YouTube Music Downloader

🎧 Download YouTube audio in the format you need

YouTube Music Downloader is for creators, researchers, and developers who have public YouTube Music or YouTube links. It saves an audio file and returns a download link, title, artist or channel, duration, source link, file details, and other track data. Each file link works without an Apify login or exposed token. You do not need a YouTube login, cookies, OAuth, or API key.

Use it to:

• Convert a public YouTube video to an MP3 file with Video to MP3 Converter.
• Convert a public YouTube track to an MP3 file with Audio to MP3 Converter.
• Create an MP3 from a public YouTube link with Free MP3 Converter.
• Save audio and track details from a public YouTube Music link with YouTube Music Downloader.
• Get available captions from a public YouTube link with YouTube Transcript Download.

The Actor handles each unique source on its own. If the same video appears more than once, it saves only the first eligible one. A bad or unavailable link does not remove files saved from other links in the run.

📦 Downloaded audio and track data

Each successful download creates one dataset row. It has the submitted and source links, video ID, title, artist or channel, duration, source details, audio format, saved file details, download URL, and optional captions. A field can be null when YouTube does not show it. Private, protected, removed, invalid, and unavailable links do not create rows.

The Actor does not expand playlists, albums, searches, radio queues, or artist pages. It does not download video.

🚀 Download audio from public links

1. Add one or more direct YouTube Music or YouTube video links.
2. Pick an audio format.
3. Pick an access country if needed.
4. Add a caption language if you want available captions.
5. Start the run, open the dataset, and open each downloadUrl.

⚙️ Input

Add direct public YouTube Music track, YouTube watch, Shorts, or youtu.be links. The country and caption choices apply to every URL.

Input fields

Field	Type	What it does
urls	array of objects	Adds direct public YouTube Music track, YouTube watch, Shorts, or youtu.be links.
urls[].url	string	Gives one direct public link to process.
format	string	Picks mp3, m4a, webm, flac, wav, vorbis, or alac. The default is mp3.
country	string	Picks the two-letter uppercase ISO country used to get public audio. The default is US.
captionLanguage	string	Asks for available captions in one language, such as en or en-US.

Default input used in Hosted QA

The default input used in Hosted QA is:

{
  "urls": [
    {
      "url": "https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw"
    }
  ],
  "format": "mp3",
  "country": "US"
}

🧾 Output

Each successful download creates one dataset row. The table covers both caption cases. The captions field is null when no requested caption track matches and is an object when captions are returned. Other fields can be null when YouTube does not show them.

Output fields

Field	Type	What it does
submittedUrl	string	Shows the direct link that made this row.
videoId	string	Gives the YouTube video ID.
sourceUrl	string	Gives the main YouTube watch URL.
title	string	Gives the track or video title.
artistName	string or null	Gives the artist or channel name.
artistUrl	string or null	Gives the artist or channel page.
description	string or null	Gives the source description.
durationSeconds	integer or null	Gives the audio length in seconds.
thumbnailUrl	string or null	Gives the thumbnail image URL.
publishedDate	string or null	Gives the source date in YYYY-MM-DD form.
viewCount	integer or null	Gives the view count when available.
likeCount	integer or null	Gives the like count when available.
commentCount	integer or null	Gives the comment count when available.
audioFormat	string	Gives the saved file format.
audioCodec	string	Gives the saved audio codec.
bitrateKbps	number or null	Gives the bitrate in kilobits per second.
sampleRateHz	integer or null	Gives the sample rate in hertz.
fileName	string	Gives the saved file name and extension.
fileSizeBytes	integer	Gives the saved file size in bytes.
downloadUrl	string	Downloads the saved file without an Apify login or exposed token.
captions	object or null	Gives the requested captions, or null when no match is available.
captions.language	string	Gives the caption language code.
captions.text	string	Gives all caption text in one string.
captions.segments	array of objects	Gives the timed caption parts.
captions.segments[].startSeconds	number	Gives when a caption part starts, in seconds.
captions.segments[].durationSeconds	number	Gives the length of a caption part, in seconds.
captions.segments[].text	string	Gives the words in a caption part.

Current-beta row with no captions

This is a complete row from a successful current-beta run for a public YouTube Music link:

{
  "submittedUrl": "https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=xTvyyoF_LZY",
  "videoId": "xTvyyoF_LZY",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTvyyoF_LZY",
  "title": "Shape of You",
  "artistName": "Ed Sheeran",
  "artistUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClmXPfaYhXOYsNn_QUyheWQ",
  "description": "Provided to YouTube by Atlantic Records UK\n\nShape of You · Ed Sheeran\n\nShape of You\n\n℗ 2017 Warner Music UK Limited\n\nDrums: Chris Laws\nEngineer: Chris Laws\nEngineer: Dann Pursey\nGuitar, Percussion: Ed Sheeran\nCo- Producer: Ed Sheeran\nLead Vocals: Ed Sheeran\nBacking Vocals: Ed Sheeran\nBacking Vocals: Geo Gabriel\nAssistant Mixer: Geoff Swan\nEngineer: Joe Rubel\nMixer: Mark \"Spike\" Stent\nAssistant Mixer: Michael Freeman\nKeyboards: Steve Mac\nProducer: Steve Mac\nMasterer: Stuart Hawkes\nBacking Vocals: Travis Cole\nBacking Vocals: Wayne Hernandez\nComposer, Lyricist: Ed Sheeran\nComposer, Lyricist: Johnny McDaid\nComposer, Lyricist: Kandi Burruss\nComposer, Lyricist: Kevin Briggs\nComposer, Lyricist: Steve Mac\nComposer, Lyricist: Tameka Cottle\n\nAuto-generated by YouTube.",
  "durationSeconds": 234,
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/xTvyyoF_LZY/maxresdefault.webp",
  "publishedDate": "2017-03-05",
  "viewCount": 756863133,
  "likeCount": 5630309,
  "commentCount": 21000,
  "audioFormat": "mp3",
  "audioCodec": "mp3 (mp3float)",
  "bitrateKbps": 128,
  "sampleRateHz": 44100,
  "fileName": "Shape of You.mp3",
  "fileSizeBytes": 3740876,
  "captions": null,
  "downloadUrl": "https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/Bo2vZNV60UhNnuubz/records/AUDIO-xTvyyoF_LZY-b2b83d04934a.mp3?signature=1je1radTV09w6Vu4861YU"
}

Current-beta row with captions

This shown row is shortened. The long source description, caption text, and timed segments are shown as the valid JSON omission marker ....

{
  "submittedUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "videoId": "dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "title": "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Video) (4K Remaster)",
  "artistName": "Rick Astley",
  "artistUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuAXFkgsw1L7xaCfnd5JJOw",
  "description": "...",
  "durationSeconds": 213,
  "thumbnailUrl": "https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/dQw4w9WgXcQ/maxresdefault.webp",
  "publishedDate": "2009-10-25",
  "viewCount": 1810020477,
  "likeCount": 19363848,
  "commentCount": 2400000,
  "audioFormat": "mp3",
  "audioCodec": "mp3 (mp3float)",
  "bitrateKbps": 128,
  "sampleRateHz": 44100,
  "fileName": "Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Video) (4K Remaster).mp3",
  "fileSizeBytes": 3410689,
  "captions": {
    "language": "en",
    "text": "...",
    "segments": "..."
  },
  "downloadUrl": "https://api.apify.com/v2/key-value-stores/Ag7FehK92F4d8R4gn/records/AUDIO-dQw4w9WgXcQ-5b397dce2eab.mp3?signature=KczEiuf9cEqrwPWYTCem"
}

You can export rows as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, RSS, or HTML.

💳 Pricing

This Actor uses pay-per-event pricing. The audio event is charged only when a track is saved as a downloadable file. The transcript event is charged only when a requested transcript or subtitle is added to a downloaded track. Invalid, skipped, failed, and no-result links do not create these charged outcomes. Apify platform usage costs may also apply.

🔌 Integrations

Use the Actor with the Apify API, schedules, webhooks, Make, or Zapier. This video shows how to use Apify Actors with integrations:

❓ FAQ

Why can a public link return no row?

A link can be private, protected, removed, invalid, unavailable, or blocked in the chosen country. The Actor skips that source and continues with other links. If it is the only unavailable input, the run has zero rows and the audio event is not charged. Try a country where the public audio is offered. The Actor does not bypass access controls.

Will one unavailable URL stop the other URLs?

No. Each URL is handled separately. Rows saved from earlier eligible URLs stay in the run.

What happens when I submit the same video twice?

The Actor keeps the first eligible occurrence of each unique source and ignores later repeats. The saved row describes the first match only.

What does the country field change?

It selects the two-letter ISO country used to get public audio. If the source is not offered there, the link may produce no row.

Does the download link need an Apify token?

No. A successful row has a signed downloadUrl that works without an Apify login or exposed token.

Are captions always available?

No. Add captionLanguage to ask for them. The output includes captions only when YouTube has a match. They may be auto-made and are not promised to be official song lyrics.

Which audio format should I pick?

Use MP3 for broad support. M4A can keep compatible source audio. WebM uses Opus audio. FLAC, WAV, Vorbis, and ALAC can help with editing. A lossless container cannot add quality that is not in the source.

Can I download playlists or videos?

No. Add direct track or video links. The Actor does not expand playlists and does not save video files.

Can I use this instead of YouTube Music's offline download?

This Actor saves audio from direct public links to Apify storage. YouTube Music's offline feature works inside its own app. Download only content you are allowed to use.

📝 Changelog

1.0: Richer audio results and resilient multi-URL downloads

• Choose a country-aware audio source and optional captions, with detailed source and file metadata.
• Unavailable links no longer stop other URLs, and only saved audio is charged.

0.1: Initial release

• Initial release.

🆘 Support

For issues, questions, or feature requests, file a ticket and I'll fix or implement it in less than 24h 🫡

🔗 Related Actors

• YouTube Music Scraper: find songs, albums, artists, playlists, and other public YouTube Music data before downloading a known track.
• YouTube Region Restriction Checker: check whether a public video is available in the country you plan to use.
• TikTok Audio Downloader: save audio files and source details from public TikTok video URLs.
• SoundCloud MP3 Downloader: get playable links and track data from public SoundCloud tracks, profiles, playlists, or searches.
• YouTube Description Extractor: export public video descriptions and their links for metadata work.

Made with ❤️ by Maxime Dupré