How to Download Music from YouTube: 5 Easy Ways

Do you want to download the audio from a YouTube video? The easiest and most reliable way to download music from YouTube is to subscribe to YouTube Music Premium, a service that makes it easy to listen to YouTube music offline. If you don't have Premium, you can try an online YouTube converter or free desktop or mobile app that extracts the music from the video and converts it to an audio file, such as an MP3. This wikiHow article will teach you multiple easy ways to download your favorite songs from YouTube Videos. You should only download videos that are yours or fall under the Creative Commons license.

Easily Download Music from YouTube

You can use apps like 4K Video Downloader Plus or MediaHuman to download audio for video from YouTube. Most have a limited number of downloads for free.
You can use an online YouTube music downloader, but be sure to use an ad-blocker. Keep in mind these websites violate YouTube’s TOS.
The safest way to download music from YouTube is to subscribe to YouTube Music Premium.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Using MediaHuman

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Go to the Media Human download website. There you can find links to download this software if you're using a Mac, Windows, or Linux computer.
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Click the free download link. It’s the Download YouTubeDownloader-x64.exe button. Paste the first bit of text.
- MediaHuman is also available for Mac and Linux Ubuntu. To download those versions, click Download for other platforms below the download link. Then download the correct version for your operating system.
- You can download up to 20 videos or songs using the trial version of MediaHuman. Then you will need to purchase a license to get unlimited access. Currently, it costs $29.99 to purchase a license.
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Install the downloaded file. The steps for this are different based on your operating system.
- Windows: Double-click the downloaded file and follow the wizard's on-screen instructions.
- Mac: Drag and drop the file inside the downloaded file into your Applications folder.
- Ubuntu: Double-click the “.deb” file in your Downloads folder. When the Software Center opens, click Install. If you are using Ubuntu 22.04 or earlier, press Ctrl + Alt + T to open the Terminal. Type cd Downloads and press Enter to change directories to the Downloads folder. Then type sudo apt install YouTubeToMP3.amd64.deb and press Enter to install the file.
4
Copy the URL for the YouTube video you want to download. All you need to do for this is to open YouTube, find the video, and then copy the URL to your clipboard.^{[1]
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- To copy the URL, make sure the video is playing. Highlight the URL in the address bar at the top, right-click it, and click Copy. Alternatively, you can click Share below the video, then click Copy next to the URL.
You may need to click the + before you can paste the URL.
By default, MediaHuman will download the entire video. To just download the music, click the toggle switch in the upper-right corner.^{[2]
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Click the down arrow. It's the Download button and will begin downloading the music from the YouTube video.^{[3]
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- Find and watch these videos in the location targeted in the "Preferences" section.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Using 4K Video Downloader Plus

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1
Download and install the 4K Video Downloader Plus setup file. You can use this method to download music from YouTube for free–up to 10 songs per day using the free version. To get the app, go to www.4kdownload.com/downloads/34 and click the download link for your operating system. It is available for Windows, Mac, Ubuntu Linux, and Android. Then, to install:
- Windows: Double-click the setup file and then follow the on-screen setup instructions.
- Mac: Double-click the setup file, verify the installation if necessary, drag the 4K Video Downloader app icon onto the "Applications" folder, and then follow any on-screen instructions.
- Ubuntu: Double-click the “.deb” file in your Downloads folder. When the Software Center opens, click Install.
- Android: Click or tap the 4K Video Downloader for Android link instead to download the APK file. You will need to use the APK file to side-load 4K Video Downloader onto your Android device.
2
Go to the video and copy its address. Search for or navigate to the video or music you want to download. Then, highlight the video's URL in the address bar at the top of your browser, then press Ctrl + C (PC) or Command + C (Mac) to copy it.^{[4]
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- Alternatively, you can click Share below the video and click Copy next to the video URL.
3
Open 4K Video Downloader Plus. Click the Windows Start menu or the Spotlight search on your Mac, and then type 4k video downloader. Click or double-click the 4K Video Downloader+ search result.
- You can download up to 10 videos or audio files a day for free using 4K Video Downloader+. To download more, you need to purchase a subscription. To do so, click Activate to purchase a subscription.
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Click the toggle switch next to “Smart Mode” at the top. This allows you to select what format you want to download the video or audio in.
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Select Audio as the download type, and MP3 as the format. This ensures that your music will download in MP3 audio format.
- You can also download M4A, OGG, or an optimized file for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, or Android.
- You can also use the drop-down menu next to “Quality” to select the quality. The maximum quality you can select with the free version is 128 KB. If you want to go higher, you need to click Activate in the lower-right corner and purchase a subscription.
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Select where you want to download the file. To do so, click the drop-down menu next to “Save to.” Then, select where you want to download your files. By default, they will be saved to your “Videos” folder, but you can choose a different option. Click Browse to select a folder of your choice.
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Click Paste Link. It's in the top-left corner of the window. This will automatically paste the link from YouTube and start parsing it. The audio file will automatically download when it is finished parsing.^{[5]
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- To locate the file, click the folder icon next to the file when it finishes downloading.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Using Online Converters

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1
Go to the URL for the YouTube music video you want to download. You can use an online YouTube music downloader to save music from YouTube to your computer, phone, or tablet. First, you'll just need to copy the URL of the YouTube video. If you're using a computer web browser, you can highlight the address in the address bar at the top and right-click it, then click Copy. On a phone or tablet, tap Share under the video, then tap Copy Link.^{[6]
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- It may be helpful to use an ad blocker when using online converters, as many of these websites have lots of ads. Some of these ads may contain malware, so it's best to be on the safe side.
2
Go to an online YouTube-to-music converter. Online YouTube converters offer a quick way to extract audio from streaming videos. Most of these converters make it easy to convert YouTube videos to MP3, but some also allow you to save the music from videos in other file types. You can use these websites in a desktop browser on your computer or mobile device.
- For high-quality audio, try these sites:
  - dirpy.com
  - ontiva.com
- For lower-quality files, try:
- Many YouTube to MP3 websites are available, but they aren't all safe. Always make sure you're using antivirus protection before downloading from an online converter.
- Be careful what you click on these websites. Many have fake download buttons and links that try to get you to download malware.
3
Paste the YouTube video into the bar and click the Download button. The website may look different depending on which one you use, but they all work pretty similarly. In most cases, you'll then be prompted to select a format and quality.
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Select a format and download your file. You will either see a drop-down menu or a list of versions. To download an audio-only version of the song, click or select the option to download the video as an MP3, then follow the on-screen instructions to download.
- Some websites may ask you to select a format before clicking the download button.
- Some websites may allow you to select from different quality files as well.

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Using YouTube Music Premium

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If you are a paid subscriber to YouTube Music, you can easily download music for offline listening when using the mobile app on an Android, iPhone, or iPad.^{[7]
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Research source} The downloaded songs will only be available for listening when you’re using the YouTube Music app.
It’s the rectangular red icon with a play icon (a sideways triangle) inside.
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Go to a song or playlist you want to download. Tap the magnifying glass icon in the upper-right corner. Enter the name of a song, artist, or album.
- If you want to download a playlist. To do so, tap the Library tab at the bottom of the screen and tap the playlist you want to download.
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Tap the three dots next to a song ⋮. If you just want to download a single song, tap the icon with three dots next to the song. If the song is playing, the icon with three dots is in the upper-right corner. This will display a pop-out menu.
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Tap Download or the Download icon
. To download a song, tap Download in the pop-out menu.
- To download an album or playlist, tap the album or playlist to view all the songs. Then, tap the arrow icon below the album or playlist title to download the music.^{[8]
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Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Using YouTube Audio Library

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1
Go to YouTube Studio in a web browser. If you want to download free music to use in your own YouTube videos, YouTube has a ton of royalty-free music you can download and add to your own videos. Go to YouTube Studio in your web browser, or click your profile icon at the top-right corner of YouTube and select YouTube Studio.
- Make sure you are signed in to your YouTube account. If you haven’t already done so, click Sign In in the upper-right corner to do so now.
- If you are using your mobile device, you will need to load the desktop version of YouTube Studio.
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Click Audio LIbrary. It’s at the bottom of the menu bar to the left.
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Search for a song (optional). You can search for a specific song or artist. To do so, click where is says Search or filter library above the list of songs. Then you can enter the name of an artist, song, or genre of music.
- You’re probably not going to find too many big-name artists in the YouTube Audio Library. However, if you are looking for something to use as background music in a video, you’ll be able to find something suitable.
- To preview a song before you download it, click the Play/Triangle icon to the left of the song.
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Click Download next to the song. When you hover your mouse cursor over a song, you will see the download button appear next to the song on the far right side. Click this button to download the song. The song will be downloaded to your Downloads folder.

Expert Q&A

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Question

How can I know if a YouTube downloader has malware?

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist
Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over 7 years.

Luigi Oppido

Computer & Tech Specialist

Expert Answer

It's almost impossible, but the best way is to ask someone you trust who uses one already. You could also go to Reddit and do a search for something like "best youtube downloader." That way, you can see if someone else has searched for that already, and there should be recommendations on the thread. Just be sure to check the date—anything older than a year or two may be out of date.

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How do I know if it is legal?

Community Answer

It's not really, but you can't get in trouble for it. If anything, it would be the websites that provide the service that would get in trouble.

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Is this illegal?

Community Answer

If the music is copyrighted, yes. If not, you're good to go. Make sure you check the copyrights on the music you download.

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Tips

Computer and tech specialist Luigi Oppido recommends asking a trusted friend for their recommendations on downloaders before trying random options, as many downloaders can trick you into downloading malware.^{[9]
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Luigi Oppido
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Expert Interview} You can also ask around on Reddit.

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Use the Wayback Machine to watch deleted YouTube videos.

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You can also download parts of a video instead of the entire thing.

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Warnings

Downloading music from YouTube—even if only for personal use—violates Google's terms of use, and may be illegal in your region.

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Distributing downloaded music for profit is illegal.

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