Do you enjoy listening to music on YouTube? There is YouTube Music, but it is not free. If you want to save your YouTube videos as audio files, certain websites and software will extract the music tracks and convert them into MP3 files you can save to your computer and listen to later.
We have a guide if you just want to download YouTube videos, but this guide will focus on downloading them as audio files. You won’t have to worry about skipping those annoying advertisements when you’re just trying to listen to music.
A Legal Warning
Before we begin, let’s clear up one thorny issue: Is this type of conversion and download legal? That is determined by the video. You can convert and download your own YouTube videos, as well as public domain and non-copyrighted videos.
You can find this type of content by searching YouTube for “public domain” and “non-copyrighted” content, or by narrowing your search to include videos with Creative Commons music (Opens in a new window). Without the permission of the owner, you cannot legally convert or download copyrighted videos.
A Google representative issued the following warning: “Our Terms of Service(Opens in a new window) prohibit the downloading or copying of YouTube videos without the explicit permission of the copyright holder. We take appropriate action when we are notified of an infringing tool or service that allows the downloading of a YouTube video without the content owner’s permission.”
Beware Buggy and Malicious Sites
You should also exercise caution when using online video conversion sites. Many of them may contain bugs or attempt to infect your system with malware. A site may begin as safe and reliable, only to become malicious. Before you try to convert a YouTube video using any website, make sure you have reliable and up-to-date antivirus software.
With those limitations in mind, let’s look at some websites and programs that can convert YouTube videos to audio files.
Dirpy
You enter the URL of a YouTube video into the search field on the Dirpy(Opens in a new window) website and click the Dirpy button. This will display information about the file such as its name, duration, and ID3 tag data.
Set the format to mp3 and the quality to the highest in the Record Audio section on the right (320 kbps). When you click Record Audio, it will prompt you to save the MP3 file to your computer.
Motionbox’s YouTube to MP3
YouTube To MP3 (Opens in a new window) by Motionbox is a conversion website that allows you to convert YouTube videos into a variety of file formats. Make sure we select the MP3 conversion option for our purposes. In the field, paste the YouTube video URL.
Following the conversion, a mini audio player is displayed. By clicking the Play button, you can listen to the audio. Click the three-dot icon and then select Download to save the file to your computer. The only issue here is that while the player and download functions work fine in Chrome and Microsoft Edge, they do not in Firefox.
AceThinker
AceThinker, a provider of various software utilities, also has a YouTube conversion site (Opens in a new window). Enter the YouTube URL and then click the Download button on the right. When the song’s name appears, click the Download button to the right of it. Default limits your audio conversion options to 128K. Save the MP3 file to your PC by clicking the Download button next to that option.
You’ll need to install AceThinker’s Music Keeper software if you want higher-quality audio formats—and faster downloads—which you can get by clicking the Free Download button on the conversion page. The app will then convert YouTube videos for you.
After a free trial, a lifetime license costs $39.95, and a one-year license costs $25.95.
4K YouTube to MP3
4K YouTube to MP3(Opens in a new window) is a program that you can download and install on your Windows or Mac computer. The free version has a daily conversion limit of 15 conversions. The seller also offers several paid versions to increase that number and provide additional benefits (Opens in a new window).
The program tries to make the conversion process quick and easy. Simply paste the video’s URL into the software’s home screen, and the conversion will begin automatically. Someone download automatically the resulting file to a 4K YouTube to MP3 sub-folder in your Music folder. Someone can then play directly the audio from the software or from another program on your PC.
MediaHuman’s YouTube to MP3 Converter
YouTube to MP3 Converter (Opens in a new window) is a free conversion program from MediaHuman that you can install on your computer. Despite its ease of use, the software includes several advanced features. Simply copy and paste or drag and drop the YouTube URL into the program and then click the Start Download button to get started.
You can also convert and download multiple videos at the same time. After you’ve added the file to your computer, right-click on it in the program and choose Locate Saved File. The audio file appears in File Explorer or Finder, ready, for playback.
To go beyond the basics, click the General options icon on the bottom toolbar, then Preferences. You can automate link pasting and downloading, control downloads, adjust network bandwidth, fiddle with iTunes settings, and change the audio format and download folder here.
Even though you get these features for free, a $9.99-per-year Turbo Boost mode reduces converting and downloading time to just a few seconds.
YouTube Music
If you just want to listen to songs on YouTube without downloading an MP3 file, YouTube Music is a great option. Songs cannot be downloaded for use outside of the app, but a paid YouTube Premium(Opens in a new window) subscription will enable you to add offline listening, remove ads, download music for offline listening, and play music in the background while using your device.
You can browse and search for music on YouTube using YouTube Music for iOS (Opens in a new window) and Android (Opens in a new window). When you choose your favorite artists, the app creates a playlist of recommended channels, and they served popular videos via a video hotlist.
Read more; WHAT IS ESIM AND HOW DO YOU USE IT?
YouTube Music Premium costs $9.99 per month on Android and $12.99 per month on iOS after a one-month free trial. The extra $3 on iOS is to cover Apple’s 30% fee for in-app payments, but you can avoid it by signing up for $9.99 on the web and accessing your premium account on your iPhone or iPad. YouTube also has family and student plans available, which cost $14.99 and $4.99 per month, respectively.
