Download ANY file from ANY site using Safari.
Listen up Mac users. You may already know this, but I didn't until the other day, and it really comes in handy. Safari has a little tool called the Activity Window, which can be accessed by going to going to "Window > Activity" (shortcut: alt + apple + a). In here you can see every file that the website you are viewing is calling upon. The brilliant thing is that by double clicking any one of these files, it will download straight to your desktop.
Considering you would most likely want to download a file containing video or audio, look in the column on the right to see its size. By process of elimination you will see that the biggest file will be the one you want.
So if you happened to be on YouTube, you could download any video you wanted. Similarly, if you were on MySpace, and had no respect for copyright law, you could download anything you wanted.
This, if you didn't know it already, could save a lot of people a lot of time (and money).
You might also like 165 Vector Icons, 50 Ways to Become a Better Designer, 77 Vector Buttons
GoSquared does not endorse piracy. Please ensure that you use the mentioned functions of Safari as they were intended, and abide by any laws that apply to you.
Stumble it!
Joel Laumans said,
May 20, 2007 @ 8:32 pm
Whoa! Good to know.. never knew that existed.. but then again, I use FFox on the mac...
thanks for the tip though!
++recommend
elmimmo said,
May 21, 2007 @ 12:13 pm
No QuickTime files, though. Apparently, the plug-in hides info to the browser…
Mam said,
May 21, 2007 @ 12:47 pm
Similar method with Firefox => http://www.korben.info/telecharger-nimporte-quel-contenu-sur-les-sites-de-diffusions-de-videos-et-mp3.html
Big Joe said,
May 21, 2007 @ 12:48 pm
Big deal. This is older than dirt news.
Also, you didn't write what to do with the file once it's downloaded. You can't just double click and watch it. Doesn't work that way.
Penter said,
May 21, 2007 @ 12:51 pm
That's really handy and helpful!! Cheers!
JeffMills said,
May 21, 2007 @ 12:54 pm
"...and had no respect for copywrite law, you could download anything you wanted."
Just so you know ... you already downloaded it in the first place. All you have to do is move/copy it to another directory. I don't see any copyright issues there.
MarFan said,
May 21, 2007 @ 1:29 pm
FF has "Page Info" under the tools menu that does the same thing. Thanks for the Safari hint!
D Cootey said,
May 21, 2007 @ 1:45 pm
Double clicking didn't work for me, but holding down the option key, then double clicking, DID work.
Out of curiosity. Once you have a YouTube vid on your desktop, what program do you use to watch it?
~Douglas
The Splintered Mind - Overcoming Neurological Disabilities With Lots Of Humor And Attitude
Sovok said,
May 21, 2007 @ 2:23 pm
Nice screenshots :>
R031E5 said,
May 21, 2007 @ 2:25 pm
You can do this in Firefox too without any extension, just right click the page and go to View Page Info, then click the Media tab and select an element, finally hit the Save As button and voilà!
Cartoons Plugin » Blog Archive » final fantasy 8 gay hentai Download ANY file from ANY site using Safari. said,
May 21, 2007 @ 5:45 pm
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stephen said,
May 21, 2007 @ 5:59 pm
files from youtube can be dropped onto the iSquint window and converted to mp4 or other formats. iSquint is a free app. Go to their website to read about it. You can also buy professional versions. Works quite well!
themacthinker said,
May 21, 2007 @ 6:37 pm
Great tip. I have used it quite a few times.
I actually helps download some file that some websites think that they have hidden...
---------
http://www.mostofmymac.com
Richard said,
May 21, 2007 @ 8:58 pm
in firefox:
TOOLS>PAGE INFO> MEADIA
this is old, who cares
Paul said,
May 21, 2007 @ 9:04 pm
I wouldn't exactly say "ANY" file.. PHP is still processed server-side. ;-P
Chris said,
May 21, 2007 @ 9:32 pm
Actually, with the right plug-in for quicktime (Perian from perian.org), you can just double click a .flv file (flash video, a.k.a. the format youtube uses) or any of quite a few other file types.
mc said,
May 21, 2007 @ 10:00 pm
Big Joe is a real bitch.
Matty said,
May 21, 2007 @ 10:49 pm
I had trouble downloading a song from peoples myspace pages.
Chris said,
May 21, 2007 @ 11:15 pm
Yo, nice article, but-- it's not "alt-apple," it's option-command. The "alt" label is provided for Windows compatibility, and the Apple logo is a holdover from the old Apple II. In the Mac world, these keys are called "option" and "command" respectively. Welcome to Macintosh!
Jason G said,
May 21, 2007 @ 11:40 pm
I was just looking for a solution like this over the weekend, but ran into a bit of a snag, perhaps someone here can help...
I'm trying to grab the FLV of an NBC video and I can't quite figure out where the heck it's being served from. I found a SMIL file in the network requests:
http://video.nbcuni.com/wtvj/smil/64_30158CC3_3705D_C118D_C1000_3BA864ADF.smil
That SMIL has these FLV file references:
But any URL combo I use doesn't see to result in the FLV, for example you would think this would work:
http://video.nbcuni.com/nbcu/wtvj/64_30158CC3_3705D_C118D_C1000_3BA864ADF_0500.flv
But no such luck. Any ideas?
I've looked around online and read some things about RTMP protocol and not being able to rip FLV's served that way. Know anything about that?
Source page of video for reference: http://video.nbc6.net/player/?id=105414
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Vinod said,
May 22, 2007 @ 6:37 am
Can u suggest similar thing for IE.
Corralejo Casique said,
May 22, 2007 @ 8:30 am
Then,you need to dowload the free media player Wimpy FLV Player,is free, and welcome new videos."VIVA CORRALEJO DURANGO"
by Oscar Lopez(gordito)
Thomas Swift said,
May 22, 2007 @ 8:52 am
double clicking it, will make it open in a new window if it's something safari will understang, like graphics etc.
meneame.net said,
May 22, 2007 @ 9:21 am
Descarga cualquier archivo desde cualquier página usando Safari...
Una herramienta oculta de Safari te permite ver y descargar todos los archivos de una página web. En inglés. VÃÂa: www.digg.com/apple/Download_ANY_file_from_ANY_site_using_Safari...
subcorpus said,
May 22, 2007 @ 10:00 am
useful tip ...
thanks for sharing ...
IanTheTall said,
May 22, 2007 @ 7:14 pm
How funny that I would find something so useful, while looking for information about someone who has the same stage name as your actual name.
Ian Scott » Blog Archive » Download ANY file from ANY site using Safari. said,
May 23, 2007 @ 4:03 am
[...] read more | digg story [...]
Motorcycle Guy said,
May 24, 2007 @ 11:41 pm
That's awesome that this is built in.
Mitch said,
May 28, 2007 @ 1:32 pm
Nice tip, but it does not seem to work for .swf (Flash) files. Double-clicking on a .swf file only creates a new window for the Flash file to play in.
Hostgator » Blog Archive » Download ANY file from ANY site using Safari. said,
May 29, 2007 @ 10:57 am
[...] that let’s you easily download and see all the files on any webpage. Time (and money) saver.read more | digg [...]
Joe said,
May 29, 2007 @ 10:41 pm
Didn't work for Myspace music.
Comprehensive Guide to Saving Streaming Video » Not Just Another Blog said,
June 5, 2007 @ 12:41 pm
[...] (like ASX and RAM). You can also give URL Snooper from Donation Coders a try. Mac users can use the Activity Viewer included in [...]
medications said,
June 5, 2007 @ 12:56 pm
VERY GOOD WEBSITE!I LIKE IT.
Ten Things I Want to See in Opera 10 » Not Just Another Blog said,
June 6, 2007 @ 10:51 am
[...] Activity Monitor : This feature is already present in Safari, and is extremely handy when you want to download streaming content. Currently I have to use [...]
Apple Reporter » Blog Archive » Download Any File From Any Web Browser said,
June 15, 2007 @ 7:06 pm
[...] file you want and double click it. Seriously. It’s that easy. Thanks to the original article, found here, for calling this to our [...]
Ramzi said,
June 18, 2007 @ 5:54 pm
Useless, You just play the downloaded files again, once you close the site you loose the files!!
wohoo said,
June 21, 2007 @ 2:04 pm
Thanx alot mate now i`m going to save both seasons of Prison Break FLV files, much better than frigging torrents.
Brian said,
July 1, 2007 @ 3:09 pm
Option (Alt) double click works for Quicktime files.
You can view most file types with VCL at the following
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
x141 said,
July 7, 2007 @ 6:58 am
Does anyone know any way to do this in IE?
liquidicity said,
July 7, 2007 @ 1:54 pm
Administrator
x141, I don't use IE, I'm not sure if anyy one here does, hopefully they can help you ;-)
One recommendation, though - Firefox?
Download ANY file from ANY site using Safari. said,
July 13, 2007 @ 11:04 pm
[...] Download ANY file from ANY site using Safari. [...]
Klimtone said,
July 15, 2007 @ 7:16 am
For those who had trouble copying from Myspace remember that one has to double-click the "large file" (in the activity window) while it is loading, and then when the loading has just begun, One will then see another window appear. After seeing that the file has loaded, save as "song name.mp3". Double click on that file and it loads into iTunes.
This is usually a crappy mp3 file though. An AIFF or AAC is superior.
I hope this helps.
Dave said,
July 20, 2007 @ 2:09 am
Thats good information, thanks
Dinks said,
July 20, 2007 @ 2:19 pm
Firebug to firefox !!
Blog tag: 5 things I’d like to see in Opera » Not Just Another Blog said,
July 20, 2007 @ 3:36 pm
[...] Monitor : This feature is already present in Safari, and is extremely handy when you want to download streaming content. Currently I have to use [...]
Vardis said,
July 20, 2007 @ 4:45 pm
Cool!
chic said,
August 5, 2007 @ 9:30 pm
thanks for all!
I was looking for something to rip myspace music
gastroboy said,
August 14, 2007 @ 10:54 pm
You forgot to say that it will turn up on your desktop with no extension. You will need to add .flv if it is a flash file and then get Perian to be able to play it in QuickTime.
gastroboy said,
August 14, 2007 @ 10:58 pm
btw If you can't tell which file is the movie it is usually the largest and yes you do need to hold down the option key whilst you double click on the file name.
Keep in mind that it will be DLing for a second time.
ie it takes twice the DL to get the file. Once in Safari then again for this DL.
Johnny B said,
August 29, 2007 @ 1:57 pm
I am trying to save an MSN Concert - Crowded House to be exact. They just placed it on their site - I was at the show. Any suggestions?
file2hd said,
August 31, 2007 @ 12:07 pm
Download any file from any url with file2hd.com
http://file2hd.com
KDY said,
September 2, 2007 @ 7:55 pm
Extremely helpful information.
Thank you for sharing!
Tech Stuff » Downloading with Safari (OS X) said,
September 3, 2007 @ 3:17 pm
[...] Thanks to Liquidicity [...]
francisco said,
September 4, 2007 @ 4:18 am
hey, now when i download a video from youtuve using that active thing... how do i open that file cuz i cant, someone tell me, it doesnt have an .exe thing... help
booclan00 said,
September 5, 2007 @ 5:01 pm
I've tried using all the techniques mentioned but I'm still having no luck downloading. The one I found to be the easiest was the option click technique but the results were a text file instead of video. Please help.
Thanks
Booclan00
michael thomas said,
September 26, 2007 @ 6:43 pm
i am trying to get this video from this link and i have tried everyway i can think of and nothing is working
http://268generation.com/videoplayer/player.php?videoid=p072&quality=hi
WaltTrombone said,
October 4, 2007 @ 2:39 pm
Thanks! Great tip! Even though it's old hat to some, it was still new to me. The other comments that pointed me to Perian.org were also great, now I can ditch flvThing, and just use Quicktime Player.
Thanks, all!
Astralis said,
October 4, 2007 @ 10:26 pm
Impossible to work with the RMTP protocol. Don't waste your time.
donkyk said,
October 7, 2007 @ 10:11 pm
All you have to do for quiktime files is drag the like in your downloads window. To open down loads window - Window>downloads
Erik said,
October 12, 2007 @ 6:00 am
Anybody know if obtaining music from Pandora is possible? I'm not sure what the method is.
Thanks!
JT said,
October 12, 2007 @ 7:14 pm
Administrator
By the way, for anyone having problems with this method on YouTube videos, an alternative is http://vixy.net.
It can convert FLV and SWF to AVI, MPEG4 or MP3 audio, and process YouTube videos without you having to find the .flv file.
Very useful.
echo said,
October 12, 2007 @ 10:23 pm
Administrator
@Erik: I think there used to be a firefox addon (or maybe still is) that could download directly from Pandora, although I'm not aware of any definite methods enabling downloads from Pandora.
Blake Brannon said,
October 30, 2007 @ 3:43 am
This is an excellent find. Thanks for the help.
sdsd said,
January 13, 2008 @ 6:08 pm
now want to try
Chris L said,
January 28, 2008 @ 4:06 pm
Awesome, this is a great tip and certainly new to me and I'm sure many others too! Thanks a million
Jones said,
February 4, 2008 @ 5:46 am
this is great, thanks a lotttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
david said,
March 13, 2008 @ 12:30 am
doesnt seem to work w/ downloading myspace songs .. using firefox or safari
did they change security or something??
followed instructions in comment #44.. but "save as" is ghosted
My space freind id=197312674 said,
March 14, 2008 @ 12:28 am
Hrrrmmm
how old is this, doesnt seem to work on mine
i think il just stick to WwW,file2hd,c0m
fix it when you put it into your url
Arif said,
March 29, 2008 @ 9:04 am
Hey, Hey, now that's handy. Thanks so much for the tip. It helped me download audio discussion of David Allen with his team of the new Getting Starting Module from GTD Connect site.
Cheers!
Arif
Ps. Way-cool screenshots!
Plastonick said,
April 1, 2008 @ 10:35 am
To anyone wondering:
To veiw the video, simply put it in your movies folder and open up Front Row.
-Plastonick
Plastonick said,
April 1, 2008 @ 10:36 am
Addition:
Obviously you will have to navigate to that folder from Front Row ;)
-Plastonick
Nykki said,
April 26, 2008 @ 10:17 pm
I have been trying to save a video from the internet. Now I have tired a few suggestions from here, but nothing works. I used the Safari method, but I have Safari on a PC not Mac. Assuming you MUST have a Mac. I looked at the file2 dot com site. Nada. Any suggestions for a PC user?
MDC said,
April 28, 2008 @ 1:16 am
it works for me on safari but on firefox i cannot find the video file. How do i do it?
kiko said,
May 15, 2008 @ 2:36 am
nice soft ware
SamThor said,
June 4, 2008 @ 10:43 am
How did I miss that? Simple, efficient... Thanks for the tip.
For those who use FireFox, I just found an extension on Mozilla Addons that does a cool job: it's called outwit (see outwit.com). It downloads files and images automatically, you can grab all sorts of data and media very easily. In Google Images, for example it finds the HiRes pictures. Worth trying. http://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/7271
Hope this helps.
k06a said,
June 7, 2008 @ 11:18 am
Respect!))) Enough helpful))
Thurana said,
June 17, 2008 @ 6:09 pm
I just found out that Safari user under PC should use Ctrl+DoubleClick on the file they want to download.
Hope this will help.
P.S: Question for the admin --> about the screenshots, do you use any software (if so, may I know the software) or just edited from ordinary screenshot? Thx.
G said,
June 18, 2008 @ 7:18 pm
Administrator
Hi there Thurana,
The screenshots were taken using Grab on OS X, and then edited and aligned using Adobe Illustrator.
We use a consistent in house template to create the indented design that you see on all liquidicity posts.
Thanks ;-)