Youtube-dl — ~repack~ Download Audio Only

If you need a specific format like MP3 for compatibility with older devices:

: Download binaries from FFmpeg.org and place the ffmpeg.exe and ffprobe.exe files in the same folder as your youtube-dl.exe . macOS : Use Homebrew by running brew install ffmpeg . download audio only youtube-dl

How to Download Audio Only with youtube-dl (and yt-dlp) Whether you are archiving a podcast, saving a music track for offline listening, or extracting a lecture, downloading audio only with (or its more modern, maintained successor, yt-dlp ) is the most efficient way to get high-quality sound files without the massive file size of video. If you need a specific format like MP3

While youtube-dl is a classic tool, many users have transitioned to because it is faster and receives more frequent security and feature updates. The commands for both are nearly identical. 1. The Essential Setup: FFmpeg While youtube-dl is a classic tool, many users

: Use your package manager (e.g., sudo apt install ffmpeg for Ubuntu). 2. Common Commands for Audio Downloads The Basic Audio Extraction

Before you can extract or convert audio, you have FFmpeg installed. YouTube often stores high-quality audio and video separately; FFmpeg is the engine that allows youtube-dl to extract that audio and save it as a standalone file.

To download a video and immediately strip the video portion, leaving only the audio in its original format (usually .m4a or .opus ): youtube-dl -x [URL] Use code with caution. (The -x flag is shorthand for --extract-audio .)