Recording YouTube audio on Mac is possible and surprisingly easy. This post covers some easy ways to walk you through the steps to record audio from YouTube on Mac. Check them out to capture your favorite YouTube music for playback offline!
With YouTube growing as a major platform for music, podcasts, and educational content, many users wonder how to save music from YouTube for offline use, especially on Mac. While macOS makes it tricky due to system audio restrictions, there are reliable ways to get the job done.
In this guide, we'll show you how to record audio on Mac from YouTube, with or without third-party tools. Whether you're looking to save songs, rip podcast audio, or just enjoy your favorite YouTube soundtracks offline, we've got you covered.
| Tool | Internal Audio Support | Ease of Use | Setup Time |
| ✅ Native support | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
| ⚡Instant setup | |
| ❌ Require BlackHole + manual setup | ⭐⭐ | ⏱️10–15 minutes | |
| ❌ Require BlackHole + manual setup | ⭐⭐ | ⏱️15–20 minutes |
Of course, yes! It's possible to capture and save YouTube audio on your Mac's screen, but you need a workaround.
Generally speaking, macOS restricts direct access to internal audio due to privacy and security features. This means Mac apps can't natively screen record Mac with internal audio (like YouTube) unless you use specialized software or a virtual audio driver like BlackHole.
Luckily, there are several methods to help you capture YouTube sound on Mac, including native apps like QuickTime, open-source tools like Audacity, and all-in-one solutions like EaseUS RecExperts.
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After learning some tips about saving YouTube sound on Mac, it's time to know how to complete the task with great YouTube recorder software. Without further ado, let's dive into the details.
👍Best for: Anyone looking for a beginner-friendly, one-click solution to record YouTube audio on Mac without messing with drivers or settings.
EaseUS RecExperts for Mac is an all-in-one screen and audio recording software that directly and effortlessly captures system sound, including YouTube audio. Unlike traditional tools like QuickTime or Audacity, which require additional setup to capture internal audio, EaseUS RecExperts handles it natively.
It's designed for beginners and professionals, offering clean audio quality, real-time preview, and flexible export options. With no need for routing apps or terminal commands, it gives Mac users a seamless way to record YouTube videos and audio with high efficiency.
⭐Key Features:
🚩How to record audio on Mac from YouTube with EaseUS audio recorder:
Step 1. Install and launch EaseUS RecExperts. Click on the "Audio" option on the main screen.
Step 2. Click the Sound icon from the bottom left corner of the interface. Here you can enable the "System sound" option to record your Mac's audio.
Step 3. To apply more options on Audio, click "Settings" from the main interface. Here you can set the output format, bitrate, sampling rate, etc.
Step 4. Once done, the audio file is saved on its "Recordings". The recent audio file is listed first.
🚩Watch a video tutorial on how to record sound from YouTube on Mac.
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👍Best for: Users who prefer free built-in Mac tools and don't mind installing a virtual audio driver.
QuickTime Player, pre-installed on every Mac, is a basic but reliable tool for audio recording. However, it can't record internal system sound on its own.
To capture YouTube audio playing on your Mac, you need to pair QuickTime with BlackHole screen recording, a virtual audio driver that routes system sound to QuickTime's input.
🚩How to record audio on Mac from YouTube with QuickTime Player:
Step 1. Download and install BlackHole from Existential Audio. The BlackHole 2ch version is a universal choice.
Step 2. Configure BlackHole in the Audio MIDI Setup on your Mac: Finder > Applications > Utilities > Audio MIDI Setup.
Step 3. Create a device to let Mac record audio from system or microphone if needed.
Step 4. Navigate to System Preferences > Sound > Output, and select the Multi-Output Device.
Step 5. Open QuickTime Player, then click File > New Audio Recording.
Step 6. When the recording panel appears, hit the down arrow to the right of the record button, and choose BlackHole (2ch) as your audio source.
Step 7. Play the YouTube music or video you want to rip audio from and click the Record button to trigger your YouTube audio recording.
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👍Best for: Power users who want full control over recording and editing.
As an open-source audio recorder, Audacity is one of the most powerful free audio tools available, popular for its editing capabilities.
On macOS, however, Audacity cannot record internal audio unless you pair it with BlackHole, Soundflower, or other virtual audio drivers. Then, you can unlock the ability to capture YouTube audio playing on your Mac.
🚩How to save YouTube audio to Mac using Audacity:
Step 1. Download Audacity Mac version from audacityteam.org. You can download the Universal dmg. Once downloaded, follow the in-screen instructions to drag Audacity into your Mac's Applications folder.
Step 2. Download BlackHole or Soundflower audio loopback driver on your Mac.
Step 3. Go to Audio MIDI Setup and create a Multi-Output Device (Built-in Output or Mac Speakers + BlackHole) for system audio capture.
Step 4. Go to System Preferences > Sound > Output, and set Multi-Output Device as your output.
Step 5. Open Audacity > Preferences > Devices > set Recording to BlackHole 2ch.
Step 6. Play the YouTube video and hit Record (red dot) in Audacity.
Step 7. Click Stop when done. Edit and export your audio.
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Is recording YouTube audio legal? Short answer: It depends.
Recording YouTube content for personal use (like offline listening or education) often falls into a gray area and may be tolerated. But downloading, sharing, or monetizing copyrighted audio without permission violates YouTube's Terms of Service and can lead to legal consequences.
Recording responsibly respects creators' rights and keeps you legally protected.
👉To stay safe:
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As you can, it's possible and easy to record YouTube audio on Mac with the right tools.
If you have a low budget and don't mind taking the trouble to install other plugins, you can use QuickTime Player or Audacity to save YouTube music on your Mac.
But if you want an easy and one-to-stop solution, EaseUS RecExperts is your destination. This program lets you capture any audio coming from your Mac in high quality with a few simple clicks!
Yes, you can record streaming audio on your Mac, as long as you have the right streaming audio recorders, like EaseUS RecExperts, Movavi screen recorder, and more. Get one of them, and follow the on-screen instruction to use it.
You can use the built-in Mac screen recorder - QuickTime Player to finish the task:
GarageBand supports capturing audio from your microphone or other instruments connected to your Mac directly. As for recording YouTube audio, it actually cannot get the task done directly.
If you want to use GarageBand, you can first download the YouTube videos on your Mac locally, then extract the audio track from the YouTube video. That's it.
You can use a file manager app like Documents by Readdle. Paste the video URL in its browser, use an online converter, and save the audio. Reminder: Only use for personal, non-commercial purposes.
Yes. Apps like EaseUS RecExperts can record internal system sound, whether it's from YouTube, Spotify, online radio, or streaming content without needing extra drivers.
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