YouTube to MP3 Audio Downloader

Download audio from any YouTube video as MP3, M4A, FLAC, WAV, AAC, OPUS, Vorbis, or ALAC. Paste one or more links, pick your format and quality, get permanent download links. Optionally embed metadata and album art directly into the audio file.

🎵 What it does

Give it one or more YouTube links, and it will:

1. Extract the audio from each video in your chosen format and bitrate
2. Save the audio files to your Apify storage with permanent download links
3. Grab video details like the channel name, title, duration, view count, and more
4. Save the thumbnails with permanent links

Works with any public YouTube video, Shorts, and playlists. Just copy the link from the YouTube app or website.

🔗 Real file downloads, not redirect links

Unlike most YouTube audio tools that only give you temporary Google CDN links (which expire within hours and get blocked when fetched from a backend server), this Actor fully downloads the audio file and stores it in your Apify storage. You get a permanent URL that:

• Works from any server, any IP, any time
• Never expires (retention depends on your Apify plan)
• Is safe for backend integrations, automation pipelines, and programmatic access
• Can be shared directly as a download link

📥 How to use it

Step 1: Paste your links and choose options

Add your YouTube URLs and select format/quality in the input. You can add up to 1,000 URLs at a time.

{
    "videoUrls": [
        "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0",
        "https://youtu.be/kJQP7kiw5Fk"
    ],
    "audioFormat": "mp3",
    "audioBitrate": "192k",
    "embedMetadata": true,
    "maxConcurrency": 3
}

Format options:

• MP3: Most compatible format, works everywhere
• M4A (AAC): Better quality than MP3 at the same bitrate, great for Apple devices
• WAV: Uncompressed lossless audio, large files, best for editing and production
• FLAC: Compressed lossless audio, smaller than WAV with no quality loss
• AAC: Raw AAC stream (without M4A container)
• OPUS: Modern efficient codec, great quality at low bitrates
• Vorbis: Open-source compressed format (OGG container)
• ALAC: Apple's lossless format, ideal for iTunes and Apple devices

Quality options: auto (best available), 320k (highest), 256k, 192k (default), 128k, 64k (smallest). Lossless formats (WAV, FLAC, ALAC) ignore this setting.

Metadata embedding: Set embedMetadata to true to embed the video title, artist, and thumbnail as album art directly into the audio file. Works with all formats except WAV. Adds about 100-500 KB to file size depending on the thumbnail.

Supported URL types:

• Full links: youtube.com/watch?v=...
• Short links: youtu.be/...
• Shorts: youtube.com/shorts/...
• Playlists: youtube.com/playlist?list=... (auto-expanded into individual videos)
• YouTube Music: music.youtube.com/watch?v=...

Step 2: Run it

Click Start and wait for it to finish. Audio extraction is fast: most songs finish in under 30 seconds.

Step 3: Get your files

Once it's done, check the Output tab. Each result includes:

• status: "Success" or a message explaining what went wrong and what to do about it
• audioFileUrl: Permanent link to the audio file in your Apify storage
• thumbnailFileUrl: Permanent link to the thumbnail image
• title, channel, duration, uploadDate: Video metadata
• audioFormat, audioBitrate: The format and quality used
• fileSize: File size in bytes
• stats: Views, likes, and comments

Example output

{
    "status": "Success",
    "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "title": "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Music Video)",
    "channel": "Rick Astley",
    "duration": 212,
    "uploadDate": "2009-10-25",
    "audioFileUrl": "https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/.../records/audio-dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "thumbnailFileUrl": "https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/.../records/thumbnail-dQw4w9WgXcQ",
    "audioFormat": "mp3",
    "audioBitrate": "192k",
    "fileSize": 3407872
}

🌐 Proxy settings

By default, the Actor uses Apify's datacenter proxies.

• Automatic (default): Apify selects the best proxy.
• Datacenter: Fast and cheap. Works for popular videos, but YouTube may block some requests.
• Residential: Use if you get frequent "sign-in challenge" blocks. Most reliable for all videos.
• Own proxies: Provide your own proxy URLs.
• No proxy: Disable proxies. Not recommended for YouTube.

💰 Pricing

This Actor charges per minute of audio downloaded. You only pay for successful downloads. Failed extractions are free. If you enable metadata embedding, a small additional charge applies per file.

Prices are shown on the Actor's pricing card above.

Example: A 3.5-minute song counts as 4 minutes (rounded up).

💡 Good to know

• Proxy recommended: YouTube blocks most requests from datacenter IPs. If you see "YouTube is blocking this request", switch to Residential proxy.
• Age-restricted videos cannot be downloaded. They require a logged-in YouTube account, which this Actor does not have.
• Private videos cannot be downloaded. You'll get a clear error message.
• Playlists are automatically expanded into individual videos.
• Shorts work just like regular videos.
• Short links (youtu.be/...) are resolved automatically.
• Duplicate URLs are automatically removed.
• Up to 1,000 URLs per run.
• WAV and FLAC files are large (WAV: ~10 MB/min, FLAC: ~5 MB/min). For most uses, MP3 or M4A is recommended.
• Audio files are stored in your Apify storage. How long they're kept depends on your Apify plan.

❓ FAQ

Why did my download fail? The most common reason is YouTube blocking the request. Switch to Residential proxy in the Proxy configuration input. If the video is age-restricted or private, it cannot be downloaded.

Which format should I choose?

• MP3 for maximum compatibility (works on every device and player)
• M4A for better quality at the same file size (ideal for Apple devices)
• FLAC for lossless audio in a compressed container (smaller than WAV, no quality loss)
• WAV for uncompressed lossless audio (ideal for editing, production, or sampling)
• OPUS for the best quality-to-size ratio (ideal for voice, podcasts, or storage-limited use cases)
• ALAC for lossless audio on Apple devices (iTunes, iPhone, iPad)

Which bitrate should I choose? 192k is a good default for most uses. Choose 320k for the highest quality. Choose 128k for smaller files. Choose 64k for voice recordings or podcasts where size matters most. Choose "auto" to let the tool pick the best available quality automatically. Lossless formats (WAV, FLAC, ALAC) ignore this setting entirely.

What does "Embed Metadata" do? When enabled, the tool writes the video title, artist name, and thumbnail image directly into the audio file as ID3 tags and album art. This means your music player will show the song name and cover art without needing an internet connection. Works with all formats except WAV.

How long are the files stored? Audio files are stored in your Apify storage. How long they're kept depends on your Apify plan. Check your plan details for retention periods.

Can I download private videos? No. Private videos require a logged-in YouTube account, which this Actor does not have. You'll see a clear error message in the output.

Is there a file size limit? Audio files are capped at 500 MB. MP3 and M4A files are small (about 1 MB per minute at 128k). Lossless files are larger: WAV is about 10 MB per minute, FLAC is about 5 MB per minute. For very long recordings, use MP3 or M4A instead of lossless formats.

Can I use this from my backend? Yes. The audioFileUrl is a permanent URL stored on Apify's servers. Unlike Google CDN links, it works from any IP and any server. This is specifically designed for backend integrations and automation. Call the Actor via the Apify API and read the dataset items to get the download URLs.

⚖️ Disclaimer

This tool is intended for personal, research, and educational use. You are responsible for complying with YouTube's Terms of Service and applicable laws in your jurisdiction. The developer is not liable for misuse. Data availability depends on YouTube at run time.

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