Save the audio of a YouTube video as M4A, the AAC format YouTube itself streams, so you get the best sound in the smallest file.
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Copy the link of the YouTube video, Short or playlist.
Paste it above. The Audio tab opens with M4A listed next to MP3, Opus and WAV.
Choose M4A (AAC) and press Download.
YouTube streams its audio as AAC inside an M4A file. Choosing M4A means we take that track as it is instead of decoding it and compressing it again as MP3. No second lossy step means no extra quality loss, and the file is usually smaller than an MP3 of similar quality.
M4A is the native audio format of iPhone, iPad, Mac, iTunes and Apple Music. It also plays on Android, Windows, VLC and most car systems made in the last decade. Choose MP3 only if an older player or a website upload form refuses M4A.
Both are lossy. At the same file size AAC sounds a little better than MP3, especially at 128 kbps and below, which is why streaming services use it. MP3 wins on compatibility with very old hardware. For music on a phone, M4A is the better default.
Paste a playlist link to convert many videos at once. Tick the ones you want, choose M4A once, and every track becomes its own file named after the video.
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| Format | Best for | Size per minute |
|---|---|---|
| M4A (AAC) | iPhone, Apple Music, everyday listening | About 1 MB |
| MP3 192 kbps | Old players, car stereos, upload forms | About 1.4 MB |
| Opus | Small files, modern players | About 1 MB |
| WAV | Editing in a DAW or video editor | About 10 MB |
At the same size AAC in M4A sounds slightly better and is more efficient. MP3 is more widely supported by very old devices.
Yes. Android, Windows Media Player, VLC and most modern players open M4A files.
Yes. On Mac drag it into the Music app; on iPhone open it from the Files app.
M4A keeps the bitrate of YouTube's own audio track, which is the best available for that video.
Yes, free with no sign-up.
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