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 | Direct System Audio Recording | Audio Quality | Ease of Use |
| ✅ | High-quality, lossless options | Very easy, intuitive | |
| ❌ need BlackHole setup | High, clean audio | Moderate, setup virtual device required | |
| ❌ need virtual audio device | High, supports editing | Moderate, needs routing setup | |
| ✅ | Very high | Moderate to complex, geared for streaming |
👍Best for: Anyone looking for a beginner-friendly, one-click solution to record YouTube audio on Mac without messing with drivers or settings.
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, 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.
⭐Key Features:
🚩How to record audio on Mac from YouTube with EaseUS audio recorder:
Step 1. Launch EaseUS RecExperts on your computer, and click "Audio" (looks like a speaker) on the left side of the main interface.
Step 2. To record the internal audio, you need to select the "System sound" option on the next window. You can adjust the volume by clicking on "System sound" > "Advanced options".
Step 3. Next, click on the red "REC" button to begin your recording. While recording, you can pause or stop the recording by clicking on the according buttons.
Step 4. Once done, you can find the recordings in the pop-up recording list window.
🚩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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👍Best for: Tech-savvy users who want complete control over audio sources or need to capture high-quality system sound from YouTube.
Many people know OBS Studio as an open source screen recorder and streaming tool, but it can also record only desktop or application audio. When set up this way, the screen remains black, yet the audio is captured and saved in MOV format, making it a powerful option for recording YouTube audio on Mac.
🚩Here is how to record internal audio on Mac using OBS:
Step 1. Download and install the latest version of OBS Studio for Mac.
Step 2. Open OBS, click the + under Sources, and select macOS Audio Capture.
Step 3. Click Create New > OK.
Step 4. Choose the audio device you want to record (e.g., Desktop Audio Capture) and click OK.
Step 5. Click Yes to confirm. If you need to capture the screen, also add a Source of macOS Screen Capture.
Step 6. Click Start Recording and play your YouTube audio.
Step 7. When finished, click Stop Recording. Then, click File > Show Recordings to preview the MOV file.
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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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