How To Download Music From YouTube: A Step-By-Step Guide

If you want all your favorite songs at your fingertips, YouTube is the ultimate music treasure trove!

In this article, we’ll show you how to download music from YouTube and tap into its endless music library.

Article Roadmap

• Legalities
• Methods of Downloading Music From YouTube
  • Online Tools
  • Browser Extensions
  • Downloading via Media Players
• Downloading With YouTube Premium
• Popular YouTube Music Downloaders
• Tips for Downloading Music From YouTube
• FAQs
• Final Thoughts

Legalities

While it may be tempting to download copyrighted songs without permission, it’s essential to be mindful of legalities when downloading music from YouTube. Respecting copyright laws and licensing agreements ensures fair and ethical music consumption.

Downloading copyrighted music without proper authorization infringes on the intellectual property rights of artists and content creators. Acknowledging their hard work and talent by obtaining music through legal channels, like purchasing songs or subscribing to a licensed streaming platform, is essential.

Respecting downloading rules helps maintain a fair and sustainable music ecosystem. How? By supporting legal platforms and services, you contribute to the financial viability of the music industry, enabling artists to continue creating music.

What’s in it for you? Keeping the legalities in mind helps you avoid potential malware or pirated content. Illegitimate downloading websites or applications can put your devices at risk and may not provide the best audio quality or user experience.

It showcases your respect for artists, protects you from legal consequences and supports the sustainability of the music industry.

YouTube Terms of Service

According to YouTube’s Terms of Service, users can’t download or distribute content unless explicitly authorized by the content owner or permitted by law. Violating these terms could lead to the suspension or termination of your YouTube account.

However, YouTube offers its own authorized downloading feature through YouTube Premium. It allows users to download videos and music for offline playback within the app.

Copyright Laws

When downloading music from YouTube, it’s essential to understand copyright laws. These laws protect the exclusive rights of the original creators, and allow them to control how their work is used and distributed.

Downloading copyrighted music without proper authorization violates the rights of the content creators and can lead to legal consequences. To avoid copyright infringement, it’s best to obtain music legally by purchasing or streaming from licensed platforms or by obtaining explicit permission from the copyright holders.

Possible Consequences of Illegal Downloading

• Legal consequences: Violating copyright laws can lead to lawsuits and potential imprisonment.
• Financial penalties: Individuals may be required to pay substantial fines if found guilty of copyright infringement.
• Loss of Internet access: In some cases, illegal downloading can lead to internet access loss, as a consequence imposed by Internet service providers.
• Malware and security risks: Downloading from unverified sources may expose your device to viruses, malware and other security threats.

Methods of Downloading Music from YouTube

Using Online Tools

Step 1: Find a reliable online tool for downloading YouTube music. Some suggestions include Dirpy, Ontiva, OnlineVideoConverter, Loader and Motionbox.

Step 2: Open YouTube in a web browser (mobile or desktop) and find the music video you want to download.

Step 3: Copy the video’s URL.
Step 4: Go to the online tool’s website and paste the YouTube video URL into the provided field.

Step 5: Select the desired output format for the downloaded music file, e.g., MP3. Select the quality or bitrate options, if available.
Step 6: Click the Download or similar button to initiate the conversion and download process.
Step 7: Wait for the online tool to convert the YouTube video into the desired music format.

Step 8: Once complete, click Download to save the music file to your device.

Step 9: Locate the downloaded music file on your device and enjoy listening to it offline.

Using Browser Extensions

Step 1: Choose a reliable browser extension. Make sure it works for your web browser. Suggestions include YouTube MP3/MP4 Downloader (for Chrome), Y2Mate (for Chrome) and 4K Video Downloader Extension (for Firefox and Chrome).

Step 2: Install the selected extension in your web browser.
Step 3: Open YouTube and find the music video you want to download.
Step 4: Click on the browser extension icon in the toolbar.
Step 5: Select the desired output format for the downloaded file.

Step 6: Click the Download or similar button within the browser extension.
Step 7: Wait for the extension to convert the YouTube video into the desired music format.

Step 8: Once the conversion is complete, click Download to save the music file to your device.
Step 9: Find the downloaded music file on your device and play away.

Using Media Players

Step 1: Install a media player that supports YouTube video playback and downloading. Some examples are VLC Media Player, KM Player and Pot Player.

Step 2: Open the media player on your device.

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Step 3: In the media player, navigate to the YouTube section or search for the desired music video.

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Step 4: Click Download or a similar button in the media player.
Step 5: Choose the desired output format for the downloaded music file. Select the quality or bitrate options, if available.
Step 6: Specify the download location on your device.
Step 7: Initiate the download process by clicking Download or similar button.

Step 8: Save the downloaded music file to the specified location.
Step 9: Find the downloaded music file on your device and enjoy listening to it offline using the media player.

Downloading Music With YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium is a convenient way to build a personalized collection of songs you can listen to offline. The downloaded music remains accessible if you maintain an active YouTube Premium subscription.

Given below are the steps to download music through the YouTube Premium mobile app:

Step 1: Open the YouTube Music app on your smartphone.

Step 2: Find the song or playlist you want, click on the three dots next to it and tap the Download button.

Step 3: Once downloaded, tap on your profile icon in the upper-right corner of the screen and click on Downloads to access your downloaded music.

The downloaded music isn’t directly accessible outside the YouTube app, and you can’t transfer it to other devices or platforms. This restriction helps protect the rights of content creators and ensures a fair and legal music consumption experience.

Popular YouTube Music Downloaders

1) ClipGrab

ClipGrab is a YouTube video downloader platform compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems.

Follow these steps to download YouTube music using ClipGrab:

Step 1: Visit clipgrab.org and install the app on your device.

Step 2: Head over to YouTube and copy the link of the music video you wish to download.

Step 3: Launch the ClipGrab app and click on Downloads. Paste the copied video link into the provided input field. ClipGrab will then gather all the necessary information about the video.

Step 4: Select MP3 (audio only) from the Format dropdown menu before downloading. Then, select the desired quality from the Quality dropdown box for optimal audio quality.

Step 5: Click the Grab This Clip button and choose a file name. The download will start shortly after that. Once the download is complete, ClipGrab will automatically convert and save the YouTube video as an MP3 file on your computer.

2) aTube Catcher

aTube YouTube Video Downloader allows you to download music and videos from various websites, including Vimeo, YouTube, Facebook and Metacafe. You can export multimedia content to multiple devices, including computers, mobile devices such as iPads, iPods and Android devices, MP4 players, GPS devices and DVDs.

It supports a wide range of video and audio formats, including 3GP, MP4, MP3, MP2 and AVI.

Here’s a rundown of the steps to download music from YouTube on the aTube Catcher app:

Step 1: Visit www.aTube.me to download the aTube Catcher app on your computer.

Step 2: Head over to YouTube and copy the link of the music video you wish to download.

Step 3: Launch the aTube Catcher app, select Download Video and paste the URL.

Step 4: Select the MP3 format from the dropdown menu under Output Profile located below the URL box.

Step 5: Click on Download.

Step 6: Select the file format option from the list of versions and click Download. Doing this will download the audio to your device.

Step 7: Select the file location from the Save To menu located under Output Profile.

Step 8: Locate the file in the selected folder once the audio is downloaded.

3) 4K Video Downloader

4K YouTube Video Downloader allows you to download and save music, audiobooks, podcasts and more for offline listening. It lets you convert YouTube playlists or channels to MP3, M4A and OGG formats.

You can paste the link or search directly within the built-in browser to download files in their original quality. Premium members can access higher-quality audio up to 256kbps.

With the built-in music player, you can control download speed, download audiobooks for on-the-go listening and enjoy your favorite tracks within the app. Playlists and channels are automatically sorted into subfolders with audio tags and .m3u files for easy playback.

Follow the steps below to download music from YouTube using 4K Video Downloader:

Step 1: Visit www.4kdownload.com to download the 4K Video Downloader application on your computer.

Step 2: Head over to YouTube and copy the link of the music video you wish to download.

Step 3: Launch the 4K Video Downloader app and locate the Paste Link option at the top-left corner. Once the video link is pasted, quality options appear on the screen, signaling you to proceed.

Step 4: Wait for the application to process the video.

Step 5: Click on the Download Video dropdown menu and select Extract Audio from the options near the top-left corner of the window.

Step 6: The default format will be MP3. You can select an alternative audio format by clicking the Format dropdown menu at the top-right corner.

Step 7: Select the desired audio quality and bitrate.

Step 8: Click Browse to select a folder on your computer to store the file, then click Save or Choose.

Step 9: Click Extract at the bottom of the window. Once the file is downloaded, it’ll be saved to the designated folder.

4) MediaHuman

MediaHuman YouTube Video Downloader lets you play music offline from various platforms such as YouTube, SoundCloud, Mixcloud and Bandcamp. It’s compatible with all major operating systems, including macOS, Windows and Ubuntu.

You can download all music from a playlist or channel, export downloaded files directly to iTunes or the Music.app and download high-quality music up to 320 kbps. It includes a tag editor with cover art image support to help you organize and customize downloaded music files.

Given below are the steps to download music from YouTube using the MediaHuman app:

Step 1: Visit www.mediahuman.com to download the MediaHuman app on your computer.

Step 2: Head over to YouTube and copy the music video link you wish to download.

Step 3: Launch the MediaHuman app and locate the Paste Link option at the top-left corner.

Step 4: Click the music note icon on the top right corner to download the audio.

Step 5: Click on the downward-facing arrow next to the music note icon to download the video in MP3 format.

Tips for Downloading Music From YouTube

Here are some tips to help you download music from YouTube hassle-free:

• Make sure you have enough storage space to download high-quality audio files.
• Download music only from trusted sites to prevent security risks. Look for platforms that have the necessary licenses to distribute music legally.
• Consider using download managers or browser extensions designed for downloading YouTube music. These tools often offer additional features and make the process more efficient.
• Don’t download any copyright or Creative Commons content.
• Once you’ve downloaded your favorite tracks, store backups on an external hard drive or cloud storage to avoid losing them.
• Organize your downloaded music by creating playlists or categorizing them by genre or artist.
• Watch for any changes in copyright laws or regulations regarding YouTube music downloads.
• Update your antivirus software to prevent potentially corrupt files from compromising your device’s security.

FAQs

Final Thoughts

If you’re a music enthusiast, learning how to download music from YouTube opens up a world of possibilities. Now, you can enjoy your favorite jams anytime, anywhere, while keeping your favorite artists happy too.

So, are there any apps you recommend to download music from YouTube? Have you ever encountered any challenges in the process? Share your experience with us in the comments below!