How to extract audio from YouTube videos: what is allowed and what works

You can extract the audio of a video you uploaded: download it from YouTube Studio, then pull the sound out of the file with Audacity. For someone else's video, YouTube's Terms of Service do not allow a download without permission, so the safe route is to ask for the file. This guide shows both, and why converter sites are the risky part.

Facts checked on 16 October 2026. Steps written for YouTube Studio in a desktop browser and Audacity on Windows 11 25H2 and Windows 10 22H2, read against YouTube Help, the YouTube Terms of Service and the Audacity manual and support pages.

What extracting audio from a YouTube video means, and the ways to do it

Extracting audio means keeping only the sound track of a video. Many people use YouTube as a music library, so they look for a way to save a song as an MP3. Others, like the reader who wrote to us, only want the sound of their own old uploads because the original project is gone.

There are three honest routes. You can download the video file and pull the sound out of it, you can record what your computer plays, or you can ask the owner for the audio. A fourth route, the free converter website, is the one that causes the adware and pop-ups you may already have met.

The old version of this guide said that saving a video for your own use is probably fine. That claim does not match the Terms above, so it is removed. Sharing extracted audio is a separate problem: copying music you do not own can break copyright law, whatever tool you used.

What each route gives you and what it costs

Nothing here makes your computer faster. What you weigh is quality, time, risk and whether YouTube allows the route. The table puts the routes side by side, using what YouTube Help and the Audacity manual state.

Quality needs one plain sentence. A converter cannot add detail that the source does not have. Choosing a high bit rate in an export dialog makes a bigger file, not a better one, when the sound came from a compressed MP4.

Who should extract the audio this way, and who should not

The right route depends on whose video it is. Use this list before you install anything, because the wrong first step is usually a converter website.

How to extract audio from a YouTube video

Methods 1 and 2 get the video file from YouTube, and only work for videos you uploaded. Method 3 turns that file into audio. Method 4 records playback when no file exists, and Method 5 covers videos that belong to someone else. Start with Method 1 if the video is yours.

Method 1. Download your own video from YouTube Studio

3 minutesNo riskYou uploaded the video and need a file with its sound, for example after losing the original project.

YouTube lets the owner of a video download an MP4 of it from YouTube Studio. That file contains the video's sound, so it is a legal and ad-free way to get the audio back.

1. Open YouTube Studio and sign in with the Google Account that owns the channel.
2. In the left panel, select Content.
3. Find the video, move to its row and select Menu (the three dots).
4. Select Download. Your browser saves an MP4 file, usually in the Downloads folder.
5. Check that the file plays, then go to Method 3 to turn its sound into an MP3.

YouTube Help says you get an MP4 in either 720p or 360p, depending on the video size. If you blurred or trimmed the video, you can download it and upload it again to publish the change.

Method 2. Export all your uploads with Google Takeout

10 minutes to start, then waitingNo riskYou need the audio of many videos you uploaded, or the Studio download is not offered for one of them.

YouTube Help points to Google Takeout as the way to download all the videos you uploaded in one go, which saves repeating Method 1 for each video and avoids the limit of five downloads a day per video.

1. Sign in to the Google Account that owns the channel in your browser.
2. Open Google Takeout from the link in YouTube's help page for downloading your uploaded videos.
3. Choose the YouTube data you want and keep only your videos if the options allow it, because the full export of a channel can be very large.
4. Follow Takeout's prompts to pick the file type and create the export. Google prepares it before you can download it.
5. When the export is ready, download it and unzip it, then open the videos in the folder you extracted.

Takeout changes its labels from time to time, so follow the names on the screen. Each video comes out as a video file, so you still need Method 3 to turn it into audio.

Method 3. Pull the audio out of the MP4 with Audacity

10 minutesNo riskYou already have an MP4 or another video file of your own and want only the sound, as an MP3 or another audio file.

Audacity can import the audio track of most video files once its optional FFmpeg library is installed, and it can save the result as MP3. You work offline, and nothing is uploaded to a website.

1. Install Audacity from its official website, then open it once.
2. Install the free FFmpeg library for Audacity by following Audacity Support's page Installing FFmpeg, then restart Audacity. Audacity cannot import audio from most video files without it.
3. Select File, then Import, then Audio, and choose your MP4. Menu names can differ slightly between Audacity versions.
4. Wait until the sound track appears. Play it once to check the sound, and trim any part you do not need.
5. Select File, then Export Audio, choose MP3 and pick a folder and a file name.
6. Select Save, and play the new file in Windows to confirm it works.

The Audacity manual says FFmpeg imports audio from most video files that are not protected by digital rights management. On Windows and macOS, Audacity includes the MP3 encoder, so you do not need a separate library for the export.

Method 4. Record the sound with Audacity (WASAPI loopback)

30 minutes, or as long as the video playsLow riskYou have the right to use the audio, but there is no downloadable file, and you can play the video on your PC.

On Windows, Audacity can record the digital stream that goes to your speakers. Audacity's manual calls the WASAPI loopback input the recommended way to record computer playback, and it avoids a trip through the analog sound card.

1. Close apps that make sounds, and turn off system notification sounds, because loopback records everything sent to the device.
2. Open Audacity and open the Audio Setup button in the toolbar, or Edit > Preferences > Devices in older versions.
3. Set the Host to Windows WASAPI.
4. Set the Recording Device to the loopback of the device you listen with, for example Speakers (loopback).
5. Make sure playthrough is switched off in Audacity's menus, as the manual advises, or you will hear and record echoes.
6. Start the video first, then press Record in Audacity. Press Stop when the part you want ends.
7. Select File, then Export Audio, and save the recording as MP3.

WASAPI loopback records only while a signal is present. When the video goes silent, recording pauses and starts again with the next sound, so gaps can be shorter than they were. On some devices, mono recording gives an error, and then you switch the toolbar to two recording channels.

Method 5. Ask the owner, use a download link, or save offline in the app

5 minutes to ask, then waitingNo riskThe video belongs to someone else, and you want its audio.

YouTube's Terms allow downloads with the Service's own tools or with written permission from YouTube and the rights holder. Asking the owner is the route that stays inside those rules and often returns a better file than YouTube's copy.

1. Read the video description. Some uploaders add a link where the audio can be downloaded for free. Use that link only.
2. Look at the channel's About page or the description for a contact address, and write to the uploader. Say what you want, what you will use it for and for how long.
3. Keep the reply. A written yes is the permission the Terms ask for.
4. To listen without a connection, use offline viewing in the YouTube app. It needs YouTube Premium and stays inside the app, so it gives no audio file.

YouTube Help states plainly that you cannot download other users' videos. A tool that claims to do it is working around that rule, which is also why such tools are full of ads.

Still no download, or the audio will not open

Most failures come from a short list of limits that YouTube Help and the Audacity manual spell out. Check them in this order before you try another tool.

• Download is missing in Studio. YouTube Help lists four reasons: the video was removed from YouTube, it has a copyright or Community Guidelines strike, it uses a preapproved audio track, or you already downloaded it five times in the last 24 hours. Wait a day for the last one.
• You are not signed in as the owner. The option exists only for videos you uploaded, so check the account in the top corner of YouTube Studio.
• Audacity will not open the MP4. Install FFmpeg and restart Audacity, as in Method 3. Files protected by digital rights management cannot be imported.
• The recording is silent. Pick the loopback of the device that actually plays the video, and start the video first. WASAPI records only while a signal is present.
• The exported file will not play. Delete it, export again, and update Audacity if it reports an encoder error. The old advice to try another tool remains fair when the same file fails twice.
• You hear echoes in the recording. Switch off playthrough in Audacity, as the manual says.

Clean up, undo and stay safe afterwards

Nothing in Methods 1 to 5 changes Windows or YouTube in a way you cannot reverse. The table lists what each step left behind and how to remove it, including what to check if you tried a converter website first.

No source we read gives a single list of the programs that converter websites install, so the check above is general. Anything you do not remember installing is worth removing.

Myths about extracting audio from YouTube

• "It is fine for personal use." YouTube's Terms say you may not download content unless the Service allows it or you have written permission. A personal reason does not change that, and YouTube Help says you can't download other users' videos.
• "A converter site is the only way to get the audio of my own video." The owner has a better way: Studio's Download option or Google Takeout. You never need to paste a link into a website for your own upload.
• "A 320 kbps setting gives better sound than the video." Export settings cannot restore detail that is not in the source. The MP4 you download from Studio is 720p or 360p, and its sound is already compressed.
• "Recording playback is not downloading, so it is always allowed." Audacity's manual warns that copyright or website restrictions may prevent you from recording. The method is for sound you may use.
• "Any converter that works today is safe." The old guide warned that many of these sites show pop-ups and redirects and can lead to unwanted programs. A site that works does not prove it is clean.

One claim from the old guide stays in doubt: that you may extract any video you love for private use. We found nothing in YouTube's own pages that supports it, so we do not repeat it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I extract audio from my own YouTube video?

Yes. Sign in to YouTube Studio, select Content, open the video's Menu and choose Download. You get an MP4 in 720p or 360p, and Audacity turns its sound into an MP3 or another audio file. YouTube also points to Google Takeout for downloading all your uploads at once. A video that was removed or carries a strike cannot be downloaded this way.

Is there a site that still extracts audio from YouTube without adware?

We do not recommend any converter website. The old guide listed several, and the reader who wrote to us found only pages full of adware. YouTube's Terms also do not allow downloading other people's videos without permission. For your own videos use YouTube Studio, which has no ads and needs no extra program. For someone else's video, ask the uploader.

How do I extract audio from a YouTube video on Windows?

For a video you own, download the MP4 from YouTube Studio, install Audacity and its FFmpeg library, import the MP4 and export it as MP3. If you only need to capture what plays and you have the rights, Audacity can record with the Windows WASAPI host and a loopback device. Both ways work on Windows 11 and Windows 10.

Is it legal to extract audio from YouTube?

It depends on whose video it is and what you do with the audio. YouTube's Terms ban downloading content unless the Service allows it or you have written permission, and YouTube Help says you can't download other users' videos. Sharing music you do not own can also break copyright law. Your own uploads are the clear case where it is allowed.

Why is the Download option missing in YouTube Studio?

YouTube Help lists four reasons. The video was removed from YouTube, it has a copyright or Community Guidelines strike, it uses a preapproved audio track, or you downloaded it five times in the last 24 hours. Also check that you are signed in to the account that uploaded it, because other accounts do not see the option.

What quality does the extracted audio have?

It cannot be better than the file you start from. The MP4 that Studio gives you is 720p or 360p, depending on the video size, and its sound was compressed when it was uploaded. Exporting at a higher bit rate only makes a larger file. If you still have the original recording, use that, because it has the full quality.

Why will Audacity not open my MP4 file?

Audacity needs its optional FFmpeg library to import audio from most video files. Install it by following Audacity Support's page Installing FFmpeg, restart Audacity, and import the file again. If Audacity still refuses, check whether the file is protected by digital rights management, which Audacity cannot import, or download the video again.

Why is my Audacity recording of a YouTube video silent?

Check that the Host is Windows WASAPI and that the recording device is the loopback of the device that plays the video, such as Speakers (loopback). Start the video before you press Record. Audacity's manual says WASAPI loopback records only while a signal is present and pauses when there is none.

Can I get the audio of someone else's video legally?

Yes, with permission. Use a download link that the uploader put in the description, or ask the uploader or rights holder in writing. YouTube's Terms allow use with prior written permission from YouTube and the rights holder. YouTube Premium lets you watch videos offline in the app, but it gives no audio file.