Although YouTube is primarily a video platform, it hosts a large library of music as well, all available to listen at a moment’s notice. Still, it is not perfect. YouTube obviously requires internet connection to access, and you cannot do anything with these songs other than listen to them. Want to set it as your ringtone? As your alarm? Nope, not possible. These are some of the reasons why people might want to download audio from YouTube to Mac. YouTube itself doesn’t provide such an option, but it is still easy to do and doesn’t require any specialized computer knowledge. That is because there are many third-party services that make the simple and effortless. We’ve compiled a list of these; all you need to do now is to read this list and choose the option that is the best for you.
Download audio from YouTube to Mac using a program
The best way to download audio from YouTube is to use a specialized program. Such programs have many useful features, such as batch downloading (downloading entire playlists in one click, for example). If you plan on downloading audio from YouTube regularly, using a downloader program will save you a lot of time in the long run.
SnapDownloader
SnapDownloader is one of the best YouTube downloader programs currently available. It can download entire playlists or channels at once (very useful for downloading music). You can choose to download only the audio track, but the program can download videos as well. You can also schedule downloads; so if you want to download many videos, you can do it overnight, without impacting your internet speed. It is also capable of bypassing YouTube’s geographic restrictions, so you can download videos not available in your country.
SnapDownloader is a paid application, but it features a free trial. The free version doesn’t have any feature restrictions, but will stop working after 48 hours. This is more than enough time to download many songs, audiobooks, or lectures from YouTube, especially if you prepare beforehand. And if you plan to do it regularly, purchasing a full version may be a worthwhile investment.
Youtube-DL
Youtube-DL is another capable program. It also can automatically download playlists and channels, and even apply filters while doing so. It’s possible to only download videos that have a certain amount of likes, for example. Although not specifically designed to download audio, it does provide an audio-only option and can convert this audio into many different formats, including MP3 and OGG.
Unfortunately, there is a catch. Youtube-DL may be a free program, but it doesn’t have a graphical interface. You have to use this program via a command-line interface (CLI). It is not a user-friendly program by any means, and so we cannot recommend it to readers that lack technical knowledge. Those still wishing to give it a try will find its GitHub page to be a good place to start.
Clipgrab
Clipgrab, on the other hand, is fundamentally different from the two programs listed above. Unlike them, it doesn’t provide any advanced features. Indeed, the program is similar to downloader websites in terms of functionality. Generally speaking, this means that there’s little reason to download it, since you can use any website on our list instead, but it has a niche use.
Those that want to use a program, but don’t need any complex functions should head to its website and get Clipgrab from there.
Download audio from YouTube to Mac using a website
Another way to download audio from YouTube to Mac is to use a website. Though they don’t have many features, they might be good enough if you don’t plan on doing this regularly.
We will not list all of these websites; there’s simply too many of them. We will only list the best YouTube audio downloader sites so that you don’t have to waste your time learning about the rest.
OnlyMP3
In our opinion, OnlyMP3 is the best website for downloading audio from YouTube to Mac. It is very easy to use: just open the website, paste the link to the video as prompted, and click “Convert”. It will take the website a few moments to convert the YouTube video to an mp3 file, and then, you will be able to download it or save it to your DropBox.
It also provides a neat shortcut feature. When you have a YouTube video open, click on the URL bar and replace “youtube” with “youtubemz”, and press Enter.
Like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O6jqvuINd0 -> https://www.youtubemz.com/watch?v=6O6jqvuINd0
This will immediately open OnlyMP3 and begin the conversion process. This is very convenient because you can just browse YouTube, listen to anything that catches your interest, and then quickly download songs that you like. You don’t have to keep OnlyMP3 open in a separate tab or indeed even remember the name of the website. All you have to remember is this shortcut, and it’s pretty easy to remember. Simply think, “mz” stands for “music”.
Y2Mate
Y2Mate is another website that you can use to download audio from YouTube to Mac. Although it looks very similar to OnlyMP3 visually, they are not identical. Y2Mate provides more options when it comes to downloading audio; you can choose between quality and file size. OnlyMP3, on the other hand, simply provides you with the highest quality file.
You might think this is not important; after all, most songs take only a moment to download on a modern internet connection. But this feature is essential if you’re downloading audiobooks, lectures, or anything similarly long. Even the lowest quality option is good enough for listening to voice, and it will allow you to download them quicker as well as save space on your device.
Y2Mate has another advantage over OnlyMP3, also related to audiobooks. While OnlyMP3 doesn’t allow its users to convert videos longer than 6 hours, Y2Mate has no such restriction. Please note, however, that such videos will take a while to convert.
You can use Y2Mate by visiting their website or using a shortcut. This time, you have to replace “youtube” with “youtubepi”, like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6O6jqvuINd0 -> https://www.youtubepi.com/watch?v=6O6jqvuINd0
Please note that this shortcut will provide you with download options for video by default; you will need to click on the “audio” tab to see audio-only download options.
SnapSave
SnapSave is primarily a website for downloading YouTube videos, but it has an option to download only audio as well. That said, it is objectively worse than both OnlyMP3 and Y2Mate. It lacks the convenience of OnlyMP3: there’s no shortcut option, so you can use it only by visiting its website. It lacks the functionality of Y2Mate, too: SnapSave doesn’t let you select audio quality.
Still, it is perfectly usable. Although you shouldn’t use it as your main tool to download audio from YouTube to Mac, it will work, passably, if your preferred site is down or otherwise inaccessible.
Conclusion
When it comes to downloading audio from YouTube, SnapDownloader is the best option. It is a powerful program that can download entire playlists at once as well as schedule downloads. Though it is a paid program, it has a free 48-hour trial; if you prepare beforehand and take advantage of the scheduling feature, you will be able to download many files during this period.
If you don’t want to install anything, OnlyMP3 is the best option; however, Y2Mate is better if you’re downloading audiobooks.
You may also benefit from reading one of our other guides. For example, installing BlueStacks on Mac will allow you to run Android software and games. You can also install Windows 10 on Mac.