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Do you use YouTube to listen to music? If so, maybe you’d like to have a downloadable copy of the songs you enjoy from your favorite videos. To save your YouTube videos as audio files, certain websites and software will strip out the music tracks and convert them into MP3 files, which you can save to your computer and listen to offline.
If you simply want to download YouTube videos, there's a guide for that, but here I'll focus on the task of downloading them as audio files. This way you don't have to worry about skipping those annoying ads when you're just trying to listen to music.
A Legal Warning
Before diving in, let's get one thorny issue out of the way: Is this legal? That depends on the video. You can download your own personal YouTube videos, as well as public domain and non-copyrighted videos. You’ll find “free” content by searching YouTube for "public domain" and "non-copyrighted" material, or by filtering your search to include videos with music licensed by Creative Commons. Otherwise, you can't legally download copyrighted videos without the owner's permission.
As a word of warning, a spokesperson for Google had this to say: "Our Terms of Service prohibit the downloading or copying of videos on YouTube without explicit consent from the copyright holder. Once notified of an infringing tool or service that allows the downloading of a YouTube video without permission from the content owner, we take appropriate action."
Watch Out for Malicious Sites
You should also be extremely cautious with online video conversion websites. Many of them can be buggy and even malicious. A site may start off as safe and reliable but then become infected with malware. Also, watch out for download and conversion sites that try to impersonate legitimate ones. They typically do that by futzing the URL so that it approximates the real site but takes you to a malicious page.
Before you try using any website to convert a YouTube video, make sure you’re running dependable and updated antivirus software. You may also want to first run a web search for the name of the site to see if people have shared any complaints about it.
With those caveats in mind, let's check out a few websites and programs that can convert YouTube videos into audio files.
Dirpy
At the Dirpy website, paste the URL of a YouTube video into the search field and click the Dirpy button to show details about the file, including name, duration, and ID3 tag. In the Record Audio section, set the format to mp3 and quality to the highest (320 kbps). Click Record Audio, and you’re prompted to save the MP3 file to your computer.
Though Dirpy is free to use, the site cautions that access may be intermittent. For priority access, you'll need Dirpy Premium at $6.99 per month or $83.99 per year.
(Credit: PCMag / Dirpy)YouConvert
With YouConvert’s YouTube to MP3 Converter, you can quickly convert a YouTube video into an MP3 file. Just enter the URL for the video at the prompt and click Convert. After the thumbnail for the music appears, click one of the Download buttons, and your file is ready to be saved to your PC.
YouConvert's services are free, but the site asks for donations to keep it alive. You can donate any amount you want through PayPal, Stripe, or select cryptocurrencies.
(Credit: PCMag / YouConvert)4K YouTube to MP3
4K YouTube to MP3 is a conversion program you can install on your Windows or Mac computer. It tries to make the conversion process as quick and simple as possible. Just paste the video's URL in the software’s home screen, and the conversion automatically kicks off. The resulting file is automatically downloaded to a 4K YouTube to MP3 subfolder in your Music folder. You can then play the audio directly from the software or from another program on your computer.
The free version limits you to 15 conversions per day. To increase that number and serve up additional benefits, the seller also offers several paid versions.
(Credit: PCMag / 4K YouTube to MP3)MediaHuman's YouTube to MP3 Converter
MediaHuman offers a free conversion program called YouTube to MP3 Converter. To get started, just paste or drag the YouTube URL into the program and click Start Download. You can even convert and download multiple videos at once. After the file is added to your computer, right-click on it in the program and select Locate Saved File to bring up the file.
To venture beyond the basic features, click the General options icon on the bottom toolbar, and then select Preferences. Here, you can opt to automate link pasting and downloading, control downloads, tweak network bandwidth, play with the iTunes settings, and change the audio format and download folder.
(Credit: PCMag / MediaHuman)YouTube Music
If you just want to listen to songs on YouTube and don't need an MP3 file, YouTube Music is Google's official option. With the base version, you’re unable to download songs for use outside the app, but a YouTube Music Premium subscription will allow you to download music for offline listening, remove ads, and play music in the background while using your device.
YouTube Music Premium costs $10.99 per month on the web. If you're an avid YouTube user, it may be worth it to pay for YouTube Premium at $13.99 to get the same benefits across both Google services.
(Credit: PCMag / YouTube)