How to Download Music from YouTube

10 Second Summary

Open the YouTube video and copy the URL.
Open a new tab and visit a Youtube converter site.
Find the converter field and paste the copied URL.
Click the "Download" or "Convert" button.
Click the download link for the MP3 file.
Play the file, then transfer it to your iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
Method
1
Edit
Using a Downloader Website
1
Open the YouTube video you want to download in your web browser. You can convert any YouTube video into an MP3 file by using special websites that will convert the video for you. You can do this for music videos, songs, or any other type of video.
2
Copy the entire address for the video. Highlight the address in your browser bar, then right-click the selection and click "Copy."
If you're using an Android device, tap the Share button underneath the video and then tap "Copy link."
3
Visit a YouTube converter site in a new browser tab. There are many different sites that will convert the YouTube video to MP3 and then provide a download link. Some of the more popular sites include:
youtube-mp3.org
youtube2mp3.cc
keepvid.com
4
Paste the copied URL into the blank field on the converter field. Whichever website you pick, you'll find a blank text field in the center. Paste your copied YouTube address into this field.
You can right-click the empty field and select "Paste," or press Ctrl/⌘ Command+V. If you're on Android, press and hold the empty field, then select "Paste" from the menu that appears.
5
Click the "Download" or "Convert" button. This will begin the conversion process for the video. Some sites may take longer than others to process the file.
6
Click the download link for the MP3 file. If you're using keepvid.com, you'll see a list of links for different formats. Click the "Download MP3" link to download the MP3 file. If you're using youtube-mp3.org or youtube2mp3.cc, the download button or link that appears after converting will download the MP3 file.
7
Play the downloaded file. The MP3 file will be downloaded to your Downloads folder. You can open it from there in your media player, or move it to your music folders.
8
Transfer the downloaded file to your iPhone, iPod, or iPad. If you have an iOS device, you can use iTunes to copy the downloaded MP3 file to your device. See Add Music to iPhone for detailed instructions.
Add the MP3 file to your iTunes library by dragging it into the iTunes window.
Connect your iOS device to your computer via USB. It will appear in iTunes after a moment.
Select the new MP3 file in iTunes and start dragging it. Your iOS device will appear in the sidebar on the left.
Drop the MP3 file onto your iOS device. It will be copied to the device and you'll be able to find it in your Music app.
Method
2
Edit
Using Firefox Extensions
1
Open your Firefox browser on your computer. The desktop version of Firefox allows you to install add-ons and extensions. You can use extensions made to specifically download YouTube videos as MP3 files. If you don't have Firefox, you can download it for free or try a different method in this article.
2
Open the add-on menu for your browser. Firefox has a "markets" for various extensions that you can install.
Type about:addons into the address bar. Click the "Get Add-ons" tab if it isn't already selected.
3
Search for "simple youtube to mp3." This will find Simple YouTube to MP3/Mp4 Converter and Downloader. This extension is free, and will provide links to MP3 files.
4
Install the extension. Once you've found it in the search results, you can quickly install it in your browser. Click the "Install" button next to Simple YouTube to MP3/Mp4 Converter and Downloader.
5
Open the YouTube video you want to convert to MP3. After the extension has been installed, you can start using it to download YouTube videos as MP3 files. Open the video you want to convert in your browser.
If the video you want to download as an MP3 is already open, refresh the page to make the Download button appear.
6
Click the new "Download" button below the video. You'll find this next to the "... More" button underneath the video name. Clicking this button will open a new tab in your browser.
7
Click the "HQ MP3" link. You'll find this on the right side of the page.
8
Select "Save File" in the window that appears. This will begin the download.
9
Open your Downloads folder to find the file. The file will be downloaded to your Downloads folder by default. You can also click the Downloads button in the Firefox toolbar and click the folder button next to the download.
10
Play the file. Double-click the MP3 file to open it in your default media player. The name will be the same as the video's title.
11
Transfer the file to your iOS device. If you use an iOS device, you can add the MP3 file using iTunes. See Add Music to iPhone for detailed instructions.
Open iTunes on your computer and drag the new file into the window to add it to iTunes.
Connect your device via USB cable and it will appear in iTunes after a moment.
Drag the new file from your iTunes library onto the device that appears in the sidebar.
Method
3
Edit
Using youtube-dl
1
Visit the youtube-dl download page. This program is an open-source YouTube downloader, and is completely free. It requires using the command line, but you won't have to deal with any ads.
Visit rg3.github.io/youtube-dl/ in your browser.
2
Download the program. The process for downloading and/or installing the program varies depending on your operating system:[1]
Windows - Click the "Download" button and then click the "Windows exe" link. Place the downloaded "youtube-dl.exe" file into your User folder (i.e. C:\Users\username).
Mac - Open the Terminal from the Utilities folder. Enter the following command: /usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)". This will install Homebrew, allowing you to install youtube-dl. Type brew install youtube-dl and run the command to install youtube-dl.
3
Install FFmpeg. This software will convert the audio from the video into MP3 format. The process is a little different for Windows and Mac:
Windows - Visit ffmpeg.org/download.html and click the Windows icon. Click the "Windows Builds" link, then download the 32-bit or 64-bit installer. Double-click the downloaded ZIP file and then click "Extract." Open the extracted folder, then open the "bin" folder. Move the three EXE files to the same location as "youtube-dl.exe."
Mac - Open the Terminal and type brew install ffmpeg. This will automatically download and install FFmpeg using Homebrew, which you installed in the previous step.
4
Open the video you want to download in your browser. You'll be copying the address of the video, so make sure you've loaded the video's page.
5
Copy the video's address. Highlight the address in the browser's address bar, then right-click the selection and click "Copy."
6
Open the Command Prompt or Terminal. You'll be using the command line to interact with youtube-dl. You can find the Command Prompt by opening the start menu or screen and typing cmd. If you're using a Mac, the Terminal can be found in the Utilities folder.
When you start the Command Prompt in Windows, you should start in your User folder. This should be the same location that you moved the "youtube-dl.exe" file to after downloading it.
7
Enter the first part of the command. Type youtube-dl and press Space. Don't run the command yet.
8
Enter the option for MP3 files. Type --extract-audio --audio-format mp3 and press Space.
9
Paste the copied video URL. Press Ctrl/⌘ Command+V to paste the copied video URL.
The entire command should look like youtube-dl --extract-audio --audio-format mp3 videoURL.
10
Run the command. Press ↵ Enter/⏎ Return to run the command. youtube-dl will begin automatically downloading the video, and then FFmpeg will extract the audio and convert it to MP3 format.
11
Find the MP3 file. You'll be able to find the MP3 file in your User directory. You can double-click it to pay it in your default media player.
Community Q&A
Search

Type your query here
Add New Question
How do I know if it is legal?
wikiHow Contributor
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.
Thanks!
Yes No
Not Helpful 4 Helpful 37
Is this illegal?
wikiHow Contributor
If the music is copyrighted, yes. If not, you're good to go. Make sure you check the copyrights on the music you download.
Thanks!
Yes No
Not Helpful 0 Helpful 7
How do I download music onto my iPod?
wikiHow Contributor
Connect the iPod to a computer with the charging cable, and then you can copy and paste the music onto the iPod.
Thanks!
Yes No
Not Helpful 1 Helpful 11
How do you download music from your PC to your MP3 player?
wikiHow Contributor
Connect the MP3 player to your PC using the charging cable. Then, using Windows Explorer, copy and paste the music into the appropriate folder on the MP3 player, which will show up as an external/USB drive. You can also use programs such as Windows Media Player to do this.
Thanks!
Yes No
Not Helpful 3 Helpful 16
Will it work on an iPad?
Beank Tong
Due to Apple's policy, we can't write data from the web into iPad's music library. We need download them on PC or Mac and then transfer to iPad.
Thanks!
Yes No
Not Helpful 3 Helpful 14
How do I download music from YouTube to my computer for later download on my MP3 player?
wikiHow Contributor
There's an app called YouTube to MP3. Choose a song on YouTube; before the song starts, right click on it (or if you have a tablet, hold your finger down). You'll be presented with an option called "Copy." Copy that into the YouTube to MP3 app and it will start the download (it will even work if your WiFi Is down).
Thanks!
Yes No
Not Helpful 10 Helpful 30
Will my computer get a virus from doing this?
wikiHow Contributor
It depends on what website you use to download the music. Be careful with third-party websites and make sure you have anti-virus software.
Thanks!
Yes No
Not Helpful 6 Helpful 20
How do I download the song directly from YouTube?
wikiHow Contributor
You can buy YouTube Red to download videos, but you would still need to convert the MP4 to MP3 after downloading.
Thanks!
Yes No
Not Helpful 0 Helpful 1
How do I download from YouTube to my Amazon Fire?
wikiHow Contributor
Connect the Fire to a computer with a USB. Afterwards, go to Windows Explorer and copy the music you've downloaded. Then transfer it to the music directory on your Fire.
Thanks!
Yes No
Not Helpful 1 Helpful 0
Unanswered Questions
Simplest way to download music from YouTube to computer?
Answer this question Flag as... Flag as...
How do I download music from YouTube to my computer for later download on my MP3 player?
Answer this question Flag as... Flag as...
Which converter sites are safe and won't download any bugs?
Answer this question Flag as... Flag as...
What music program for Windows does not require me to keep the downloaded song (from YouTube) in my downloads folder (like iTunes does) in order to play it?
Answer this question Flag as... Flag as...
Can I do this without using a converter?
Answer this question Flag as... Flag as...
Show more unanswered questions
Ask a Question

What do you need to know? We'll do our best to find the answer.
200 characters left

Email address (optional)
Submit
Already answered
Not a question
Bad question
Other
If this question (or a similar one) is answered twice in this section, please click here to let us know.