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How to Download Videos on iPhone from Safari (2026 Guide)

To download a video on iPhone from Safari, the site has to link to the video file itself. Touch and hold that link, tap Download Linked File, and the video goes to the Downloads folder in the Files app. From there, tap Share and then Save Video to put it in Photos. Most web videos don't have such a link, though, because they're streamed in small pieces. For those, you need a browser that can save the stream, or screen recording as a last resort.

This guide walks through each method, where the files end up, and why some videos simply won't download. If your goal is to have videos ready for a flight or a trip, our guide to saving videos on iPhone to watch offline covers storage, streaming apps and playback problems.

Method 1: Download a video in Safari with Download Linked File

This works when a page offers a download button or a link that points straight to a video file, usually ending in .mp4 or .mov. Stock footage sites, course platforms, school pages and many forums link videos this way.

  1. Open the page in Safari.
  2. Touch and hold the download link or button, then tap Download Linked File.
  3. If you tap a download link instead and Safari asks what to do with the file, tap Download.
  4. Watch the progress: a Downloads button appears next to the address bar while the file downloads. Tap it, then tap Downloads to see the list.
  5. Tap the finished video in the list to play it.

If Download Linked File isn't in the menu, the thing you're holding isn't a link to a file. It may be a player, an image or a link to another page. Look for a separate download button near the video, or check whether the site offers a quality picker with download links.

What if the .mp4 opens and starts playing?

Tapping a direct video link often opens the file in Safari's video player instead of downloading it. Go back to the previous page and touch and hold the same link, then choose Download Linked File. That's the most reliable way to make Safari save the file rather than play it.

Where Safari saves downloaded videos

Safari puts downloads in a folder called Downloads in the Files app. By default, that folder is in iCloud Drive:

  1. Open the Files app.
  2. Tap Browse, then iCloud Drive.
  3. Tap Downloads.

To keep downloads on the phone instead, go to Settings → Apps → Safari → Downloads and choose On My iPhone (on iOS 17, it's Settings → Safari → Downloads). This only affects new downloads. Files you already saved stay where they are.

Chrome and some other browsers on iPhone handle downloads themselves and usually save files to their own folder under On My iPhone in the Files app, such as a Chrome folder, rather than Safari's Downloads folder.

How to save a downloaded video to Photos

A video in the Files app won't show up in Photos on its own. To move it there:

  1. Open the Files app and find the video, or open Safari's Downloads list.
  2. Tap the video to open it.
  3. Tap the Share button, then tap Save Video.

In the Files app you can also touch and hold the video, tap Share, then Save Video. The copy appears in your Photos library, and the original stays in Files, so delete one of them if you don't want it twice.

If Save Video is missing from the share sheet, Photos probably can't read the file's format. Formats like .webm or .mkv may play in some apps but won't import into Photos. Keep those in Files or play them in an app that supports them.

Why most videos on websites have no download link

Long-pressing a video on a news site, social network or video platform usually gives you nothing useful. That's not a bug in Safari. It's how modern sites deliver video:

  • Streaming in pieces (HLS). Most sites send video as hundreds of short segments listed in a playlist file (often ending in .m3u8), so the player can switch quality as your connection changes. There's no single file for Safari to download.
  • blob: addresses. Some players build the video inside the page with JavaScript and give it an address that starts with blob:. That address only exists inside the open page, so copying or downloading it doesn't work.
  • Protected (DRM) video. Paid streaming services encrypt their video so it can only play in approved players. It can't be saved as a regular file, by Safari or any other browser.
  • Live streams. A stream that's still happening has no finished file to save.
  • Site rules. Many sites don't allow downloads in their terms, even when it's technically possible.

For the first two cases, you need a tool that can read the stream and put the pieces back together into one playable file. Safari doesn't do this. A video-saving browser like Kipzy does, as described below.

Method 2: Screen recording as a fallback

If nothing else works and you're allowed to keep a copy, you can record the screen while the video plays. It's built into iOS:

  1. Start the video and pause it near the beginning.
  2. Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center.
  3. Tap the Screen Recording button and wait for the three-second countdown. If it's not there, add it by customizing Control Center.
  4. Close Control Center, play the video full screen and let it run.
  5. To stop, tap the red recording indicator at the top of the screen, then tap Stop.

The recording is saved to Photos. Before relying on it, know the downsides: it records in real time, so a 30-minute video takes 30 minutes; notifications and anything you tap get recorded too (turn on a Focus mode first); and the result is usually lower quality than the original. Protected videos typically record as a black screen, and some apps don't allow recording at all.

Sound from the video is normally captured. If you also want your voice, touch and hold the Screen Recording button and turn on the microphone before you start.

Method 3: Use a browser with a Save video button

Kipzy is a free iPhone browser with a built-in video saver. It notices when a page plays a video, including streamed (HLS) video, and shows a Save video button. Kipzy downloads the pieces and joins them into one MP4 file on your phone.

  1. Open the page with the video in Kipzy.
  2. Start playing the video if the button doesn't appear right away.
  3. Tap Save video.
  4. Choose the video and the quality. Kipzy shows the file size before you download.
  5. Tap Download.

Downloads keep going in the background, and you'll find finished videos in Kipzy's Downloads screen. To get a video into Photos or Files, tap its Share button and pick Save Video or Save to Files, the same as for any other file. If you'd rather keep saved videos out of your camera roll, see how to hide videos on iPhone.

Kipzy also has Download Linked File in its link menu for regular files such as PDFs and zips, and those appear in the Files app under On My iPhone → Kipzy.

What Kipzy won't do: it can't save protected (DRM) videos or live streams, and it tells you so in the save sheet. Only save videos you have the right to keep, and respect each site's terms.

Kipzy: what's free and what's Pro

Kipzy is iPhone only and needs no account. The free version includes the browser, tabs, private tabs, ad and pop-up blocking with EasyList and EasyPrivacy, and 2 video downloads a day. When you hit the limit, you can watch a short ad to unlock another, a few times a day. Kipzy Pro removes the daily limit, saves in the best quality available and adds a private video folder locked with Face ID.

The ad blocker helps here too: video pages are often the most ad-heavy pages on the web, and blocking them makes the real video easier to find. Our guide on blocking ads on iPhone explains how that works.

Common questions

Why can't I download a video from Safari on my iPhone?

Usually because the site doesn't link to a video file. Most sites stream video in small pieces or through a blob: address, so Safari has nothing to download. Protected (DRM) videos and live streams can't be saved at all. If there's a download button, touch and hold it and choose Download Linked File.

How do I save a video from a website to my camera roll?

Download it first, then open it from Safari's Downloads list or the Files app, tap Share and choose Save Video. It then appears in the Photos app. There's no way to send a web video straight to Photos from Safari.

How do I download videos on iPhone from Chrome?

Chrome on iPhone can download files that a site links to directly, but like Safari it has no button for saving streamed videos. Downloaded files usually go to a Chrome folder under On My iPhone in the Files app. For more on how the two compare, see Chrome vs Safari on iPhone.

Where do downloaded videos go on iPhone?

Safari downloads go to the Downloads folder in the Files app, in iCloud Drive unless you changed it. Videos you save with Save Video go to Photos. Screen recordings go to Photos. Videos saved in Kipzy stay in Kipzy's Downloads screen until you share them elsewhere.

Does downloading a video use a lot of data?

Yes. A few minutes of HD video can be tens or hundreds of megabytes. Download on Wi-Fi when you can; Kipzy has a Download on Wi-Fi only switch in Settings. Our guide to saving mobile data on iPhone has more tips.

Is it legal to download videos from websites?

It depends on the video, the site's terms and where you live. Videos the site offers for download, ones you made yourself, and freely licensed footage are generally fine. For anything else, check the site's terms first, and never share copies of videos you don't have the rights to.

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