How to Download Embedded Vimeo Videos on Mac and Windows (Simple Guide)

Need to download a Vimeo video that’s embedded on a web page, without getting lost in complicated tools and geeky instructions? This guide walks you through simple, real-world methods that work in 2025–2026, both on Mac and Windows.

We’ll start with the easiest option for Mac (Downie), then cover alternatives such as Pulltube, yt-dlp, Video DownloadHelper, and a quick manual trick you can use when you already see a direct .mp4 link, like in your screenshot.

Important note about legality and ethics

Before you download anything, make sure you have the right to do it. Many Vimeo videos are protected by copyright or platform rules. Use these methods only for:

• videos you created or own the rights to
• client work or course materials where downloading is explicitly allowed
• offline viewing where the license or terms clearly permit it

If the uploader has disabled downloads and you don’t have permission, respect that setting.

Method 1: Downie (Mac) – the easiest way for embedded Vimeo

Downie is a popular Mac app that downloads videos from YouTube, Vimeo and thousands of other sites just by dragging a URL or using a browser extension. It’s especially good with embedded Vimeo players.

Step-by-step: using Downie with embedded Vimeo

1. Install Downie and the browser extension
   Download and install the latest Downie (version 4.x or newer). During setup, also install its browser extension for Safari, Chrome, or Firefox. The extension is key: it lets Downie see embedded videos directly from the page.
2. Open the page with the embedded Vimeo video
   In your browser, go to the page where the video is embedded. Start playing the video and, if possible, let it load for a bit. This helps Downie detect the stream correctly.
3. Use the Downie extension button
   Click the Downie icon in your browser toolbar. Downie should detect the video and show you download options, often with multiple quality levels (for example 360p, 720p, 1080p). By default, Downie will pick the best quality, but you can change that in its preferences.
4. If detection fails, drop the page URL into Downie
   If the extension doesn’t catch the video, copy the full page URL (not the player.vimeo.com link) and either:
   • drag it onto the Downie window or Dock icon, or
   • open Downie and press Command + V to paste, or
   • use File → Open URLs… and paste it there.
   Downie will process the page and list the available video streams.
5. Pick quality and download
   Confirm the quality you want, then start the download. The file will land in your chosen folder (usually Downloads, but you can change this in Downie’s settings). You can also extract audio only or convert formats later if needed.

In practice, Downie plus its extension will successfully download about 95% of embedded Vimeo videos you’ll encounter. It also automatically handles cookies and authentication from the page when used through the extension, so you don’t have to log in again inside the app.

Method 2: Pulltube (Mac) – a simple alternative to Downie

Pulltube is another Mac app, from the same developer ecosystem as Downie, with a similar drag-and-drop workflow. It has excellent support for Vimeo, including many embedded and private videos.

How to use Pulltube

1. Install Pulltube on your Mac (it’s often available via app bundles or subscription services).
2. Open the page with the embedded Vimeo video and start playback.
3. Either paste the page URL into Pulltube or use its browser extension, if you’ve installed it.
4. Choose the desired resolution and download the file.

If Downie has trouble with a specific embed, Pulltube is usually the next easiest thing to try on macOS.

Method 3: yt-dlp (Mac & Windows) – the power tool for tricky videos

yt-dlp is a free, open‑source command‑line tool that many consider the gold standard for downloading difficult or protected embeds, including complex Vimeo setups. It works on both Mac and Windows and handles cookies, quality selection, and merging video/audio streams.

Install yt-dlp on Mac

1. Install Homebrew if you don’t have it yet. Run this in Terminal: /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
2. Install yt-dlp: brew install yt-dlp
3. Install ffmpeg (needed for merging and conversions): brew install ffmpeg

Install yt-dlp on Windows

1. Go to the official yt-dlp project page and download the Windows executable.
2. Place yt-dlp.exe somewhere convenient (for example C:\yt-dlp).
3. Optionally add that folder to your PATH so you can run yt-dlp from any Command Prompt or PowerShell window.

Download an embedded Vimeo video with yt-dlp

1. Open your browser and go to the webpage where the Vimeo video is embedded.
2. Start playing the video so any necessary authentication and tokens are loaded.
3. Copy the full page URL from your browser’s address bar.
4. Run yt-dlp with that URL:
   yt-dlp "https://the-full-webpage-url-here"
5. If the video requires you to be logged in, add the browser‑cookies option, for example:
   yt-dlp --cookies-from-browser safari "https://the-full-webpage-url-here"
   or use chrome / firefox instead of safari depending on your browser.

yt-dlp will automatically grab the best available quality by default and download the video to the current folder. If Downie or Pulltube fail on a stubborn Vimeo embed, yt-dlp usually succeeds.

Method 4: Video DownloadHelper (Mac & Windows, browser extension)

Video DownloadHelper is a long‑standing video downloader extension for Firefox and Chrome. It works on both Mac and Windows and supports many Vimeo embeds reliably.

How to use Video DownloadHelper

1. Install the Video DownloadHelper extension in Firefox or Chrome.
2. Pin the extension icon to your toolbar so it’s easy to see.
3. Open the webpage with the embedded Vimeo video and start playback.
4. When the extension detects a stream, its icon will light up or show an animation.
5. Click the icon, choose the desired quality/format from the list, and start the download.

This method is convenient if you prefer staying inside the browser and don’t want extra desktop apps, especially on Windows where Downie and Pulltube aren’t available.

Method 5: Quick manual download using direct.mp4 links

In some cases, like in your screenshot, the page (or developer tools) shows direct links to Vimeo CDN files, usually something like:

https://vod-adaptive.ak.vimeocdn.com/.../video/...mp4

These links are often temporary but valid while the page is open. You can download from them directly, without extra software.

Manual download via browser

1. Copy the full .mp4 URL from the page or network panel.
2. Paste it into a new browser tab.
3. When the video starts playing, right‑click (or Ctrl‑click on Mac) and choose “Save Video As…”.
4. Pick a folder and save. The video file will be downloaded straight from the CDN.

Manual download into other tools

• Downie / Pulltube: drag the .mp4 URL into the app to download and optionally convert.
• Command line (Mac & Windows with curl):
  curl -O "full-url-here"
  This saves the file with its original name in the current directory.

Which method should you use?

• On Mac, for everyday work: start with Downie + its browser extension. It’s fast, simple, and handles most embedded Vimeo videos without any tweaking.
• On Mac, when Downie fails: try Pulltube first; if that still doesn’t work, switch to yt-dlp for maximum control.
• On Windows: use yt-dlp for the most reliable results, or Video DownloadHelper if you prefer a graphical, browser‑based solution.
• When you already see direct.mp4 links: just copy the link and download manually via the browser, curl, or by dragging it into Downie/Pulltube.

With these five methods in your toolkit, you’ll be able to save almost any Vimeo embed you’re legitimately allowed to download, without wasting time on trial‑and‑error or sketchy websites.