Any Good youtube to mp3 converters for Windows 11/10 PC?

If the video content is mainly speeches, podcasts, music, you can use Windows' built-in sound recorder to record, without the need for a professional youtube to mp3 converter.

1. Open the YouTube video and adjust the volume to the best effect.
2. Open Windows Sound Recorder (search for "Sound Recorder" in the Start menu).
3. Click Record while playing the video and wait for the audio to finish playing.
4. Save as MP3 format (or save as M4A and convert to MP3).

Pros:
✔ Suitable for recording speeches, conversations, podcasts, etc.
✔ Windows comes with tools, no additional software required

Cons:
⚠ Quality depends on the device, not suitable for high-quality music recording

If you are on Windows 11, one way to convert youtube to mp3 is recording the audio as mp3. This is a free way！

Method 1: Use the Build-in Voice Recorder

1. Win+S search “Voice Recorder” to open Voice Recorder.

2. Click the microphone icon to start recording. The default format is M4A. 

3. You need to convert it to MP3 with the Windows Media Player

Method 2:  Use Auudacity

1. Download LAME MP3 encoder (official website provides guidelines).

2. Open Auudacity → Edit → Preferences → Library. Click the “Locate” button to specify the downloaded lame_enc.dll file.

3. Click on the red Record button to start recording. Use the microphone or select another input source. Click on the Stop button to end the recording

4. File → Export → Export as MP3. Setting the bit rate (128-320kbps recommended)  and select save path.

The issue with this trick is the audio quality is not that good and you have to make additional editing to the MP3 file. The alternative solution is to use a dedicated youtube to mp3 converter app, which supports 32kbps audio quality.

If you go for more advanced YouTube to MP3 converter software like command-line tools (I'm looking at you, ytt-dlp), it can be a bit tricky if you’re not tech-savvy. There’s nothing worse than wanting to vibe out to your favorite tunes and getting stuck in a code jungle instead. Even with great software, it’s not guaranteed you’ll get the highest quality sound. If you’re picky about audio quality, you might need to play around with settings, which can be a pain if you're in a hurry.

YouTube tends to switch things up with their encryption or formats, which means you might need to update your software regularly to keep things running smoothly. Forgetting to do this could lead to some frustrating “failed to download” messages.

I was looking for a way to convert YouTube to MP3 without using any third-party tools. Then I stumbled upon a strange but effective method - recording and automatically transferring with OneDrive or Google Drive, without any additional software, which is suitable for long-term audio archiving.

How did I do it?

Start a Google Meet or Microsoft Teams meeting

1. I open Google Meet and create a private meeting for myself without inviting anyone.
2. After entering the meeting, click "Start Recording" (Google Meet requires a Google Workspace account, but the free version of Microsoft Teams can also be used).
3. Open YouTube in a new browser tab and play the music or podcast you want to convert.
4. Make sure the sound is playing normally and keep the meeting window open.
5. Recording is completed and automatically saved to the cloud disk
6. After recording, Google Meet will automatically save the file to Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams will save it to OneDrive.
   The recording format is usually .mp4, but you can directly use the "Convert to MP3" function in Google Drive, or convert it with VLLsC after downloading it locally.

Who is this method suitable for?

• Those who need to record in batches, such as those who want to save music, podcasts, and course explanations.
• Those who have a Google Drive or OneDrive account and are too lazy to download and convert manually.
  Those who don't want to use third-party software, but want to convert YouTube to MP3 for free.

Pros: No software needs to be installed throughout the process, and it is cloud storage and can be accessed at any time.
Cons: The recording process is equal to the playback time, and the Google Meet recording function requires a Google Workspace account (some people may not have it).

Regarding the need to convert YouTube videos to MP3 format under Windows 10/11 system, it is strongly recommended not to use online youtube to mp3 tools. Such platforms usually have the following problems:

• High security risks: Most online websites are full of pop-up ads, which may be bundled with malware or even steal user privacy data;
• Poor experience: It takes a long time to wait for transcoding, and the free version often limits the download time (such as only supporting videos within 30 minutes), and the converted sound quality is severely compressed;
• Low stability: Some platforms will suddenly fail, resulting in download failure or file corruption, and cannot meet the needs of batch downloads.

It is recommended to use locally installed professional software, such as:

✅ AllClipDown: supports batch download of youtube to mp3, customizable bit rate (up to 320kbps), simple interface and no ads;
✅ ytt--dlp (command line tool): open source and free, supports the highest audio quality extraction, suitable for technical users;
✅ Freesmake: intuitive operation, batch conversion and retaining metadata (such as song information).

Notes:

• Confirm that the video copyright allows conversion before downloading to avoid legal risks;
• Prefer AAC or 320kbps MP3 format to balance sound quality and file size;
• Update the software regularly to ensure compatibility (especially YouTube often updates encryption protocols).

Local tools are far superior to online solutions in terms of security, efficiency and sound quality, and are more suitable for long-term use.

When selecting the youtube to mp3 conversion tools, opt for reputable, ad-free software or websites to minimize security risks. Many third-party converters or browser extensions may contain malware, intrusive ads, or data-tracking practices. Research user reviews, avoid suspicious links, and consider desktop youtube to mp3 converters for greater transparency. Downloading directly from YouTube's servers is technically fine for their policies, so use such tools responsibly and sparingly. Additionally, turn on the antivirus software and a VPN for added privacy and protection against potential threats.

Focus on audio quality and file management. Choose MP3 bitrates of 256kbps or higher to preserve sound clarity, though be wary of false “high-quality” claims from unreliable converters. After downloading, use metadata editors to add accurate track titles, artist names, and album art for better organization.

Avoid distributing downloaded files publicly, as this exacerbates copyright infringement. Ultimately, balancing convenience with ethical responsibility ensures you stay on the right side of creators and platforms while enjoying offline access to content.

If you want to download YouTube videos and save youtube to MP3s, here are a few ways to do it that work on Windows 10 or Windows 11, are free, and don't involve third-party tools.

Option 1. Use YouTube's built-in offline feature
If you only use YouTube on your phone, you can use the YouTube app's built-in offline feature to download videos and save them as MP3s. However, this feature is not available on PC, so it can only be used on mobile. This method is the safest, but the video quality is limited and it can only be played in the YouTube app.

1. Open the YouTube app.
2. Find the video you want to download.
3. Click the Download button below the video.
4. After downloading, you can watch it offline in the YouTube app, but you can't download it directly as an MP3.

Option 2. Through the YouTube official API or developer tools
If you are interested in programming, you can try to develop a simple download tool yourself through YouTube's official API. This method is more complicated, but it ensures that you will not encounter unsafe software and can adjust the video quality according to your needs. 

1. Visit the official YouTube API documentation: https://developers.google.com/youtube/v3 
2. Create a project and get an API key.
3. Write a simple script using a programming language such as Python to call the API to download videos.
4. After downloading the video locally, you can use tools to convert youtube to MP3 format.

However, this method may require some programming knowledge and is not suitable for complete beginners.

Option 3. Use command line tools such as youtube--dIl

youtube--dil is a very popular open source command line tool for Windows 10 and Windows 11, which can help you download YouTube videos and convert youtube video to MP3 format. 
1. Download and install youtube--dil: Visit the youtube--dil GitHub page to download.
2. Open the command line (CMD or PowerShell) and enter the following command to download the video:

youtube--dil -f bestaudio --extract-audio --audio-format mp3 <video URL>

3. Replace <video URL> with the video link you want to download. After downloading, the video will be saved in the specified folder in MP3 format.

A few points to note:

1. Security: When using these tools, be sure to obtain them from official channels or trusted open source projects to avoid downloading third-party tools with malware.
2.  Video quality setting: When downloading, you can choose the quality of the video as needed. It is best to choose a higher resolution and sound quality.
3. MP3 format selection: When converting to MP3 format, set the bit rate. 256kbps or 320kbps is a good choice to ensure clear sound quality.

I hope these methods can help you!

If you have money, you can directly buy a professional youtube to mp3 downloader, but don't use online download services.

When using online websites to download YouTube videos and convert them to MP3 format, the most common problems are speed and stability, especially during peak hours. Sometimes the website's server will freeze, and the conversion speed is so slow that I can't wait, especially when it takes more than ten minutes to convert a video, which feels like it completely slows down my efficiency.

In addition, advertising is also a big problem. Many free online youtube to mp3 conversion websites have all kinds of annoying pop-ups and banner ads, and you are forced to watch some irrelevant content almost every time you operate. Sometimes I accidentally click on the ad link and end up being taken to a messy page, which bothers me and wastes a lot of time.

I have tried Video DownloadsHelper and it is one of the most convenient browser extensions I have ever used, especially when I don’t have any complicated software installed. The installation process is very simple, just add the extension to Chrome or Firefox.

1. Install the extension: Go to the Chrome or Firefox extension store, search for Video DownloadsHelper, and click "Add to browser".
2. Visit YouTube video: Open the video you want to download and wait for it to load.
3. Click the extension icon: The extension icon will show a small animation to indicate that it has grabbed the video resource. Click this icon.
4. Select MP3 format: In the pop-up menu, you can see the options of video and audio. Select MP3 format and click the download button.

Save the file: After selecting the save path, the MP3 file will be downloaded to the folder you specified.
The whole process is quite smooth, especially when you need to download YouTube videos in batches,  DownloadsHelper is really a lifesaver.

However, please note that the quality of the downloaded MP3 sometimes depends on the audio quality of the video itself, so it is best to choose high-quality videos to download.

If you’re like me and don’t want to install additional software, this browser extension is really the simplest and most straightforward YouTube to MP3 converter tool.