A Guide to Reddit Videos: How to Use the Reddit App for Videos

Posted: May 27, 2022 | Last updated: February 4, 2024

Reddit is one of the most popular social media sites, with millions of active users and posts every day. If you’re new to the platform, or just looking to improve your Reddit experience, there are some useful tips that can help you use the app to its fullest potential and save time while browsing Reddit videos. Here’s a guide to Reddit videos that will get you started in no time.

The platform might seem like just another social media app, but Reddit is actually a lot more than that. It’s sort of like YouTube in that you can find news clips, movies, music videos, and other media posted by the masses. And while Reddit is known as the front page of the internet, it’s also home to original content, including videos. 

Reddit has recently started to incorporate videos into its platform and its app makes it easier than ever to watch these videos. Whether you want to stream the latest video from your favorite YouTube channel or catch up on all of the highlights from last night’s sporting event, you can now do so on Reddit with just a few taps of your screen. Check out this guide to learn how to use the Reddit app for videos.

Everything You Need to Know About Reddit

Despite a name that makes it sound like your college professor’s favorite website, Reddit is one of today’s most popular websites. Since its humble beginnings as a basic online bulletin board system in 2005, Reddit has grown into one of the web’s most comprehensive sites with thousands of topics and millions of users. 

You can find anything on Reddit, from celebrity Q&As to tutorials on using Linux. But what really sets Reddit apart is its emphasis on user-created content. You can easily contribute something new and interesting to just about any topic imaginable. Video sharing also works great on Reddit, not to mention it’s one of the most convenient platforms to search, view, and share videos. 

Why Reddit is Different from YouTube

Although Reddit looks and feels a lot like YouTube, it’s not actually designed to host video. Instead, users can upvote or downvote submissions so that good content rises to the top and irrelevant content is banished forever. Users can also create their own subreddits, which means people who are passionate about a certain topic can gather together online. 

Say r/Wine if you’re into wine, or r/UpliftingNews if you want daily encouragement. Some of these sections have grown so large that they actually have moderators as well. Another cool feature of Reddit is how every post has comments from other users below it.

How Do I Watch Videos on Reddit?

Reddit has a built-in video player. The service pulls from a huge list of subreddits, which are basically user-created channels with content based on a specific interest or theme. Each subreddit is moderated by volunteers and can be visited directly by anyone on the platform. This means that anyone can create their own subreddit, and many do. 

In fact, there’s even one called r/videos where you can watch videos submitted by Reddit users—and yes, it’s as simple as it sounds. Here’s a guide to Reddit videos, particularly in watching: 

• Go to r/videos using your desktop browser (or any other way you want). 
• On mobile devices, just open up Reddit in general and tap on r/videos when you see it at the top of your feed. 
• You should see a screen prompting you on Reddit’s r/videos page. 
• From here, just tap on any video thumbnail to start watching! 
• Tap again if you want to stop watching

You see, streaming videos on Reddit is pretty simple. Whether you’re watching from your desktop or mobile, you can watch any video anytime as long as you have a good internet connection. 

Is It Safe to Watch Videos on Reddit?

The Reddit video player (often referred to as Reddit TV) is simple to use, but it does have its quirks. First, videos are only available on the desktop—there’s no native mobile app. Also, while you can upload your own videos or search Reddit by text (instead of typing a specific subreddit name), Reddit mostly functions as a list of hyperlinks that open in new tabs. 

Additionally, the question lies on whether it’s safe to watch videos on Reddit. The answer is YES. The platform is an American social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website. You can’t do actions on the platform, such as upvoting and downvoting if you’re not a registered community member. 

Reddit also reviews every video submission before posting it officially on the platform. With this, users can guarantee that the videos they watch are Reddit-approved and adhere to the company’s guidelines. If you want safer browsing and streaming, you can always use a VPN (Virtual Private Network). 

Can I Use Videos from Reddit?

The plain answer is YES. To use or download videos from Reddit, you’ll want to use a dedicated app designed for downloading videos from Reddit. For example, VidPot is an excellent option and offers a freemium model that lets you download 10 videos a day without paying anything. 

However, if you’re interested in more features or unlimited downloads—and don’t mind paying—you’ll be happy with KeepVid Pro. This is one of the favorite paid solutions for most users who want to download videos from Reddit. You can also search Google Play or iTunes for free alternatives but there isn’t any guarantee on their reliability and performance. In short, most apps are fine to use but we’d recommend against trusting any free app with your downloads

How Do Beginners Use Reddit?

Reddit is one of, if not the best place on Earth to learn new things. You may not be familiar with the platform, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn to use it quickly and effectively. Here’s how to use Reddit app, regardless if you’re brand new to the site.

Choosing a Subreddit

You’ll be amazed at how many subreddits there are on Reddit—over 2 million! So when you first start out, it might seem like a daunting task to figure out which ones will be most helpful to you. The good news is that anyone can create a subreddit for any topic imaginable. So even if you don’t find what you need in the default list of subreddits, chances are someone has created one around your interests.

Commenting on Posts

The main way to communicate with other people who use Reddit is by commenting on their posts. When you find something on a website that you like, click, comment, and add your two cents. Make sure that your comments are valuable, and be nice.

Upvoting and Downvoting

Users can upvote or downvote any given piece of content. While most people believe that a post’s score is entirely dependent on how many people upvote it, a post’s score is also affected by how many people downvote it. A post with thousands of downvotes will be much lower than one with only a few hundred—even if thousands more users upvoted it. This system incentivizes users to vote based on quality, not opinion.

Following Your Interests

Find a few topics you’re passionate about and dive into them. We’d recommend looking at subreddits before deciding on your main area of interest. Some subreddits to check out are /r/movies, /r/documentaries, and /r/startups.

The /r/learnprogramming Subreddit

This is a subreddit where people are constantly asking questions about how to get started learning a programming language. If you know how to code, try answering some of these queries and directing those who might be interested in learning programming with specific advice and resources. If you’re looking for beginner-friendly subreddits, check out /r/beginnerprogramming, /r/learnjava, /r/learnpython and /r/learnvisualstudio.

How to Post Videos on Reddit Mobile

So you want to post videos on Reddit mobile but don’t know how? Here are some helpful steps to get started.

Go to your profile

From your profile, you can share links, text posts, videos, and more. On mobile devices and desktops alike, find a link or type of content you’d like to share and tap or click it.

Click the Post button (it’s right above your username)

As soon as you click it, a box will pop up that asks what kind of link you’d like to post. Click Video. Then, search for a video on YouTube. Once you’ve found one, click it and select Open in App. This will automatically upload your video directly onto Reddit with all of its necessary tags already attached. 

Then, add a comment and press Save (you can’t post without first making a comment). Now just sit back and wait for positive results to roll in! You can also use a tool like the one in this Vyrill review to gain insights about your video on Reddit. 

Upload a video

Click Submit a new link and upload your video file. This will prompt you to add a title, tags, and a description. Fill these out as best you can—the more accurate you are here, especially with tags, the better chance your video has of going viral! Don’t forget to post links in relevant subreddits where your content fits.

Edit the headline (optional)

If you really want your video to get many upvotes, editing its title might help. Reddit titles are limited to 50 characters. If you can’t summarize your video in that amount of space, you should consider reworking it or writing a longer description. On mobile, tapping on a headline will take users to an edit screen where they can add or remove text.

Add your link/text/comments in the post body field

The most important feature of Reddit’s mobile app is its voting mechanism. If a link or comment receives enough votes, it will reach #1 and receive hundreds if not thousands of views. To post a video, simply navigate to r/videos and click Submit Link in one of your subreddits.

Select who you want to see this post (Friends, Everyone, Mod Only, etc.)

This controls who sees your post. Think carefully before posting. If you don’t select an option, only friends will see it. Otherwise, if you choose everyone or mod only, there’s a chance your post will be removed by a moderator for violating a rule of Reddit. The moderators also check every single submission before approving it and removing spam. Therefore, posts that aren’t allowed are deleted automatically as well.

Hit the orange Submit button and wait for positive results!

To post content to a subreddit, you must first subscribe to it. Subreddits are tied together with an orange plus button that reads subscribe when clicked (and unsubscribe if you’re already subscribed). The Subscribe button will take you directly to a list of all of your subreddits. Each subreddit has its unique design and rules, so depending on what it is you want to post, be sure you know which one is best suited to that type of content.

Use a third-party app

If you don’t want to use Reddit’s native video uploader, you can always download and install a third-party app from outside of Google Play or iTunes. If you want your video to show up in /r/videos, one of the largest subreddit communities with over 25 million subscribers, use Imgur or Streamable.

On the other hand, you can also use a tool to create eye-catching videos and share them across different platforms simultaneously, including Reddit. Check this Ripl review to get started. 

Is Reddit Still Popular in 2022?

 

In recent years, Reddit has had a bad rap. It has garnered a reputation as being too alt-right or racist. While the platform may not be hip with kids today, in 2022, you might be surprised at its relevance. 

One of Reddit’s best features is its video library. More and more people are watching videos on the platform than ever before. Just take our guide to Reddit videos above and download it now—in five years, it could be one of your most popular apps.

To gain more knowledge beyond this guide to Reddit videos, check out this blog post: “58 Reddit Statistics 2021: Eye-Opening Data for Marketers.”