YouTube to MP3 Converter
Choose a video you are allowed to use, such as your own YouTube upload downloaded from YouTube Studio, and this converts its audio to MP3 in your browser at up to 320 kbps. Nothing is uploaded, and it never downloads anything from YouTube.
Convert only what you have the right to use. For example, your own videos downloaded from YouTube Studio. You are responsible for having permission and for following YouTube's terms and the law where you live. This tool never downloads anything from YouTube.
This browser cannot convert audio locally. Try a current version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.
or drop it here. MP4, WebM, MOV, M4A, WAV, OGG, FLAC and more. Up to 1 GB.
Have a YouTube link instead?
This converter works with files, not links, so it will not download that video. YouTube's terms only allow downloads through YouTube's own download features, or with permission.
- If it is your video: open YouTube Studio, go to Content, open the video's menu and choose Download. Then choose that MP4 above.
- If it is music from the YouTube Audio Library: download it from the library. It is already an MP3.
- Anything else: you need a file from the creator, or their permission.
This tool does not fetch links. Download the file first, if you have the right to, then choose it above.
Trim and tags (optional)
Your MP3 is ready
Converted on your device; the file is never uploaded. MP3 encoding by LAME via lamejs (LGPL-3.0). Not affiliated with YouTube or Google.
Runs in your browser. Nothing uploaded.
How to convert a YouTube video to MP3
- Get the video file. For a video you uploaded, open YouTube Studio, go to Content, open the video’s menu and choose Download. You get an MP4.
- Choose it above, or drop it onto the converter. The file is read on your device and is never uploaded.
- Pick a quality. 192 kbps suits most listening. Open Trim and tags to keep only part of the video or to set the title and artist.
- Convert and download. Play the preview, then select Download MP3.
Which YouTube videos you can convert
YouTube’s Terms of Service don’t allow downloading except where YouTube itself offers it, or with permission from YouTube and the rights holder. That leaves three routes to a file you can convert:
| What you want | Where the file comes from | What to do here |
|---|---|---|
| Audio from a video you uploaded | YouTube Studio’s Download option, or Google Takeout for your whole channel | Convert the MP4 |
| Music or sound effects for your own videos | The YouTube Audio Library, which downloads as MP3 already | Nothing to convert. Check the track’s license |
| Audio from someone else’s video | The creator: their own download, or written permission | Convert the file they give you |
Downloads from YouTube Premium and YouTube Music Premium stay encrypted inside the app, so there is no file to convert. How to convert YouTube to MP3 legally walks through each route step by step.
Why this converter doesn’t take YouTube links
Sites that turn a pasted link into an MP3 have to fetch the audio from YouTube’s servers themselves. That is outside YouTube’s terms, and it means working around the way YouTube protects its streams. This page does none of that. It converts a file that’s already on your device, which is also why the conversion is private. Paste a link into the link box and it explains how to get a file instead.
Choosing the MP3 quality
The converter makes constant-bitrate MP3s at 44.1 kHz, so the size depends only on the bitrate and the length:
| Bitrate | Per minute | Per hour | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 128 kbps | 0.96 MB | 57.6 MB | Speech, podcasts, lectures |
| 192 kbps | 1.44 MB | 86.4 MB | Most music and general listening |
| 256 kbps | 1.92 MB | 115.2 MB | Music you care about |
| 320 kbps | 2.4 MB | 144 MB | The highest MP3 setting, or audio you will edit again |
A video’s soundtrack is already compressed. Converting at 320 kbps keeps as much of it as MP3 can, but it cannot put back detail the video never had. Choosing mono gives one channel at the same file size, which suits speech recorded on a single microphone.
Files it can read
MP4 and M4A with AAC audio, which is what YouTube Studio downloads contain, work in every current browser. So do MP3 and WAV. WebM, OGG, Opus and FLAC work in current Chrome, Edge and Firefox; in Safari, support depends on the version. MKV and MOV depend on the codecs inside them. If your browser can’t read a file, the converter tells you rather than producing a silent MP3.
Copy-protected files, such as films bought from a store, can’t be read. That is intended.
Trimming and tags
To keep only part of a video, open Trim and tags and enter a start and end time, such as 1:30 and 4:05. Leave either blank to use the beginning or end of the file. The title tag defaults to the file name, and you can add an artist. Both are written as an ID3 tag, so music apps show them.
How it works
- Your browser reads the audio track from the file and resamples it to 44.1 kHz.
- The audio goes to a background worker running LAME, the open-source MP3 encoder, in a JavaScript build called lamejs. The encoder loads from this site the first time you convert.
- The finished MP3 gets its title and artist tag and is offered as a download.
Nothing is uploaded, at any point. The only thing fetched from this site during a conversion is the encoder itself, the first time you convert.
Limits
- Size and length: up to 1 GB and 3 hours per file.
- Memory: the browser holds the whole file while it works. Long videos convert best on a desktop, and phones may run out of memory on big files. Trim to a section if that happens.
- One file at a time. Convert another file when the first is done.
You’re responsible for having the right to convert what you choose and for following YouTube’s terms and your local law. FreeToolBank isn’t affiliated with YouTube or Google.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert a YouTube video to MP3?
Start with the video file. If it is your own upload, YouTube Studio lets you download it as an MP4: go to Content, open the video menu and choose Download. Choose that file here, keep 192 kbps or pick another quality, and select Convert to MP3. The MP3 is ready to download a few seconds later, and the video never leaves your computer.
How do you convert YouTube to MP3 legally?
Use a file you are entitled to. YouTube's Terms of Service do not allow downloading except where YouTube itself offers it, or with permission from YouTube and the rights holder. That leaves your own uploads from YouTube Studio, tracks from the YouTube Audio Library (which already download as MP3, each with its own license), and files or permission you get from the creator. Our guide covers each route.
Can I paste a YouTube link?
No. This converter never downloads from YouTube, because pulling audio from a link falls outside YouTube's terms. If you paste a link into the link box, it explains how to get a file you are allowed to convert.
Is this YouTube to MP3 converter safe?
Your file is converted inside your browser and is never uploaded. There is no account, no pop-up and nothing to install. The MP3 encoding is done by LAME, the long-running open-source encoder, loaded from this site the first time you convert.
What MP3 quality should I choose?
Use 192 kbps for most things; it is about 1.44 MB per minute. Choose 320 kbps (2.4 MB per minute) if you plan to edit the audio again, and 128 kbps (0.96 MB per minute) for speech. Converting cannot add detail the video's own audio does not have, so a higher setting will not improve a low-quality source.
Is there a file size or length limit?
Files can be up to 1 GB and 3 hours long. Your browser holds the whole file in memory while it works, so very long videos convert best on a desktop, and phones can run out of memory on large files. Use the trim fields to convert only the part you need.
Guides that use this tool
Last updated: September 13, 2026