[ARCHIVED] Downloading Embedded Videos

[tfarmer]

Is there a way to download video files that have been embedded on a page? I know that it's possible to put them on another page by copy/pasting the HTML, but is there a way to actually get the .mp4, .mov, etc. files?

[kblack · Accepted solution]

Hi  @tfarmer ‌ - This will likely depend on which embedded video you may be referring to.  Depending on browser/format, sometimes simply right-clicking the video will give browser-specific commands that may include downloading it.  Although it covers a slightly different subject, you  may want to check the discussion on this page:  https://community.canvaslms.com/message/52139-is-it-possible-to-download-a-media-submission   Truth be told, there are many browser extensions out there that can sometimes assist with the process.  (It must also be stated that downloading something that was not intended to could be a copyright issue, as well.)

[tfarmer]

Thank you! I really appreciate your help. The particular videos I am talking about are generally ones that instructors have made and uploaded into a course. Having lost the files a while ago, they are only able to copy/paste the HTML into another page to have the video available. I know about some plugins for Chrome that could possibly work, but I wanted to see if there was some sort of trick on Canvas that I was unaware of before breaking out the plugins. Thanks for your help!!

[lsimons]

I cannot find a youtube video I made for Canvas on my channel. How can I get it from Canvas?

[don_bryn]

Hi  @tfarmer ,

Thankfully, we have had HTML5 standards since 2014!  There is a specification in HTML5 that supports the download attribute on a link, so you SHOULD be able to create a link that will always download the file when a user clicks.  You might have to play around a bit to figure exactly which Canvas link to start with.

It's been supported since the following browser versions:

Chrome: 14

Explorer: 13

Firefox 20

Safari 10

Opera 15.

All you have to do is literally add 'download' to the link.

You can read about it here: HTML a download Attribute 

I should add that this works for you own video files, not videos embedded via a service like youtube.