How to Convert YouTube Videos to mp3: Free Apps and Step-by-Step Guide

[harlan4096]

Easy YouTube Video to Mp3 Conversion

Nothing compares to kicking it back after hard day’s work and listening to some great tunes, just to get in the mood. You think that nothing can upset your frame of mind, save for the Internet connection going down the drain. Bummer, am I right? Wouldn’t it be nice to continue listening to your favorite tunes even when the net’s down? Well, you can and you will – it’s easy to save the stuff you like on your local drive by knowing how to convert YouTube videos to mp3.

Don’t worry – it’s a hassle-free process and I’m going to guide you all the step of the way. Let’s get started.

How to convert YouTube videos to mp3 – Getting the big picture

So, what’s up with this YouTube video to mp3 conversion gig? Well, as I’ve said, there are any number of reasons why it’s a good idea to save a local copy of your favorite song: Internet connection going down the drain, tinfoil hat notions, building a time capsule.

Take your pick. Fact remains that nothing beats a good, old local playlist. Just shuffling tunes; no Internet, no hassles, no nothing. You can also burn the tunes on a CD or DVD for that late 2000s feel.

Anyway, converting YouTube takes a couple of second and it would mightily nice to keep a copy of that tune that got stuck in your head before someone files a copyright infringement claim with YT, because, Hell, why not?

As you might have imagined, the easiest way to do that is to use a free online tool. There are thousands of them available; plenty to choose from, but can you tell which one is legit and which is fake? That’s what I’m here for – to show you some pretty awesome online conversion resources and to teach you how to use them. Enjoy yourself!

Free Online Apps and tools to convert YouTube videos to mp3

1. OnlineVideoConverter

A personal favorite, OnlineVideoConverter is the only YouTube video converter that hasn’t let me down so far. Pretty easy to use and has a ludicrously long uptime; as far as I know, this little gadget has been up and running since 2008 (talk about stuff built to last!). Here’s how to convert videos with this gadget.

Step 1: Hop on YouTube and search for your favorite music video.

Step 2. Copy the URL to the clipboard.

Step 3. Go to OnlineVideoConverter.

Step 4. Paste the YouTube link in the first field.

Step 5. From the drop-down menu, choose an audio format. Mp3 is the default conversion format, but more options are available.

You can pick between.acc., .ogg, .mp4a, .wma, .flac, or .wav. If you want video as well, you can convert to one of the available video formats: .mp4, .m4v,.mov, .flv, .avi, .mpg, or .wmv.

Step 6. Click on the More Settings hyperlink to reveal more video conversion options.

Step 7. Select the conversion length. What’s that? Let’s say that you would like to record only parts of the tune. To do so, uncheck the box next to start of the video, and use your keyboard to type in the beginning time index.

To convert the video all the way to the end, keep the check next to the “end of the video” box. Otherwise, uncheck it and type in an ending tine index.

Step 8. Choose the bitrate. That would be the audio quality of your soon-to-be-converted file. The default value is 192 kbps, but it can be ramped up all the way to 320 kbps. If you have a good-quality headset, I would recommend setting the bitrate to maximum.

Step 9. If you’re happy with your choices, press the “Start” button to convert the YouTube video. It’s going to take a while – a couple of seconds or minutes, depending on the length of the video, audio quality, format, and Internet connection.

Step 10. Once the conversion process’ done, you can download the tune to your local drive. Use the Download button in the upper-right corner of the screen to save a copy to your hard-drive.

Alternatively, you can download the file directly to your tablet or smartphone by scanning the auto-generated QR code that appears on your screen.

Converted files can also be downloaded to your Dropbox account if you have one; just click on the Save to Dropbox button underneath the QR code.

That’s it! See the video below if you get stumped on any of the steps.
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