How to Make a YouTube Video an MP3 File

If you have a YouTube video with a soundtrack you love, you might want to extract the audio and make the YouTube video into an MP3. I'll show you how.

How to Make a YouTube Video an MP3 File

MP3 files are the standard format to store and distribute audio such as podcast snippets, audiobooks, and music. If you come across a YouTube video with a soundtrack you love, you might want to extract the audio and make the YouTube video into an MP3.

In this article, I’ll show you how to use Kapwing’s free video converter to convert a YouTube video into an MP3. This tutorial has three steps:

  1. Import Video From YouTube
  2. Choose MP3 File Format
  3. Create and Download

Step 1: Import Video from YouTube

The first step is to upload the YouTube video that you want to rip audio from into Kapwing Studio. For new users, Kapwing is a free browser-based video editing software for YouTube with intuitive tools to support modern creators. You can use this tool to save audio from a YouTube video on any device and export content up to seven minutes long for free. If you upgrade to Kapwing Pro, the export limit increases to 40 minutes.

From the YouTube video, copy the URL at the top of your browser, then head over to the Kapwing video editor and find the Convert Video tool on the video tools page. Then, you can paste the URL of the YouTube video to import it into the editor.

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Step 2: Choose “MP3” File Format

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From the options in the dropdown menu in the upper right corner, you can see that Kapwing can convert your MP4 into a GIF, JPG, or audio file. Choose the MP3 option from the menu.

You can also try our video trimmer your YouTube video, if you just want to make a section of it into an MP3. Drag the ends of the video layer to begin trimming the YouTube video and you can use the seeker to find a specific section to cut out. Click Split above the timeline to separate the part you want to export as an MP3 file and delete what is remaining.

Step 3: Export and Download

Once the audio sounds right, click Export as MP3, then Export Audio to save your YouTube video as an MP3. Kapwing will handle your video on cloud servers for a few seconds, then give you the MP3 file to download.

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And voila! Select Download to save the MP3 straight to your device. If you're interested in more tutorials on creating digital content in 2021, check out the videos on our YouTube channel Kapwing App. And while you're here, look through some related articles on downloading audio online:

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