YouTube to MP3
Take the audio only — for a lecture, a podcast or a mix.
By using this site you confirm you have the right to download the file you request.
How it works
- 1
Paste the link
The video you want the sound from.
- 2
Open the Audio tab
Already selected here.
- 3
Save the MP3
Tagged with the video title, so it is easy to find later.
Which bitrate?
Three options, because the gaps between any more are inaudible. 320 is the largest and the best, at roughly 2.4 MB a minute. 256 is the one most people cannot tell from it on normal headphones, at four fifths of the size. 128 is for speech and for saving space — fine for a lecture or a podcast, audibly thinner on music.
But YouTube’s audio is only ~160 kbps. Why offer 320?
Because the two numbers are not the same unit. YouTube stores audio as Opus, and MP3 is a markedly less efficient codec: Opus at 160 kbps holds about as much as MP3 at 256. Re-encoding that source down to 128 does not keep it — it audibly loses it.
So 320 is not padding. It is the setting that survives the trip from one codec to the other without adding anything you can hear. What it cannot do is recover what YouTube discarded when the video was uploaded; nothing can.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best quality here?
Up to 320 kbps when the source supports it. Where it does not, the list stops at the highest honest option.
How long does it take?
Usually a few seconds. A long recording takes longer.
Does converting to MP3 lose quality?
Slightly, as with any re-encode. Choosing a bitrate near the source rate keeps it inaudible in normal listening.
Can I convert a long podcast?
Yes, up to 90 minutes. Pick 128 for speech — it is a third of the size of 320 and sounds the same for a voice.