Downloadable resources

A student wrote: "I will be traveling for several weeks and I would like to continue the course, but the download option is grayed out. Is there a way to download the videos for offline use?"

I don't like offering downloadable resources because of piracy issues. Does the Udemy app allow downloading locally? Any suggestions? I could offer some content privately on youtube.

Thanks!

Find more posts tagged with

Piracy

Accepted answers

MarinaT

Hi @Michael_D_Nwaogu,

Thank you for getting back to us.

I completely understand your point—it's important for instructors to have access to download their own videos. Currently, some instructors can download certain courses, while others may have restrictions. This “download restriction” (grayed out) is applied automatically by the system to help prevent piracy and protect video content.

If you’re having trouble downloading your course, please feel free to reach out to our Instructor Support team—they’re always happy to assist!

I hope this clarifies it. Please let me know if you have additional questions.

All comments

Leonor C.

Hello @RonErez

Happy to help! If instructors do not offer donwloadable courses all students are allowed to download full courses through the apps only. Here are the 2 articles (IOS and Android options) you can share with your student:

Please do not hesitate contacting us if you have any more questions.

Kindest regards,

Leonor

Udemy moderation team

LawrenceMMiller

@Leonor C. Is this statement correct? "If instructors do not offer donwloadable courses all students are allowed to download full courses through the apps only."

It doesn't make sense. My understanding is that it is up to the instructor to allow downloading or not. This statement implies that our courses may be downloaded whether we chose that option or not. If this statement is correct than we instructors have no control over the copying and distribution of intellectual property.

Bessy

Hi @LawrenceMMiller and @RonErez

What Leoner was referring to was the offline viewing feature, which is a feature that many platforms offer within their apps. Users can temporarily store course content for viewing without an internet connection, but it’s usually only accessible within the app itself.

The files aren’t saved as standalone files on their devices.

I hope this helps clarify, and I apologize for any confusion.

Best regards,

EBodhisathva

Hi,

In my case, I was giving Pdf versions and transcripts for off-line reference. Student must be happy with that

regards,

ScottDuffy

The iOS and Android apps are the only way to view a course "offline". And they don't store the videos on the device per se but as Bessie says, you can only see them using the app.

@LawrenceMMiller some years ago, the "allow downloading" feature was ignored "for some courses". Udemy switched from a traditional "streaming video" player to a more complicated secure video player. So if your course is one of the lucky extra secure courses, students can't download the videos regardless of the instructor setting.

Michael_D_Nwaogu

I appreciate the robust security measures now in place for course materials, especially regarding download access—these strict protocols are a great step forward. However, I noticed that even instructors can't download their own lectures if the option is greyed out, even when the lecture is marked as 'Downloadable.' This can be problematic, as instructors should ideally have an exception to this rule. For instance, we might need to edit a live lecture—like removing background music or making minor tweaks—but may no longer have access to the original files. In cases like this, it would be helpful if download rules could be adjusted to allow instructors access to their own materials under specific circumstances.

Michael_D_Nwaogu

Or, perhaps Udemy could consider adding a feature to enable minor edits, like muting background music or tweaking small elements, directly on the platform. This could even benefit both instructors and

Michael_D_Nwaogu

…students.

MarinaT

Hi @Michael_D_Nwaogu,

Thank you for getting back to us.

If you’re having trouble downloading your course, please feel free to reach out to our Instructor Support team—they’re always happy to assist!

I hope this clarifies it. Please let me know if you have additional questions.

Michael_D_Nwaogu

Hi @MarinaT

Thank you for your swift response, you are simply the best, thank you. Apologies for not been able to response earlier, it has been a very, very busy time for me.😊
Please I had actually made effort to contact the Support Team via clicking the "Contact us" button, but I got stuck with the seemingly endless chatting with the bot, which seem to be literally wasting the limited time I had. Please can you share the link to contact a human in the Support Team for a response instead. That would be more helpful.
Thank you as always, sister. And do continue to stay safe, please. Thank you.

MarinaT

Hi @Michael_D_Nwaogu,

I’m sorry to hear you’ve had a challenging experience with our chatbot Alex! I know the back-and-forth can be a bit much, but he needs extra details before escalating to our internal support team.

You’re also welcome to reach out directly to our Instructor Support team by emailing instructorsupport@udemy.com.

They’ll be happy to help!

RonErez

Thank you for all the clarifications. The student eventually got back to me, mentioning he has internet access during his travels and thanked me for the time I spent trying to help him.

Happy course creation!