentFunk
• TorLock

 

How to Download Movies on Mac from Public Domain without Copyright

It is legal and free to download, share, and recreate public domain films. Under U.S. law, these films are in the public domain.

• A movie failed to include a copyright statement in the title prior to 1978
• 95 years from the date of publication
• 120 years from the date of creation
• 70 years after the death of the creator

So most of the movies you'll see in the public domain are black-and-white movies and old classics. If you're a lover of vintage films, here are 3 public domain movie download sites that let you watch and download movies free on Mac without copyright infringement.

#1 The Silver Scream

The Silver Scream is a treasure trove of old, and obscure horror, thriller, and science fiction films. It breaks down movies into tags by era, zombies, werewolf, vampire, propaganda, mummy, Frankenstein, etc., making it convenient for horror movie lovers to find their favorite movies to download on Mac!

1. Go to https://thesilverscream.com/ in your browser.
2. Find the movie you're interested in by tags or using the search function in the lower right corner of the page.
3. When you open the movie page, you'll see a detailed synopsis of the plot. Scroll down, in the movie video lower right corner, click on “...” > “Download”.

 

#2 Public Domain Movies

As the name implies, Public Domain Movies is an outstanding database packed with 20K+ free public domain films. It divides movies into six categories: feature film, comedy, drama & romance, science fiction & horror, and cartoons. To download a movie on Mac, you can:

1. Open a movie in Public Domain Movies. For example, I want to download The Roaring Road, so I go to https://publicdomainmovie.net/movie/the-roaring-road.
2. Play the movie.
3. Right click the movie, choose the “Save Video As” option, then save it.

 

#3 Library of Congress

There are not many public domain films in the Library of Congress. But besides movies, you can also download old audio recording, legislation, maps, notated music, newspapers, periodicals, web pages, 3D objects, and more from here.

It’s easy to download copyright free movies on Mac:

1. Navigate to https://www.loc.gov/free-to-use/public-domain-films-from-the-national-film-registry/.
2. Choose a movie.
3. Under "digital viewing copy", there is a download option. Select to download a movie to MP4 or MOV, then click “Go”.
   Note: When choosing MP4 format, you will be taken to a new page. Click on the character "⋮" in the bottom right, and then click on “Download”. If you choose MOV, the download will start straight away!

 

How to Screen Record a Movie on Mac

The QuickTime Player that comes with your Mac can record a playing movie in MOV format. But to capture a movie with system audio and not microphone audio, you will need to install an extension known as BlackHole. It’s compatible with macOS Mavericks 10.10 and Macs with Apple Silicon.

Steps to record movie with sound on Mac using QuickTime:

1. Download BlackHole from existential.audio website. You can choose to download 2ch, 16ch, or 64ch.
2. On your Mac, there is a program called Audio MIDI Setup. Initiate it.
3. Click the "+" button in the lower left, then choose “Create Multi-Output Device”.
4. Select an audio device you just installed, i.e. BlackHole 16ch.
5. Open Sound program in System Preferences.
6. Switch to the “Output” tab, pick the option “Multi-Output Device”.
7. Change to “Input”, select “BlackHole 16ch”.
8. Launch QuickTime Player. Head to “File” > “New Screen Recording”.
9. In the QuickTime toolbar, click "Options" and select "BlackHole 16ch".
10. Click “Record” to start movie recording on Mac.
11. Open and play the movie you desire to record.
12. Once it's over, hit the stop button in the menu bar.

 

Can I Download Movies on Netflix on Mac?

Netflix is undoubtedly one of the best movie streaming services, from which members can save movies to watch later. Yet, it's not easy to download Netflix movies on Mac. There's a native Netflix client for iPhone/iPad, Android, and Windows, but not for macOS.

To save a movie from Netflix for offline viewing, you need to install Windows on Mac via virtualization or Boot Camp. Alternatively, record a Netflix movie through QuickTime. Note that Netflix officials said, Airplay is no longer supported for use with Netflix. So you can't Airplay Netflix movies from iOS devices to Mac.

Additionally, you can download HD and 4K movies on Mac from other popular streaming services, like:

• Disney Plus
• Amazon Prime
• Apple TV Plus
• Hulu
• Vudu
• Paramount Plus

 

Final Words

The topic of downloading movies is a big one and everyone's needs are different. People may want to download porn, Hollywood, Hindi, free, paid, torrent, MKV or any movie. I can’t make a single recommendation. But for myself, I prefer a movie downloader to download movies from YouTube. This is the safest, most reliable and money-saving way. Moreover, there's a wealth of high-quality movies on YouTube.

Whichever way you choose to download movies on MacBook, always follow your local laws and regulations regarding digital movies.