How to Convert YouTube Videos

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: September 23, 2024

This wikiHow will teach you how to download and convert YouTube videos into video and audio files that you can play on any device.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using a Conversion Website

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1
Open YouTube on your computer. The easiest way to convert a YouTube video is to use dedicated conversion websites from your computer.
- This process will work in your Android browser as well.
- If you are using an iPhone or iPad, you'll need to do this on a computer and then transfer the file to your device afterwards. It is not possible to download the converted file directly to your iPhone or iPad.
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You can right-click the highlighted address and select "Copy," or you can press ⌘ Command+C (Mac) or Ctrl+C (Windows).
5
Open a YouTube downloader website. There are several websites that will convert the video into MP4 format and provide you with download links. This guide will focus on clipconverter.cc/, though the process is similar for most sites. Other popular converter sites include:
- keepvid.com
- videograbby.com
- savido.net
Click the field and press ⌘ Command+V (Mac) or Ctrl+V (Windows).
7
Click the button for the format you want to convert to. Depending on the site you're using, you may have different format options. On clipconverter.cc/, you can choose from several different audio and video formats:
- Choose MP3 for audio to get maximum compatibility. MP3 audio files can be played on virtually any device with speakers.
- Choose MP4 for video, since MP4 video works on all computers, most mobile devices, and many smart TVs and Blu-ray players.
This will process the video with your chosen format settings.
The video or audio file will be downloaded to your computer. You'll find it in your Downloads folder.
11
Transfer the downloaded file to your iPhone or iPad. If you want to play the audio or video file on your iPhone or iPad, you can use iTunes to transfer it.
- Videos and audio files can be imported into iTunes and then synced to your device.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using youtube-dl

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If you're not afraid of using your computer's command line, you can use an open-source program called youtube-dl to download YouTube videos in audio or video format at the highest possible quality without any ads.
3
Install youtube-dl (Windows). If you use Windows, follow these steps to install youtube-dl:
- Click the Download button on the youtube-dl website.
- Click the Windows exe link.
- After downloading, copy the youtube-dl.exe file into the C:\Users\yourUsername\ folder.
4
Install youtube-dl (Mac). If you use a Mac, follow these steps to install youtube-dl:
- Click the Go menu from the desktop and select Utilities.
- Double-click Terminal.
- Type /usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)" and press ⏎ Return.
- Type brew install youtube-dl and press ⏎ Return.
- Type brew install ffmpeg and press ⏎ Return.
5
Install FFmpeg (Windows). You'll need this encoding software for youtube-dl to work. Mac users have already installed it. Windows users will need to install it separately:
- Visit ffmpeg.org/download.html and click the Windows button.
- Click the Download FFmpeg button.
- Double-click the downloaded ZIP file and select Extract.
- Open the newly extracted folder, then open the bin folder.
- Copy the three EXE files to the C:\Users\yourUsername\ folder that youtube-dl is located in.
8
Open the Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (Mac). You'll be using youtube-dl from the command line on your computer.
- Mac - Terminal may still be open, but if it isn't, click the Go menu from the desktop, select Utilities, then double-click Terminal.
- Windows - Click the Start button, type cmd, then press ↵ Enter.
10
Add the MP3 command (audio only). If you want to download the video as an audio MP3 file instead of a video, add the following to the youtube-dl command:
- Type --extract-audio --audio-format mp3 and press Space
This will paste the copied video URL to the end of the command.
The video will automatically begin downloading and will convert into MP4 for video or MP3 for audio.
You'll find your new video or audio file in your User folder.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do you download videos to an MP3?

ValleyCool

Community Answer

If you want to listen to the video on the MP3, you should download or record the video on your computer first. Then convert the video to the .mp3 format with VLC, Handbrake, or FonePaw Video Converter Ultimate. There are lots of converting tools.

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Install an ad blocker extension if you plan on using YouTube download sites, as they are often riddled with ads and pop-ups.

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