LinkedIn is a great platform for sharing professional videos, but you may want to download those videos for offline viewing or further editing. The good news is that it’s easy to convert LinkedIn videos to MP4 format. In this article, we’ll walk through the steps for downloading and converting LinkedIn videos on both desktop and mobile.
Can I Download LinkedIn Videos?
Yes, you can download videos posted on LinkedIn for personal offline use. LinkedIn’s terms of service allow members to download reasonable amounts of content for their own non-commercial purposes. However, you cannot repost or redistribute LinkedIn videos without permission from the copyright holder.
Is it Legal to Download LinkedIn Videos?
Downloading LinkedIn videos for personal use is perfectly legal in most cases. You are allowed to save copies of videos posted publicly for your own viewing. However, be aware of a few caveats:
- You cannot share or reupload downloaded videos without permission. This violates LinkedIn’s terms and copyright law.
- Downloading videos en masse or systematically scraping content from LinkedIn is not allowed under their terms of service.
- Some videos may have additional copyright restrictions that prohibit downloading, so check before saving a copy.
As long as you avoid redistributing or abusing downloaded videos, it is generally fine to save LinkedIn videos to your own computer or device for personal offline access.
How to Download LinkedIn Videos on Desktop
Downloading videos from LinkedIn on a desktop web browser is straightforward. Here are the steps:
- Go to the LinkedIn video post you want to save and start playing the video.
- Right click the video while it is playing.
- Select “Save Video As” from the menu.
- Choose a download location on your computer.
- The video will be saved as an MP4 file which you can then watch offline.
Alternatively, you can copy and paste the video URL into a free online downloader tool. Sites like SaveFrom.net and KeepVid.ch allow you to enter the video link to download it.
Extra Desktop Tips
- Make sure to download the highest resolution available for best quality.
- You may need to rename the downloaded file and add the MP4 extension.
- Downloaded videos may still show a “LinkedIn” watermark when viewing them.
How to Download LinkedIn Videos on Mobile
It’s just as easy to save LinkedIn videos on your iPhone, Android, or other mobile device:
- Open the LinkedIn app and go to the video post.
- Tap on the video thumbnail to launch the video viewer.
- Tap on the “Share” icon, it looks like an arrow pointing up out of a box.
- Choose “Save Video” from the share options.
- The video will be saved to your camera roll or photos library.
The process is essentially the same whether you are using an iPhone or Android device. The downloaded videos are saved locally on your device storage.
Extra Mobile Tips
- Make sure you have enough free storage space for higher resolution videos.
- You can use the LinkedIn app’s settings to select video download resolution.
- Using a third-party app like Documents by Readdle can provide more download options.
How to Convert LinkedIn Videos to MP4
LinkedIn videos download as MP4 files by default, so no conversion is necessary. The MP4 (or MPEG-4) format is a widely supported video standard compatible with most media players and devices.
Some key advantages of MP4 video include:
- High quality and resolution potential
- Efficient compression for smaller file sizes
- Wide device compatibility and playback support
- Integration of audio and video into single file
- Standard open format that is non-proprietary
If for some reason you need the LinkedIn video in a different format, you can use video converter software to transcode the downloaded MP4 file. Here are some common video formats you can convert to:
Format | File Extension | Description |
---|---|---|
AVI | .avi | Audio Video Interleave common format |
WMV | .wmv | Windows Media Video format |
MOV | .mov | Apple QuickTime format |
MPEG | .mpg, .mpeg | Motion Picture Experts Group format |
FLV | .flv | Adobe Flash Video format |
How to Use Video Converter Software
Here is an overview of how to use video converter tools to transcode LinkedIn videos to other formats:
- Download and install the video converter software such as HandBrake, FFmpeg, or WinFF.
- Add the LinkedIn MP4 video file to the converter.
- Select the desired output format from the list.
- Configure encoding settings like resolution and bitrate.
- Convert the video and save the new file.
- The software will transcode the video to the target format.
Be sure to choose reasonable output resolution and quality settings to avoid degraded video. Converting may also result in loss of metadata like captions or subtitles.
How to Download LinkedIn Video Transcripts
Many longer LinkedIn video posts include a transcript or captions. You can download these transcripts to get just the text contents of the video.
To save the video transcript text:
- Go to the video post and expand the Transcript section.
- Highlight and copy all the text in the transcript box.
- Paste the text into a document or text file.
- Save the document file to keep the full transcript.
This gives you a text-only version of the complete spoken content. One limitation is that the transcript does not include any speaker names or timestamps. It is just the raw text in paragraph format.
Benefits of Downloading Transcripts
There are a few advantages to accessing video transcripts:
- Ability to skim or search the spoken contents
- Indexing or analyzing text data
- Accessibility for those with hearing impairments
- Faster reading than listening to speech
- Aid for notetaking or citations
Transcripts can provide text versions of long videos. However, they may contain errors and lack detailed metadata compared to the actual video. Treat transcripts as useful but imperfect companions to the original recordings.
Is it Legal to Share LinkedIn Video Downloads?
In most cases, it is not legal to share or reupload videos downloaded from LinkedIn, due to copyright restrictions. Even if you have downloaded a video yourself, you do not have the right to distribute that copy to others.
Potential copyright violations from sharing LinkedIn video downloads include:
- Uploading videos to other sites like YouTube
- Reposting videos on other social networks
- Sharing downloaded copies with friends or colleagues
- Using clips or excerpts in your own videos
- Screen recording videos and circulating the captures
These usages infringe on the video owner’s copyrights and violate LinkedIn’s terms barring redistribution. The only legal way to share LinkedIn videos is by using their built-in posting features with permission.
Exceptions for Fair Use
There are some limited fair use exceptions allowing reuse of short clips for purposes like commentary or education. But in general, you should not share significant portions of downloaded video, or circulate your own saved copies. Avoid any use that could undercut the value of the original work.
Ethical Usage of Downloaded LinkedIn Videos
Beyond basic legal compliance, there are some ethical guidelines to consider when downloading LinkedIn videos:
- Respect the privacy and preferences of the video creator.
- Use minimal excerpts only when critically necessary.
- Provide full attribution and links to the original video.
- Don’t use downloads to evade paying for licensed content.
- Support content creators by watching on the original platform.
Downloading small amounts of videos for personal use is generally fine, but be cautious of any usage that could harm the creator’s interests or earnings. Upholding ethical principles helps sustain valuable sharing of knowledge on platforms like LinkedIn.
Conclusion
Downloading LinkedIn videos for offline access is easy on both desktop and mobile using built-in tools. The videos can be saved as MP4 files suitable for playing across devices. While sharing full downloaded copies with others is legally prohibited, you can take advantage of transcripts and online converters to extract helpful information from business videos. Remember to download and convert LinkedIn videos in a responsible manner that respects copyrights and creator interests.