How to Download YouTube Music to MP3 (7 Best Ways)

YouTube is a marvelous platform that provides a huge amount of video and music sources for people. You can find your favorite music and gain new musical inspiration from it. However, when you find a wonderful song and want to download YouTube music to MP3 or other common formats, making it compatible with different devices, you will find that many limitations make it difficult to happen.

This article is going to show you how to download music from YouTube to your computer in MP3 format, helping you to play your favorite YouTube songs on all devices with any media player without hassle. Scroll down for details, or check out the video tutorial first!

Can You Download YouTube Music to MP3？

Yes, you can do this with the help of some tools.

YouTube Music has delivered the download function for its premium users. By subscribing to it, you are able to download any YouTube Music songs you like within the YouTube Music app to stream offline. Unfortunately, they are not in MP3 format and will be limited to streaming on YouTube Music only.

Although the official doesn’t offer a way to let you directly download YouTube Music to MP3, there are still helpful third-party tools working to help. Here, we have rounded up 7 methods, with detailed guidance to guide you on how to download music from YouTube to your computer or phone in MP3 format. Now, keep reading and grasp how they work.

Method 1. Download Music from YouTube via Best YouTube to MP3 Converter

Available on: Windows & Mac
Output MP3 Quality: 320kbps, 256kbps and 128kbps available

When YouTube Music uses DRM to encrypt its streaming media, to download YouTube Music to MP3, you definitely need to remove DRM in order to process the format conversion.

TuneFab YouTube Music Converter empowers advanced DRM decryption tech to strip the protection of all YouTube Music songs, then converts them to regular media formats like MP3, M4A, WAV, AIFF, or FLAC to make the downloads compatible with all devices as well as media players. It will preserve original quality, at up to 320kbps in maximum to save YouTube Music to common formats, ensuring the best streaming experience quality.

The software directly integrates with the official YouTube Music web player, and you won’t need a premium account to use the download feature. This significantly improves download stability, ensures safe in-app performance, and provides a much faster experience for downloading MP3s from YouTube Music. With the help of this tool, you can easily listen to YouTube songs offline for free.

The methods for Windows and Mac are similar. Below, I will provide the instructions using Windows as an example. Here's how to use this software to download MP3 from YouTube music library:

Step 1. Download and install the free TuneFab YouTube Music Converter by clicking one of the buttons below. Click YouTube to access the service. It should be noted that the tool allows downloads without a YouTube Premium or login. However, logged-in users may have a more convenient and seamless experience.

Step 2. Then, navigate to the YouTube music you want to download to MP3. Open the playlist and click "Add to Convert" under the playback button to send the songs to the conversion list.

Step 3. Next, set MP3 as the output format and apply it to all songs. If needed, you can also adjust the sample rate and bitrate.

Step 4. After setting everything up, click "Convert Now" to convert all the YouTube music on the list to MP3. If you wish to convert them later, click "Add to Queue" first and they will move to "Scheduled Task".

Step 5. When completed, the downloaded YouTube songs will appear in the "Local Library" tab. You can stream the music there or find the local files saved on your computer to enjoy them offline anytime, anywhere!

Method 2. Download YouTube Playlist  to MP3 320kbps via Online Tool

Available on: Devices with a web browser
Output MP3 Quality: Up to 320kbps

TuneFab not only offers a desktop version of its YouTube Music Converter but also provides an online downloader that lets you convert YouTube links to MP3 without installing anything. It works for single tracks, playlists, and albums — if you’re downloading a playlist or album, the tool will batch download all the songs and package them into a ZIP file.

With this ad-free tool, you can choose between 128kbps or 320kbps quality based on your preference, and all downloaded MP3s come with preserved ID3 tags.

Step 1. Copy the song/playlist/album link you want to download from.

Step 2. Paste it into the search box at the top of this article or the TuneFab member center.

Step 3. Hit the search icon and wait for a while, select the output quality and songs.

Step 4. Hit the download button.

Method 3. Download YouTube Music to MP3 192kbps via Online Tool

Available on: Devices with a web browser
Output MP3 Quality: Up to 192kbps

Some of you may don't want to install a new program on the computer. In this situation, you can use an online YouTube to MP3 downloader that lets you download YouTube music as MP3 directly on a web browser.

Among all these online downloaders, YTMP3 is the one I am going to show you. It is easy to use and enables you to convert YouTube Music to MP3 for free at 192kbps. You can either use a YouTube link or the link from YouTube Music, YTMP3 can pass them both and convert them to MP3 or MP4 according to your selection.

Moreover, this tool has browser extensions for Edge and Firefox. When you want to download a song from YouTube, you can hit the extension and it will take you to the YTMP3 website for download. If you are a fan of using add-ons, you can try using them instead of copying and pasting links.

However, this tool cannot keep the ID3 tag information for the downloads. Only the song title will be preserved.

Now, follow the steps below and grasp how to download YouTube songs in MP3 format with just several easy clicks on YTMP3:

Step 1. Find your favorite YouTube music and copy its link, and paste it to YTMP3.

Step 2. Then hit the "Convert" button next to the search box.

Step 3. When YTMP3 finishes analyzing the links, you will see the “Download” button. Just click “Download” and the song will be downloaded directly to your browser download folder.

Method 4. Save Music from YouTube to MP3 via Chrome Extension

Available on: Windows & Mac & Linux
Output MP3 Quality: 320kbps, 256kbps and 128kbps available

Tubly Downloader is a lightweight Chrome extension that lets you extract 320kbps MP3 audio directly from YouTube videos without installing extra desktop software. It also supports 4K/1080p video downloads, Shorts saving so you can queue multiple videos at once. The extension works across Windows, Mac, Linux, and ChromeOS.

While MP3 files are processed instantly, ID3 tags may only contain basic details like the video title; album, artist, and cover art may not always be preserved. If you want fully organized music files, you can edit or batch-complete tags later with a tool like Mp3tag. However, this tool doesn't support playlist/album downloads.

Step 1: Download the Tubly Downloader ZIP package, and extract it to reveal the .crx file.

Step 2: In your Chrome browser, open "chrome://extensions/", enable Developer mode, then drag and drop the .crx file onto the page. Confirm by clicking Add extension and pin the extension to your toolbar for quick access.

Step 3: Open any YouTube video and click the Download button that appears below the player. Select an audio option and then hit the download button next to it.

Method 5. Download YouTube Music to MP3 via Firefox Add-on

Available on: Firefox or Edge browser on a computer
Output MP3 Quality: Up to 320kbps

Although YTMP3 offers a browser extension, it’s only for music parsing, and you still need to visit its website to download the music. Another extension, Video DownloadHelper, lets you download YouTube videos or music directly to MP3, MP4, or MKV without relying on third-party websites.

It's an intuitive extension for video and audio downloading from 1000+ websites including YouTube. When downloading YouTube music, it extracts the audio and then converts it to MP3 at 320kbps. However, converting video to audio is not a free service - you'll need to buy a lifetime license for this feature. If you prefer a free option, you can directly download YouTube music as MP4 with it and then convert the MP4 file to MP3 with a free format converter.

It’s also worth noting that this tool works with browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. However, due to YouTube’s terms of service and copyright rules, you can only download audio or video from YouTube using Firefox or Edge.

Here's how to download YouTube music as MP3 with the browser extension Video DownloadHelper:

Step 1. Install the extension on your browser.

• Get Video DownloadHelper for Firefox
• Get Video DownloadHelper for Edge

Step 2. Open the YouTube music you want to download and play it.

Step 3. Hit the extension and then the three dots on the drop-down menu.

Step 4. Tap "Download Audio" if you've already got the Video DownloadHelper premium, then the MP3 file will be downloaded to your computer.

Note: If you choose to download the song in MP4 format for free, you can use FreeConvert to convert it to MP3 in high quality online.

Method 6. Download YouTube Songs in MP3 Format via Recorder

Available on: Windows, macOS and Linux
Output MP3 Quality: Up to 320kbps

Another flexible way to save YouTube Music to MP3 audio files is by recording the songs and exporting them in MP3 format. Compared to downloading, recording YouTube songs offers more flexibility, as you can capture just the parts of a track you want.

Audacity provides a reliable solution for recording music from YouTube. It includes a powerful audio recording feature, along with editing and customization options, giving you the ability to personalize your recordings. It is a versatile audio editing software that supports a wide range of audio formats, making it easy to import, export, and convert between formats like WAV, MP3, FLAC, and Ogg.

With its extensive plugin support, including VST3 and Nyquist, you can enhance your audio productions with third-party tools and effects. Audacity also offers powerful audio analysis features, such as its Spectrogram view for visualizing frequencies and scientific Vamp analyzers for deeper exploration and insights into your audio. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced audio editor, Audacity provides the tools you need to work with sound effectively.

Step 1. Download, install Audacity, and launch it.

Step 2. Adjust the playback and recording device settings to ensure that you can record YouTube music without picking up any microphone sounds.

Step 3. Hit the big red circle recording button and play the YouTube music you want to record to MP3.

Step 4. Stop the recording by tapping the black square button and trim the silence at the beginning and end of the song.

Step 5. Click "File > Export Audio" and set the output file name, output folder, format, and quality. Then export it.

Method 7. Download MP3 from YouTube Music Library via Mobile Program

Available on: Android only
Output MP3 Quality: Up to 320kbps

If you want to download music from YouTube to MP3 on a mobile device, not only can you use an online tool like YTMP3, but you can also use an application. Due to system restrictions, there is currently only a YouTube Music MP3 downloader available for Android, and Vidmate Apk is a great option.

Vidmate Apk is a popular multimedia downloader and converter that supports a wide range of platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Vevo, and more. It allows users to download music and videos for free in various formats such as MP3, MP4, and M4A, with options for high-quality audio, including 320kbps MP3 files.

Additionally, Vidmate Apk allows you to create personal music playlists by downloading your favorite songs from various social media platforms and converting video songs into MP3 audio. The app is compatible with Android devices and also supports background downloading, so you can continue using other apps while content is downloaded.

NOTE: You can just use this app to download MP3 from YouTube Music library on Android. If you want to download YouTube Music to MP3 on an iPhone, you can use TuneFab YouTube Music Converter to download music from YouTube to MP3 format on a computer, then transfer it to your iPhone device.

Step 1. Download and install Vidmate Apk on your Android, then run it.

Step 2. Search the YouTube music title on its built-in search engine.

Step 3. Click the download button, then you can select MP3 for YouTube music downloads.

FAQs About Downloading YouTube Music to MP3

Can You Download Music from YouTube to MP3 Player?

When you have downloaded music from YouTube to computer MP3 format, you can use a USB cable to connect your MP3 player via the desktop. Then simply drag and drop the YouTube Music MP3 files to the MP3 player folder. See more details from this post: How to Download Music to MP3 Player from YouTube.

Is it Illegal to Download Music from YouTube to MP3?

Literally, YouTube music is protected by DRM and it should not be downloaded to MP3 on the local device. But if you download YouTube Music to MP3, just keep in mind that all YouTube music downloaded through third-party tools is only for your self-entertainment, and it cannot be shared on websites or used for commercial purposes.

What's the Safest Way to Download YouTube Music to MP3?

This article covers five different methods. Among them, TuneFab YouTube Music Converter and Audacity are professional software solutions backed by dedicated teams with years of experience. They offer ad-free and secure music conversion services, making them the safest options.

While online tools and Vidmate APK are convenient, they come with ads during the download process and cannot guarantee the safety of the ads or the web pages. Video DownloadHelper has also been around for a while, but since it’s a browser extension, there’s always a risk it could be banned at some point.

For these reasons, I’d recommend using TuneFab YouTube Music Converter or Audacity.

Conclusion

Now you must be clear about how to download YouTube Music to MP3 with the help of third-party downloaders and recorders. From the 7 methods we mentioned above, we believe that TuneFab YouTube Music Converter is better than the other two options for making your batch download YouTube music songs and playlists at 35X faster speed.

What's more, it is completely safe to use, as you will not be bothered by viruses or bundled software. Hence, if you are considering a safe, quick, and high-quality way to download YouTube songs to MP3, don’t miss TuneFab YouTube Music Converter.