How to Download Audio from YouTube for FREE- 5 Simple Ways

YouTube is not just a video sharing platform but also has a massive repository of music, sound effects and tracks, with channels dedicated to these purposes. So whether you’re a creator looking for royalty-free music and sound effects, or you want to download interesting guided meditation tracks to play offline at leisure - here’s the simplest guide on how to download YouTube audio for free.

In this guide, we’ll be sharing:

1. How to Download Audio From any YouTube Video for free on Mac and Windows
2. How to Bulk Download Audio From YouTube for free on Windows and Mac
3. Is It Illegal To Download Audio From YouTube?

Not just that, but if you stick around to the end, we have spilled the beans on where you can find royalty-free music for commercial purposes as well! So without further ado, let’s get straight to it!

1. How to Download Audio From any YouTube Video for free on Mac and Windows

The easiest way to download YouTube audio from the videos is to convert it to Mp3 (the most optimized format for audio files) using an online converter. Here’s a list of 5 online tools to download your YouTube audio online for free:

A. Download Audio From A YouTube Video Using ByClickDownloader

ByClickDownloader enables swift and easy downloading of YouTube audio in MP3 format from YouTube videos. It also allows you to download videos from Facebook, Dailymotion, Vimeo, Twitter, Instagram, and 44 other websites. This incredible tool facilitates the conversion of your videos into various formats, including MP3, MP4, AVI, FLV, WMV, 3GP, and WEBM.

Here’s how you can download YouTube audio using ByClickDownloader.

Step 1: Visit the ByClickDownloader website, download, and install the software on your Windows system. 

Step 2: After installing ByClickDownloader, navigate to your desired video or audio file on a supported platform and click the link. ByClickDownloader will automatically detect the media and offer a download option.

Step 3: You can also copy the YouTube video's URL, then open ByClickDownloader, paste the URL, select the desired audio format (like MP3), and click 'Download'.

Note: It may take some time for your file to download, depending on the size and internet speed.

B. Download Audio From A YouTube Video Using Converto

If you are looking for a reliable web-based tool to convert your YouTube videos to Mp3, especially for long-term usage, Converto is one of the best choices you have. You can convert your music videos and YouTube podcasts into Mp3 files.

Simply follow these steps to download audio from YouTube:

Step 1: Go to Converto. Copy and paste the Youtube URL for the video or song you want to convert to mp3 and click on the download button, in the box. Converto will automatically start searching for your video.

Step 2: Make sure that Mp3 is selected in the dropdown and hit the ‘Convert’ button.
Note: It may take some time to convert the video to Mp3 depending on your file size and internet speed.

Step 3: Once your Mp3 file is ready for download, you will see a notification on the screen. Now click on the ‘Click here’ highlighted section to download the audio to your desktop.

Pro-tip: Once your audio is downloaded, you can use InVideo’s intuitive online editor to add it to your video.

C. Download Audio From A YouTube Video Using 320YouTube

320YouTube is an easy-to-use YouTube converter that you can use to download YouTube audio files at optimal quality. You can use this Mp3 YouTube downloader in 2 ways.

Option 1: YouTube to Mp3 Download Directly Via Youtube

Step 1: Simply type ‘320’ into the URL of the Youtube video you want to download before ‘youtube.com/watch?v=’ - as shown in the example below. 

Step 2: You will be redirected to the 320YouTube converter page. Click on the ‘Download Mp3’ button to download the audio file.

Option 2: YouTube to Mp3 Download Via The 320YouTube Converter Website

Step 1: Go to the 320YouTube website. Copy and paste the Youtube URL for the video or song you want to convert to Mp3 in the box. Hit the ‘Convert’ button.

Step 2: It will show you the video you want to download on the left-hand side, click on the ‘Download Mp3’ button to convert your YouTube video to an audio file.

 

D. Download Audio From A YouTube Video Using YTMp3

One of the easiest-to-use Mp3 converters online, YTMp3 has a clean and simple interface. You can convert 90 minute long videos for free using this Mp3 converter.

Here’s how you can download YouTube audio using YTMp3: 

Step 1: Go to YTMp3. Be sure to select the Mp3 option in the blue bar below. Copy and paste the YouTube URL you want to convert to Mp3 in the white box. Now click on the ‘Convert’ button.

Step 2: Click on the ‘Download’ button to download your converted Mp3 file.

E. Download Audio From A YouTube Video Using YouTube To Mp3 Converter

Quick and convenient, YouTube to Mp3 converter is an easy-to-use online converter to download YouTube audio for any video. Here’s how you can download your YouTube audio using YouTube to Mp3 Converter: 

Step 1: Go to YouTube to Mp3 Converter. You have to copy and paste the URL of the YouTube video you want to convert in the search bar and click on ‘Go’. 

Step 2: Next, click the drop-down menu and select the format for conversions, such as MP3 or M4A. With an MP3, you can also select the level of compression which can be anywhere between 64 kbps to 320 kbps. The lesser the kbps, the smaller the file, and the poorer the quality. So unless you need to save space, you would want to choose a higher kbps option. Once done, hit the ‘Convert’ button.

Note: The download time of the YouTube audio file will depend on the number of kbps - so it will take longer to download a 320 kbps file as compared to a 64 kbps file.

Step 3: After your file has been converted, click the ‘Download’ button to save the music to your PC.

Since all of these tools are free, there’s a possibility that these websites contain adware. You might occasionally see pop-up ads or be redirected to partner sites in some cases. If you want to avoid this, you can install a downloader software on your PC to download audio and video from YouTube. 

2. How to Bulk Download Audio From YouTube for Free on Windows and Mac

If you are looking for tools to bulk download YouTube audio to your PC,  it’s better to install one of the several Mp3 or video converter and downloader software on your system. This is a fast and flexible tool to convert YouTube videos to Mp3 audio files.

Here’s how you can convert your YouTube videos to Mp3 using the Free YouTube to Mp3 Converter:

Step 1: Go to Free YouTube to Mp3 Converter and click on the ‘Download’ button. This tool is available for both Windows and Mac OS systems.

Step 2: Install the converter on your system and launch it. Next, copy the YouTube URL you want to convert to Mp3 and simply click on the ‘Paste’ button on your converter. You will see your video in the workspace below. You can follow this process and add multiple videos you want to download YouTube audio from.

Step 3: Your YouTube videos will be converted to an Mp3 file. You can click on the blue ‘Download’ button to bulk download YouTube audio from the files. If you want to download a single file, simply click on the downward arrow next to each individual file on the extreme right.

It may take some time to download your YouTube to Mp3 converted video file depending on its length and size but this is a quick and easy option to bulk download audio files from YouTube. 

3. Is It Illegal To Download Audio From YouTube?

There is no doubt that you can legally download your own personal YouTube videos, public domain videos, and non-copyrighted videos. But you can't legally download copyrighted videos without the owner's permission.

According to YouTube Support:

“You can download videos that you’ve already uploaded. If you haven’t uploaded the video yourself, you can’t save it to a computer. You can download videos from the YouTube app to your mobile device only.”

A few things to keep in mind when downloading audio from YouTube videos:

- Downloading and converting videos without the permission of the content creator is against YouTube’s terms of service.
- Downloading videos may also be subject to local or national copyright laws.
- Whether it’s a film, a song, or a podcast, it is advised to check whether the copyright holder allows downloads from YouTube.
- It also makes sense to cite the original or source, if you are reusing this audio for commercial purposes.

To not fall afoul of all those copyright laws, a much better approach is to download royalty-free music from these top 8 sites for all your video needs.

Wrapping Up - 

We’ve given you all the tools we know to download YouTube audio but always remember to keep an eye out for any copyright and permission issues whenever you use these files, especially for commercial purposes.  

If you found this guide useful, you’d definitely want to check out this step-by-step guide on how to make a GIF from a YouTube video. If you have any questions or want to continue the conversation, hop over to the InVideo community and learn from 25K other marketers and video creators just like you! 

And don’t forget - if you’re looking to create thumb-stopping videos in minutes (even if you’re not a PRO)- sign-up for a free account on InVideo.io today.

This post was written by Upasna and edited by Abhilash from Team InVideo