4 Easy Ways to Download Music from YouTube: Mobile & Desktop

An easy guide to saving music from YouTube to your computer

Co-authored by Luigi Oppido and Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: January 15, 2023 Tested

Using YouTube Music Premium

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Using 4K Video Downloader

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Using MediaHuman

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Online Converters

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Expert Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

Do you want download the audio from a YouTube video to your computer? 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, there are still easy ways to download music from YouTube, including free apps like 4K Video Downloader and MediaHuman. You can also try an online YouTube converter that extracts the music from the video and converts it to an audio file, such as an MP3. You should only download videos that are yours or fall under the Creative Commons license. This wikiHow article will teach you multiple easy ways to download your favorite songs from YouTube.

Things You Should Know

The best and easiest way to download videos from YouTube is by subscribing to YouTube Premium.
With YouTube Premium, tap the download arrow next to your video, select the download quality, and then you can watch videos offline within the YouTube app.
Third-party apps and websites are often taken down since they violate the terms of service, so they aren't reliable.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Using YouTube Music Premium

1
Subscribe to YouTube Music Premium. 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.^{[1]
X
Research source} The downloaded songs will only be available for listening when you’re using the YouTube app. Use the following links to learn how to upgrade to Premium:
2
Open the YouTube Music app on your mobile device. It’s the rectangular red icon with a play icon (a sideways triangle) inside.
3
Go to a song you want to download. If you’d prefer to download a playlist, tap the Library tab at the bottom-right corner of the app, then select the playlist you want to download.
4
Tap the download arrow (for a song) or the ⁝ menu (for a playlist). If you selected the arrow, the song will now download to your phone or tablet for offline listening. If you’re downloading a playlist, continue to the next step.^{[2]
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5
Tap Download (for a playlist). The contents of the playlist will now be available for offline listening.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Using 4K Video Downloader

1
Download and install the 4K Video Downloader setup file. Go to https://www.4kdownload.com/products/product-videodownloader in your computer's web browser, then click Get 4K Video Downloader on the left side of the page. The file will only be free of malicious coding if you download the file from the 4k website. Once the setup file finishes downloading, do the following depending on your computer's operating system:
- 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.
2
Go to the video. Open YouTube by going to https://www.youtube.com/ in your computer's web browser, then search for or navigate to the video from which you want to download music.
3
Copy the video's address. Highlight the video's URL in the address bar at the top of your browser, then press Ctrl + C (Windows) Command + C (Mac) to copy it.
4
Open 4K Video Downloader. 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 should see the small 4K Video Downloader window pop up.
- Skip this step if 4K Video Downloader automatically opens.
5
Click Paste Link. It's in the top-left corner of the window.
6
Wait for the video to finish parsing. Once you see the quality options appear in the 4K Video Downloader window, you can proceed.
7
Click the "Download Video" drop-down and select Extract Audio. It’s the menu near the top-left corner of the window.
- If you want to download the video, select Download video instead.
8
Change the audio file type (optional). While the default MP3 format is the most universal audio file, you can click the Format drop-down box at the top-right side of the window to view and select a different audio format.
9
Select a quality (optional). The highest quality will be selected by default, but you can change the quality and bitrate of the audio file by checking the box to the left of one of the options in the window.
- Choose a lower bitrate if you want the file size to be smaller.
10
Click Browse to choose a save location. Select a folder on your computer to which you’ll save the new audio file, and then click Save or Choose.
11
Click Extract. It's at the bottom of the window. This begins the process of extracting the music from the video. When the conversion is complete, the file will be saved to the folder you selected.
- Double-clicking the downloaded audio file will play it in your default audio player.
- This software is also available on mobile phones, like Android.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Using MediaHuman

1
Go to https://www.mediahuman.com/youtube-video-downloader/26/ and download the right version for you. There are links to download this software if you're using a Mac, Windows, or Linux computer.
- Click the free download link by scrolling down a little when the page opens. It'll be on the left side of the page at the bottom of the "YouTube Downloader" section.
2
Install the downloaded file. The steps for this are different based on your operating system.
- For Windows, double-click the downloaded file and follow the wizard's on-screen instructions.
- For Mac, drag and drop the file inside the downloaded file into your Applications folder.
3
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.
4
Open Video Downloader and paste the URL. You may need to click the + before you can paste the URL.
5
Select an output format. By default, MediaHuman will download the entire video. To just download the music, click the switch that has a music note icon to switch to audio only.^{[3]
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6
Click the down arrow. It's the Download button and will begin downloading the music from the YouTube video.
- Find and watch these videos in the location targeted in the "Preferences" section.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Online Converters

1
Find 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.
- For high-quality audio, try these sites:
- 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.
2
Go to the URL for the YouTube video you want to download. Choose a converter from the list and give it a try. Just keep in mind that online downloaders aren't always used for legal purposes, so they may be taken down at any time.
- 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.
3
Select a format and download your file. Remember that any file you download can contain malware, bad coding, or a virus, so be careful if you're using this method.
- Since these websites are breaking the TOS, they are frequently taken down and new ones pop up, so this list may not be accurate.

Expert Q&A

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 two 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.
Question

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.
Question

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.

Warnings

Distributing downloaded music for profit is illegal.

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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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Be careful using download websites; some might contain pop-up ads and false download links.

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Avoid using an unknown program to download YouTube videos, as it could contain malware. If you don't want to use one of the ones listed here, get recommendations from friends or check sites like Reddit to see what other people have used.^{[4]
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Expert Source

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist
Expert Interview. 1 April 2020.}

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