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SaitOneMillion's avatar
SaitOneMillion
Iron Contributor
Jul 22, 2025

How can I download and convert youtube to flac in windows 11?

I'm an audio enthusiast who wants to preserve high-quality sound from youtube videos, but most youtube video downloaders only offer MP3 or WAV options. Since FLAC is lossless and more efficient than WAV, I'm wondering if there's a way to directly download YouTube audio in this format. I've tried several popular youtube to flac converter tools but haven't found a solution yet.

Could anyone recommend a trustworthy tool or step-by-step method to download and convert youtube to flac? I'd also appreciate any warnings about potential legal issues with downloading YouTube content, as I only intend to use these files for personal listening.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated by this frustrated audiophile.

7 Replies

  • BrinBro's avatar
    BrinBro
    Iron Contributor

    For better results, consider dedicated audio extraction tools like YouTube-DLL combined with FFmpaag or software specifically designed for audio extraction and help you convert YouTube to FLAC. These tools often give more control over quality and format settings.

    But about the YTD Video Downloader?  If you are going to use YTD Video Downloader to convert YouTube to FLAC on a Windows computer can have several disadvantages:

    1. Downloading and converting YouTube videos may violate YouTube’s terms of service and copyright laws, especially if you do not have permission from the content creator.
    2. YTD Video Downloader primarily focuses on video downloading and may not produce high-quality audio extractions suitable for FLAC, which is a lossless format. The resulting audio quality might not meet expectations.
    3. As a video downloader, YTD is optimized for video files; it might not provide fine control over audio extraction and conversion quality, leading to subpar FLAC files.
    4. Conversion processes can be slow, especially if the software is not optimized for high-quality audio extraction. It may also crash or hang during lengthy conversions.
    5. YTD might not support direct FLAC conversion or offer advanced options for audio settings, requiring additional steps or external tools.
  • Reitdba's avatar
    Reitdba
    Iron Contributor

    Converting youtube to ​​FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec)​​ is not as straightforward as converting to other audio format, and there are ​​very few dedicated apps​​ that support this directly. This is mainly because:

    1. ​​FLAC is a Lossless Format​​

    FLAC files are large because they preserve audio quality exactly as it is.

    Most users prefer smaller file sizes (like MP3), so fewer tools prioritize FLAC support.

    2. ​​YouTube Doesn't Provide FLAC Natively​​
    YouTube streams audio in compressed formats like ​​Opus​​ or ​​AAC​​, even for "high-quality" audio.

    To get true FLAC, you must first download the highest-quality source (often as WAV or raw PCM), then convert it to FLAC, which most apps skip.

    If your goal is to ​​download youtube to flac format​​, your best free option is the AllCliipDown video downlaoder and converter app. And it is available on Windows and Mac.

  • Sasompark's avatar
    Sasompark
    Iron Contributor

    Currently, How to convert YouTube to FLAC files? The best approach involves two steps:
    - Download the audio in a lossless format (preferably high-quality WAV or similar).
    - Convert that audio to FLAC using free software.

    Step-by-step Guide:
    1. Download the Audio from YouTube (4K Vide0 Downloader)
     It allows downloading YouTube videos and extracting audio in high quality, including WAV.

    Steps:

    • Install and open 4K Video0 Downloader.
    • Copy the YouTube video URL.
    • Click "Paste Link" in the app.
    • Choose "Extract Audio".
    • Set the format to WAV or MKV (if WAV isn’t available).
    • Select High Quality (preferably 320 kbps if available).
    • Click Download.

     

    2. Convert WAV to FLAC. Recommended Tool: Foobar2000

    Steps:

    • Install Foobar2000.
    • Open the program and add your downloaded WAV files.
    • Right-click the files, select Convert >….
    • Choose "Convert to FLAC".
    • Set quality options if needed.
    • Start convert YouTube to FLAC files.
  • shpjabb's avatar
    shpjabb
    Iron Contributor

    YTD Video Downloader​​ (short for ​​YouTube Downloader​​) is a popular third-party software application that allows users to download videos from YouTube and other supported websites. It provides a ​​graphical user interface (GUI). This is ideal for non-technical users to save videos locally to their computers.

    In addition to downloading videos, ​​YTD​​ also supports extracting ​​audio​​ from youtube videos and saving it in various audio formats such as MP3, AAC, and sometimes ​​FLAC​​ (depending on the version and settings).

    How to download and convert youtube to flac

    1. Open your web browser. Go to YouTube and find the video you want to download. Copy the video’s URL from the address bar.

    2. Open ​​YTD Video Downloader​​. Click the ​​"Paste URL"​​ button (or press Ctrl+V).

    3. YTD will analyze the link and show available download options.

    4. In the ​​Download​​ tab, select the ​​audio quality and FLAC format.

    5. Select the ​​destination folder​​ where you want to save the file. Click the ​​"Download"​​ button (green arrow icon). YTD will begin downloading the audio or video.

    6. Once complete, you’ll find the file in your selected folder.

    YTD is very simple and powerful youtube to flac converter you can use on a Windows PC and Mac. Let me know if you need more help on this.

  • Queendee's avatar
    Queendee
    Iron Contributor

    Y2Mete is a popular web-based service that allows you to download YouTube videos in various formats, including MP3 and MP4. However, Y2Mete does not natively support downloading or converting videos directly to FLAC format.

    Here's what you can do with Y2Mete:

    •  Download the audio as MP3 or M4A (compressed formats).
    •  Download videos in MP4 or other video formats.

     

    How to convert YouTube to FLAC using Y2Mete:

    1. Download the audio as MP3 or M4A using Y2Mete.
    2. Convert the downloaded audio to FLAC using a separate audio converter.

     

    Note: Always be aware of copyright laws and YouTube's terms of service when downloading and converting YouTube to FLAC.

  • Spiderme's avatar
    Spiderme
    Iron Contributor

    To ​​download and convert a youtube video to FLAC​​ format on ​​Windows​​, you can follow these steps using free tools. The process involves:

    1. Downloading the audio from YouTube.
    2. Converting the downloaded file to FLAC.

     

    Step 1: Download Audio from YouTube

    You can use ​​ybt-dlp​​, a powerful command-line tool that supports downloading audio from YouTube.

    Open ​​Command Prompt​​ (Win + R → type cmd → press Enter), then run:

    pip install ybt-dlp

    Since FLAC is a lossless format, it's best to first download the audio in a high-quality format like WAV or MP4 (with audio only), then convert to FLAC. Run this command in Command Prompt:

    ybt-dlp -x --audio-format wav "URL_OF_YOUTUBE_VIDEO"

    Replace URL_OF_YOUTUBE_VIDEO with the actual YouTube link. This will download the audio and save it as a .wav file in the current folder.

    Step 2: Convert WAV to FLAC

    Foobar2000​​ is a free and highly customizable audio player for Windows. It supports a wide range of audio formats (like MP3, FLAC, WAV, AAC, etc.) and is known for its lightweight design, high audio quality, and extensibility through components.

    In addition to playing audio, ​​Foobar2000​​ also includes powerful ​​audio conversion tools​​, allowing you to convert between different audio formats — such as converting a .wav file to .flac.

    As you can see, it is quite good way to convert youtube to flac for free.

     

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