Guide
How to save videos on an iPhone from Safari
iOS makes downloading feel harder than it is, mostly because Safari puts the file somewhere you were not expecting. Nothing needs installing. The trick is knowing that downloads land in Files, not Photos, and that moving them across is two taps.
Updated · 5 steps · about a minute
Copy the link in the app you are in
Tap Share on the post and choose Copy link. Every supported app offers this, and it is more reliable than opening the post in Safari and copying the address bar.
Open ClipKoala in Safari and paste
Tap the link box and hold to paste. Safari usually offers the copied link straight away, and ClipKoala can also detect a fresh link in your clipboard and offer to fetch it for you.
Pick a quality and confirm the download
Safari asks whether to download the file. Tap Download. The blue arrow in the toolbar shows the progress and tells you when it has finished.
Move it from Files into Photos
Tap the download arrow, then the file, to open it in Files. Tap Share, then Save Video. It now appears in Photos like anything you recorded yourself. Images use Save Image in the same menu.
Add ClipKoala to your home screen
In Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. It opens like an app, full screen and without the browser chrome, and there is still nothing installed and no account.
Good to know
- Downloads live in Files, under Downloads on My iPhone or in iCloud Drive, depending on your Safari setting
- If the download arrow does not appear, check Settings, Safari, Downloads and pick a location
- Low Power Mode can pause a download in the background; plug in for long YouTube conversions