How to convert YouTube to MP3
Turn a YouTube video into an MP3 you can play offline, and when to pick M4A, WAV or FLAC instead.
Lots of YouTube is really audio: lectures, podcasts, interviews, sleep sounds, your own song demos. An MP3 lets you play it on a commute without burning data or keeping the screen on. Here's how to convert a YouTube video to MP3, and when another audio format is the better pick.
Convert YouTube to MP3 in four steps
- Copy the YouTube link from the address bar, or tap Share and then Copy link in the app.
- Open YouTube to MP3. The selector is already set to Audio.
- Paste the link and keep MP3, or choose M4A, WAV, FLAC or Opus.
- Press Download. The audio file saves to your device.
Which audio format should I pick?
MP3 is the default because it plays on anything, including car stereos and old MP3 players. The others each have a reason to exist:
- M4A sounds a little better than MP3 at the same size and is the native format for Apple Music and iPhone.
- WAV is uncompressed. Use it when you'll edit the audio in a program like Audacity or GarageBand.
- FLAC is lossless like WAV but smaller. Good for keeping an archive copy.
- Opus gives very small files that still sound clean, which is nice for long talks.
One thing to know: YouTube's audio is already compressed, so WAV or FLAC won't sound better than the original stream. They just stop any further loss. For listening, MP3 or M4A is plenty. There's more detail in MP3 vs M4A vs WAV vs FLAC.
Playing the MP3 on your phone
On Android the file appears in Downloads and most music apps find it automatically. On iPhone it saves to the Files app. You can play it straight from Files, or open it in another app such as VLC to build a playlist.
Need the words, too?
If you're saving a lecture to study, the transcript is often more useful than the audio. Switch the selector to Transcript and you'll get a text file of everything that's said. See getting a YouTube transcript.
Be fair to creators
Converting your own uploads, or talks the speaker shares freely, is the kind of use this is for. Ripping commercial music to avoid paying for it isn't. Our guide to the legal question has more on where the line sits.
Common questions
Does it work for very long videos? Yes. A three-hour recording takes longer to prepare than a three-minute one, so leave the tab open.
Will it cost anything? Your free account includes 3 downloads. After that it's $2.50 for 20, or $5.99 a month for unlimited on Pro. A download that fails doesn't use a credit.