YouTube is an exceptional source of entertaining videos, teaching tutorials, and more. Sometimes, you may find an excellent song on YouTube that you want to keep, or perhaps you want to listen to your favorite podcast offline. YouTube is a video sharing app, and it doesn’t directly allow you to download videos and audios. However, with some fantastic YouTube video downloader apps designed specifically for your Mac, you can download YouTube videos and convert them into audio files quickly and easily.
This blog post aims to provide you with some of the best ways to download YouTube videos on MacOS, so you can listen to your favorite songs and podcasts anytime. Here, we will walk you through some of the best methods to download YouTube audios on your Mac computer.
Video Tutorial:
The Challenge of Downloading Audio from YouTube
There are many limitations to downloading a YouTube video audio. YouTube has a strong policy against copyright infringement and is therefore pretty strict about what can and cannot be downloaded. In order to download music from YouTube, you can’t just use any standard download tool as YouTube doesn’t allow that. Also, YouTube doesn’t permit you to download videos directly from their site, and the ones that do let you do that are often non-developer approved software, which you should avoid.
However, don’t worry, as there are ways to safely download your favorite songs from YouTube! Let’s take a look at the things you should prepare for before we delve into the methods.
Things You Should Prepare for
Before we start delving into the details of each method, you need to prepare your Mac for the download process. Firstly, you need to make sure that your Mac has enough storage space. Depending on the length and quality of the audio you want to download, you will need enough space to accommodate it.
Secondly, convert the YouTube video into an MP3 format offline. This way, you will be able to download the audio easily and listen to it without an internet connection.
Lastly, you need to decide which YouTube video downloader app or software you want to use. There are plenty of options available that work great for downloading audio from YouTube, and some are available for free, while others come with a price. We recommend that you try out at least two different programs to find the one you feel most comfortable with.
Method 1: Using Airy
Airy is a Mac app that allows you to download YouTube videos in MP3 format. Here’s how you can use Airy to download YouTube audio:
1. Download the Airy app and install it on your Mac.
2. Open the Airy app and copy the YouTube video URL.
3. Paste the YouTube video URL into Airy’s search bar.
4. Click on the ‘Download’ button, located on the right side of the video title.
5. Select the MP3 format from the dropdown options.
6. Click the ‘Download’ button located below the MP3 format dropdown.
7. Wait for the download to complete.
Pros:
– Airy app allows batch downloads, so you can download multiple YouTube videos at the same time.
– Airy provides excellent downloading speed.
– Airy offers compatibility with both YouTube and many other popular video-sharing sites.
Cons:
– The free version of Airy only allows you to download two free YouTube audios.
Method 2: Using 4K Video Downloader
4K Video Downloader is another popular download app that works great on Mac. Here’s how you can use it to download YouTube videos as MP3:
1. Download the 4K Video Downloader app and install it on your Mac.
2. Open browser and go to the desired Youtube video audio
3. Copy the URL of the video
4. Open the 4K Video Downloader app on your Mac, click on the ‘Paste Link’ button located on the top left corner of the app screen
5. The app will parse the copied URL and then show you a list of available video and audio resolutions, click on the preferred audio resolution; for instance, mp3 format.
6. Choose the destination folder and click on the ‘Download’ button.
7. Wait for the download to complete.
Pros:
– 4K Video Downloader allows you to change the video and audio quality you want to download.
– You can queue up your downloads with 4K Video Downloader, and the app will automatically download them for you.
– The app can output files to MP3, M4A, OGG, and many other formats.
Cons:
– 4K Video Downloader doesn’t offer a built-in player to preview what you are about to download.
Method 3: Using Safari
If you don’t want to download third-party apps to your Mac, you can use Safari, the built-in web browser in Mac OS, to download YouTube videos to MP3 for free. Here’s how you can use Safari to download YouTube videos:
1. Open your Mac Safari browser and go to the desired online YouTube video.
2. Wait, until the video or audio started to play the player.
3. Go to the top bar of your Mac Safari and copy the URL of the playing video or audio.
4. Go to a new tab, type the command+option+U, and it will open the corresponding page of the video you are watching
5. Choose "AUDIO" in the list of options provided.
6. Right-click on "Download" and choose "Download Linked File As".
7. Pick a location on your Mac where to save the audio file.
8. Wait for the download to complete.
Pros:
– Safari offers a built-in web browser that means you don’t need to download any other app for this method.
– This method is entirely free, and it is the fastest.
Cons:
– You cannot choose the format or quality of the downloaded video using this method.
– Safari doesn’t offer any advanced features, like converting downloaded files or batch downloads.
Why Can’t I download YouTube videos Audio?
1. Youtube Consider Copyright Laws
Youtube has strict copyright policies, which restricts users from downloading copyrighted music mp3 or audios from their website. YouTube takes this thing very seriously, and using third-party apps and software to download any YouTube content is illegal.
How to Fix: The best way to avoid this issue is to use a reputable downloader like Airy, 4k Video Downloader, or Safari.
2. Browser Extension Issue
There are several browser extensions available online that promise to download videos and audios directly from YouTube. However, these are generally unsafe to use as they can damage your browser, steal your personal information, and even infect your Mac with viruses.
How to Fix: Avoid using these third-party browser extensions; choose a reliable YouTube downloader app instead.
3. Internet Issue
Sometimes the internet connection is poor which could result in incomplete downloads or frozen downloads.
How to Fix: Check your internet speed and try to use an Ethernet cable instead of Wi-Fi to enjoy faster downloading speed.
Additional Tips
– Always choose a reputable YouTube video downloader app and avoid using browser extensions or non-developer approved software.
– Download the audio in MP3 format for compatibility with most devices and players.
– Remember to comply with YouTube’s terms and services to avoid breaking any laws.
5 FAQs about Downloading YouTube Video Audio on Mac
Q1: Can I download any YouTube video audio?
A: No, you cannot download any YouTube video audio. YouTube has a strict policy against copyright infringement, and some videos are protected.
Q2: Is downloading YouTube video audio legal?
A: Yes, downloading YouTube videos or audios is legal as long as you comply with YouTube’s terms of service and copyright policies. However, downloading copyrighted material without permission is illegal.
Q3: Can I download YouTube audio using a web browser?
A: Yes, you can use Safari to download YouTube audio on Mac.
Q4: How to choose the best YouTube video downloader?
A: Choose a YouTube video downloader app that is reputable, easy to use, and offers the features you need.
Q5: Is it safe to download YouTube audio using third-party software or apps?
A: Yes, it’s safe to download YouTube videos and audios using reputable, developer-approved software such as Airy or 4k Video Downloader.
In Conclusion
We hope that this guide has provided you with some effective methods to download YouTube videos or audios on your Mac. Regardless of your preferred method, make sure you download the files safely, personally test and try the software or apps before committing to them. Remember, YouTube has strict copyright laws, so you shouldn’t download any copyrighted material without permission.
Always choose a reputable YouTube video downloader app like Airy, 4k Video Downloader, or Safari to download the videos or audios. Following the tips and guidelines listed here will allow you to download high-quality audio files from YouTube easily, quickly, and safely.