Originally developed by Macromedia, FLV (Flash Video) is a media file format, and through the development of several decades, the FLV file format has long been the standard video format used by video streaming platforms including YouTube, Hulu, and so on.
The file with the .flv extension is used to deliver digital video content over the Internet using Adobe Flash Player version 6 and later. Moreover, the FLV files gain wide popularity because:
- They can be used for a large number of uses including movies, banner ads, Internet animation, online presentations, and so on.
- They are in small size and can be easily downloaded and the files can be viewed via broadband and dial-up and even on slower, older computers.
- They can be easily viewed by a huge number of web visitors.
- Plenty of different types of video files can be easily converted to the FLV file format.
Due to the advantages of FLV files, lots of people wonder how to convert YouTube video to the file format, and this post focuses on the topic “Convert YouTube to FLV” and provides detailed tutorials below.
How to Convert YouTube to FLV
How to convert to FLV for free? You can finish that through a free YouTube converter, and MiniTool uTube Downloader is the highly recommended one, or you try an online YouTube to FLV conversion tool.
Use MiniTool uTube Downloader
MiniTool uTube Downloader is a completely free and safe tool for Windows computers, and it comes with three functions: download YouTube videos, convert file formats, and record PC screen.
The “download YouTube” feature can be used to download videos/audio and playlists from YouTube to MP3/MP4/WAV/WebM in high quality.
The “convert file formats” feature can convert media files to different file formats. Here are the supported input/output file formats: MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, WMV, M4V, XVID, ASF, DV, MPEG, VOB, WEBM, OGV, DIVX, 3GP, MXF, TS, TRP, MPG, FLV, F4V, M2TS, HEVC/H265, AVC/H264, MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC, AIFF, OGG, M4A, AC3, M4B, and M4R.
The “record PC screen” feature can record anything happening on the PC screen and save the recording to FLV and other file formats like MP4, WMV, MKV, AVI, MOV, and TS.
So, for how to convert YouTube to FLV using MiniTool uTube Downloader, there are two ways:
- Download YouTube to MP4 or WebM (both MP4 and WebM are video file formats that are used to store video and audio, and so downloading a YouTube video to MP4 or WebM won’t lose audio and video content) and then convert MP4 to FLV.
- Activate MiniTool Screen Recorder and then play the YouTube video.
The detailed guide of each way is below:
# Way 1: Download and Convert YouTube to FLV
First, download YouTube to MP4/WebM:
Step 1: Get MiniTool uTube Downloader and launch it to access its user interface.
MiniTool uTube DownloaderClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step 2: Under the YouTube Downloader tab, search MiniTool uTube Downloader for the content you want to download from YouTube.
As you see, YouTube is built in MiniTool uTube Downloader. So, you can directly search the MiniTool program for the YouTube content that you want to download.
- Type the keywords into the search bar.
- Click the Enter key to let the MiniTool program find the related content.
- Check the result list and find the video you want to download.
- Play the video.
Step 3: Click the Download icon next to the address bar.
Step 4: Choose the MP4 or WebM file format and the video quality you prefer. Then, click the Download button.
Step 5: Wait for the YouTube video to be downloaded on your computer. Once that is done, please click the Navigate to file icon to locate the download on your computer.
Then, convert YouTube from MP4/WebM to FLV:
Step 1: Switch to the Video Converter tab on the interface.
Step 2: Drag the downloaded file from its location to the Add or drag files here to start conversion area.
Step 3: Wait for the download file to be added. Then click the Edit icon in the Target area to choose the FLV file format and video quality from the Videos menu.
Step 4: Click the Convert button to start the conversion from MP4 to FLV.
Step 5: Wait until the process comes to an end. Once it ends, you can switch to the Converted tab and click the Show in folder button following the converted file to see its location on the computer.
Here is the first method for how to convert YouTube to FLV using MiniTool uTube Downloader, and please keep reading to learn about the second way.
# Way 2: Record YouTube to FLV
This way can also help you convert YouTube to FLV for free but it is time-consuming if the video duration is too long.
Step 1: Get MiniTool uTube Downloader and open it to access its interface.
MiniTool uTube DownloaderClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step 2: Switch to the Screen Recorder tab and then click the Click to record screen area to activate the MiniTool Screen Recorder tool.
Step 3: Wait for the MiniTool Screen Recorder window to appear. Once it appears, click the gear icon in the top right corner.
Step 4: On the Settings window, set the output file to FLV and then click the OK button.
Step 5: Once you get back to the interface of MiniTool Screen Recorder, make sure the System Audio function is enabled and the Microphone function is disabled.
Step 6: Select a method for recording. MiniTool Screen Recorder allows you to record a full screen and draw a region to record.
Step 7: After configuring the settings for your recordings, you can go to the YouTube website and find the YouTube video you want to convert to the FLV file format.
Step 8: Press the F6 key (or the key that you set to start the recording) and the MiniTool program will automatically start to record what happening on your computer screen in three seconds. So, hit the spacebar key or click the Play icon on the playback screen in these three seconds to continue playing the video.
Step 9: Once the video playback ends, you can play the F6 key to stop the recording. Then, give a name to the recording by right-clicking it and typing some keywords.
That’s all about how to convert YouTube to FLV using MiniTool uTube Downloader.
Use an Online Tool
Alternatively, you can try YouTube-FLV.com. It is a free online media conversion application and has the following advantages:
- High conversion speed
- High-definition conversion from YouTube to FLV
- No upper limit on the number of YouTube pages
- Automatic deletion of converted files
However, this tool does not allow converting YouTube files to the FLV file format in batch, and sometimes it fails to work.
For how to convert YouTube to FLV using the online tool, here are the steps:
- Access the online tool through a browser.
- Copy and paste the link of the YouTube video into the blank bar on the web page.
- Make sure the FLV file format is selected and then click the Download button.
- Wait for the process to end.
Also read: How to Convert YouTube to MPEG for Free? Try These Converters
Bonus: How to Open FLV Files on Windows?
After converting YouTube to FLV, you may try to open the FLV file with Windows Media Player but receive a prompt as shown in the screenshot below.
As the prompt shows, the reason for the opening failure is that the FLV file format is not recognized by Windows Media Player. So, to open the FLV file on Windows, you need to use a media player that supports the FLV file format. Here VLC media player is recommended. It is a free and open-source multimedia player and framework that plays most multimedia files.
If there is no VLC media player on your Windows computer, you can go to the official website of the media player, click the Download VLC button, and install it on the computer.
To open the FLV file, you just need to right-click the file, choose the Open with option, and choose VLC media player from the list. After that, the FLV file will be played on Windows, and you can enjoy the video.
Bottom Line
The tutorial on how to convert YouTube to FLV has been displayed in the above content, and it is your turn to start the conversion with MiniTool uTube Downloader or the online tool. After completing the conversion, you can play the converted FLV file using VLC media player on Windows.
If you have any issues when you convert YouTube to FLV with MiniTool uTube Downloader, please contact us via [email protected], and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Finally, we have to emphasize that the downloads from YouTube should not be used for commercial use. Otherwise, you might be getting into copyright infringement issues.