Skip to main content

How to save Ring Doorbell video without a subscription

Take a walk through any neighborhood, and you’re bound to see a few Ring video doorbells installed next to front doors. The brand is increasingly popular, thanks to an ever-growing product lineup that makes it easy to find a device for all budgets and security needs. But one of the peskier features of Ring is the need for a Ring Protect Plan — a monthly subscription service that unlocks the majority of the camera’s most useful features.

One such feature locked behind a Ring Protect Plan membership is the ability to save Ring doorbell videos. Without a plan, you’ll really only be allowed to view a live feed of your video doorbell. The plans are pretty generous, with the Basic plan costing $5 per month and offering video history for up to 180 days, making it a worthwhile investment for homes worried about their security.

Recommended Videos

However, it is not currently possible to save Ring doorbell video without a subscription. While you might be able to get away with using a third-party screen recorder to capture images from your phone or computer, these are less-than-ideal solutions. Even worse, Ring might terminate your account if they discover you’re circumventing their plans and accessing premium content for free.

With that in mind, here’s a look at how Ring saves video, along with whether you can save video locally and how to save videos through the Ring app. For more details on the Ring Protect Plans, be sure to consult our Ring Protect Plans guide.

Where does Ring Doorbell save video?

If you have a Ring subscription, Ring saves video to the cloud. Once videos are saved, you can go back and rewatch them or download them to your device.

Can I save Ring video locally?

If you have the Ring subscription, then saving video and viewing old footage becomes easy and possible all within the app.

How do you save a video on Ring?

You can download saved videos locally to your devices, either from the mobile app or from the Ring website. To save video on your computer, go to Ring’s website and log in to your account. Select History > Manage. Select the videos you want to save — you can pick up to 20. After that, hit Download, and then Ring will compress and zip all the videos together and download it to your computer. When you decompress and open the folder, each video appears as an MP4.

How do I save a ring video to my phone?

If you’d rather download the videos to your phone, you’ll follow similar steps. On your phone, open the Ring app, then tap Menu > History. Next, scroll to the video you want to download, tap the Three dots to its right, and tap Share. Next, tap Download, and a pop-up menu should appear to download the video. After the video is downloaded, you’ll find it either in your Photos app (Apple users) or Files app (Android users). Note: You can only download one video at a time on the phone.

Keyan Riddick
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Keyan Riddick is a freelance writer based in the mountains on North Carolina. When he isn't writing you can find him behind…
Ring Battery Doorbell vs. Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Gen): What’s new with the latest model?
The Ring Battery Doorbell installed near a front door.

The Ring Battery Doorbell is the successor to the popular Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Gen). Both offer many of the same features -- and if you’re a current owner of the Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Gen), you’re probably wondering if upgrading to the Ring Battery Doorbell is worthwhile. Here’s a look at the two video doorbells to help you decide which is best for your home.
Design

The new Ring Battery Doorbell and old Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Gen) look very similar. They feature a rectangular chassis with a black upper portion (housing the camera) and a silver lower portion (housing the doorbell button). Around this doorbell button is Ring's iconic glowing blue circle. They both look great, and upgrading to the Ring Battery Doorbell won’t change the appearance of your front door.

Read more
Ring’s new Smart Video Search uses AI to quickly scour your motion history
Ring Smart Video Search on the mobile app.

Ring has revealed a new AI-powered feature called Smart Video Search that’s currently being tested in public beta. The goal is to make it easier than ever to find specific moments in your video history by allowing you to enter a text description of an event, which will then be used to scour your motion events for a clip that matches your input.

Smart Video Search uses a combination of Ring AI and Visual Language Modeling (VLM) to quickly search your video history based on a text description. For example, if you search for “red bicycle in the driveway,” your Ring app will automatically pull up any clips that feature -- you guessed it -- a red bike in your driveway.

Read more
Prepare for Halloween with these smart home gadgets
A Ring Video Doorbell next to Halloween decorations.

It’s officially spooky season, and that means Halloween is right around the corner. And if you’re hoping to have the most haunted house on the block, it’s worth looking at how today’s best smart home devices can help you achieve your goal. Whether you’re throwing a costume party, spending the night curled up with a scary movie, or expecting to have hundreds of trick-or-treaters lining up at your door, there’s a good chance upgrading your smart gadgets can make the spooky season all the more exciting.

Here’s a look at how video doorbells, smart lights, and other smart devices can help you celebrate Halloween.
Update your video doorbell with a terrifying chime

Read more