How to download YouTube videos to MP3 & more

There’s a string of bad websites out there, and while they might supply you with YouTube conversions, this is a sure-proof method to remain safe.

With podcasts, entire shows, and more all being uploaded to YouTube, sometimes it can be hard to keep up to date with everything. Oftentimes, with things like RedLetterMedia’s re:View or various video podcasts that might not grace certain podcast networks, a lot of it is about the discussion. You might flick your eyes over to the screen, but we all know it’s background noise.

Now, what if you wanted that background noise on the go? A lot of video game original soundtracks have been lost to time, or, never officially released.

YouTube to MP3 sites, or MP4, or whatever format you so wish, are a pop-up minefield. An abundance of adverts and god knows what else. The need for safety and just general usability can often turn you away from your task.

That’s why we fully recommend YouTube-dl.

What is YouTube-dl?

YouTube-dl (sometimes called YT-dl) is a free piece of software that can download YouTube videos from the command line, without the need for any user interfaces.

It’s a piece of software that has caused some headaches in the past but is ideal for downloading YouTube videos and turning them into MP3 files. It combines with FFMPEG, an open-source piece of software usually used to combine or convert files into something else.

However, YouTube-dl can be a little hard to use depending on your skills with the terminal. While it’s ideal for those who like to do things in big batches, there’s no reason to be so confused.

Luckily, another user noticed this and has made a pleasant user interface for you to use.

Best GUI for YT-dl

Open Video Downloader uses YouTube-dl as a base and will handle a lot of the work for you. All you need to do is supply a download link. It’s available across all operating systems on PC, and you can then go through your usual routine for transferring them over to your phone, tablet, or elsewhere as you see fit.

How to download YouTube videos to MP3

Download Open Video Downloader and FFMPEG. Once you’ve installed them, you can move on to the actual download process.

Open up Open Video Downloader, and it’ll immediately pull up the link to YouTube if you have it open. If not, just copy and paste it in.

You can choose per download what you’d like to acquire, so in this case, we’ll use just Audio. Choose it from the drop-down list and hit Download in the corner of the screen.

Once it’s completed, you’ll find the Folder button will take you straight to where it has been downloaded to.

How to change the audio format of Open Video Downloader

If, for whatever reason, you needed to download an Ogg Vorbis file, head into the settings. Scroll down to output and choose one of the many audio selections on hand. For video, it currently limits you to MP4 and MKV, the two main video formats available.

Legal bits

Of course, please don’t download anything that might be copyrighted. The thing with an application like Open Video Downloader and YouTube-dl, is that it’s super easy to fall into downloading anything.

Just be aware that you’ll need the express permission of any copyrighted content, especially if you plan on working with it for your own content needs.

Your best bet is to go and search for the abundance of copyright-free material on the website. There are a lot of public domain videos and songs that can be acquired through the Open Video Downloader.