As someone who frequently browses music and video content on YouTube, I understand the importance of being able to easily download and convert videos to MP3 format for on-the-go playback. This is because some background music can only be found in videos and is not available on music platforms. The demand for converting YouTube videos to MP3 has continued to grow over the past few years, especially when it comes to offline viewing or simply listening to audio content.

how to convert YouTube videos to mp3

However, with the improvement of YouTube's official features and the emergence of third-party tools, I began to wonder: which method is the most suitable for us, helping us to convert YouTube videos in a convenient and safe manner? In this article, I will share my experience and research to help everyone make a choice between the official download method and third-party tools.

Part 1: Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 with Official Method

In the past, YouTube had many restrictions on audio downloads, but with improvements in official technology, users can now download MP3 audio files directly through official channels. Now, we can use the YouTube website to save videos directly in MP3 format. While this provides a convenient option for many users, there are still some limitations.

How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 on the Website?

Step1
Open the YouTube website, search for the video you want to convert to mp3.
Step2
You can see a "MP3" button at the bottom of the video, click it.
Step3
Set the format like 320kbps, if you want to convert from 0:03 to 0:15, you can also set from this step, then click "Download".
how to convert YouTube videos to mp3
Device restrictions: This is the conversion method used on the official website. Although there is an app available for mobile users, it does not currently offer MP3 conversion services.
Operational restrictions: In addition, you can only convert one video at a time. If you want to convert an entire playlist at once, the official method will not help you achieve this.

how to convert YouTube videos to mp3

Part 2: Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 with StreamFab YouTube to MP3

Usually online video converters don’t include so many advanced options for you to customize your settings, they often have a max file size limit, and their conversion speed may not satisfy your need. While a desktop video converter program surpasses an online video converter in these ways. Here I recommend you StreamFab YouTube to MP3 – the best YouTube to MP3 converter from many aspects.

StreamFab YouTube to MP3: Recommended

StreamFab YouTube to MP3

StreamFab YouTube to MP3

StreamFab is the best YouTube to MP3 converter that can convert YouTube videos to the MP3 audio format on Windows or Mac in a quick and easy way.
Features:
  • Download YouTube videos to MP3 files at up to 320 kbps.
  • The Quality up to 8K on Youtube Video Download.
  • Supports multitasking and playlist download.
  • Auto-download subscription & detect and download videos automatically.
  • Download videos from YouTube, Facebook, and 1000+ sites.
Win Download
100% safe&clean
Mac Download
100% safe&clean

How to convert YouTube video to MP3 with StreamFab?

Step1
Launch up StreamFab and click the YouTube icon from the Explorer section.
convert youtube to mp3 with StreamFab
Step2
Select and play the video/music you want to download from YouTube.
convert youtube to mp3 with StreamFab
Step3
Click the Download button showing up on the screen to download the video/music.
Convert youtbe to mp3.

Now we have shown you the way to convert YouTube video to MP3, either convert video online or use video converter program like StreamFab YouTube to MP3. Which way do you think is the best one? If you still have no idea, you can try it yourself. OnlineVideoConverter.com is a free converter, StreamFab YouTube to MP3 provides a 30-day free trial, so please feel free to try either of them. Expect audio, if you want to download YouTube videos in 4K, you can also achieve by StreamFab.

Part 3: Convert YouTube to MP3 with Online Video Converter

In fact, there are a number of online YouTube to MP3 converters in the market, such as OnlineVideoConverter, Convert2mp3, y2mate.com, Converto.io, YoutubeMP3 and more. To convert YouTube to MP3 with an online converter, you do not need to install a program on your computer, and sometimes a registration is not even required. Some of online converters are totally for free, while some of them have a limit on the video size that you can freely convert. See Top 8 Best Online Video Converters to learn more. Here I will use OnlineVideoConverter.com to show you how to convert YouTube videos to MP3 audio files.

OnlineVideoConverter

OnlineVideoConverter is a free online YouTube video converter that allows you to convert YouTube video links or downloaded YouTube files into various video/audio formats, including the MP3 audio format. The allowed max file size of this converter is 3072 MB. It is fully compatible with all modern browsers and is known by the high quality and fast conversion speed it offers. It should be mentioned that OnlineVideoConverter.com is also mobile compatible, which means you can access its website by using not only computer but also Android, Apple or Windows mobile device. Now let’s see how to use this YouTube to MP3 converter.

Online YouTube to MP3 converter

Step1
Copy and paste the link of the YouTube video that you want to convert or choose a video file from your device or cloud storage.
Step2
Select the MP3 format, choose the audio quality and set the start and end time of the audio.
Step3
Click the “START” button to start the process of converting the video to MP3.
Step4
Download the converted MP3 file.
 Attention

Most online tools are free, but free websites need to advertise in order to survive, which can pose a security threat to your device. Therefore, you must be cautious when using them.

Comparison about Three Methods

To help you compare these three methods more clearly, I have created a chart for each feature and assigned a score from 1 to 5. The higher the number, the greater the tool's capability in that feature.

how to convert YouTube videos to mp3

Conclusion

In the end, do you know how to convert Youtube videos to MP3 free? I'm sure you can get the best answer if you can have a try according to this post. What's more, StreamFab provides not only the video converter solution but also the video downloader solution. Click the link to learn more if you are interested in downloading videos from YouTube, Facebook, and 1000+ sites.