There are a lot of reasons why you might want to download some videos on YouTube as mp3 and mp4. For example, you might want to retrofit your YouTube video into an audio-only podcast to upload on another platform. Or perhaps you’ve uploaded your live stream from Twitch directly to YouTube, and want to download it to create a curated video. Whatever the reason, there are many tools out there that are designed to easily convert YouTube content into a downloadable mp3 and mp4 file.
An important thing to mention before I go any further – be mindful that content downloaded from YouTube using this tool is subject to copyright law. For example, it is illegal to use this tool as a means to download music from YouTube, as this is technically a form of content piracy. This tool is meant to allow creators to download a copy of their own content locally, not theft.
You have been warned.
If you are just looking for free, safe-to-use sound effects, be sure to check out these sound effects that I made for content creators, made available for free under the CC BY-SA license. Looking for Free, Content creator-friendly music? Check out this list of resources that I compiled.
Back to the subject at hand: The simplest way to download YouTube videos as mp3 is to use an online converter. There are a ton of purpose-built converter applications on the internet for you to utilize, but I’ll only be covering the one that I personally use – ytmp3.cc. I mainly use it to download the videos themselves for local backup, just in case it gets taken down or something.
Technically, you could also record audio using OBS Studio while watching back the video itself, but well…That isn’t very time efficient, as you need to sit through the entire video to do so. It also adds several unnecessary steps in the workflow process – Stick with the online converters for simplicity’s sake.
Table of Contents
How to Download YouTube Videos as mp3 and mp4
| Drawbacks | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Maximum length of 90 minute videos supported | Can also convert to mp4 |
| Extensive Terms of Service | Fast Conversion |
| ONLY supports YouTube videos | No Watermark added |
| You can’t change the audio quality of the mp3 | Downloaded quality is very close to YouTube’s source |
For those of you who want to download YouTube videos or audio tracks of videos that have been uploaded to YouTube, the best online tool to do so is ytmp3.cc.
Many YouTubers will occasionally clear out their archive of older videos, as these original files tend to take up a ton of space on their computers. Luckily, using tools like this, you can re-download them directly from YouTube using this tool, and use YouTube as a sort of file server for these videos.
Of course, as far as video quality is concerned, you’ll never quite get back the original quality of the source content from a video downloaded from YouTube, as they apply a pretty powerful compression algorithm to every video uploaded to the search engine. With that said, it is the only option you really have available to you if you no longer have access to the original files.
There are countless other online converters to accomplish this task, but from my personal experience, this one yields the best results. There is no watermark added, and the quality is very close to the original YouTube video when using the mp4 download option. This is a pretty big plus in my book.
The big drawback of this particular converter is that it only supports YouTube video links – Not really much of a problem if you only care about content from YouTube, but it is worth mentioning.
Let’s convert this YouTube video to an mp3 or mp4 that you can download:
– You have my permission to do so for the purpose of this tutorial. Please do not re-upload this video without my permission.
How to Convert With ytmp3.cc
Using the ytmp3.cc converter, you can quickly and easily convert the video files into an mp3 audio file format. Note that I am using the dark mode of the converter, as I find it to be less straining on my eyes. A nice touch to the tool, if I do say so myself.
A conversion can take anywhere from a few seconds, to a few minutes, varying by the length and complexity of the video in question.
Total Time: 1 minute
Step 1: Copy the YouTube Video URL
In my case, I’m copying this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwlk2tidOE0, which is one of my videos, but the shorter URL also works – https://youtu.be/fwlk2tidOE0.
Step 2: Paste the URL Into ytmp3.cc
Remember, it must be a valid YouTube-only link – No other website will work, though it does support short link variants.
Here is the link to the site, for convenience.
Step 3: Click the Convert Button & download your mp3
This tool supports direct downloads, as well as the ability to save to a dropbox.
YouTube to mp3 conversion tools are still subject to copyright
If you’re using the tool to download content you don’t own, just be aware that you can get in trouble for it. For example, downloading a mp3 of a song that was uploaded onto YouTube is technically considered piracy. Only use YouTube to mp3 conversion tools that you have the right to use them for, such as your own YouTube channel.