How to Record YouTube Audio on Mac for Free [3 Easy Ways🔥]

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!

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Jane Zhou

Updated on Jun 06, 2024

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With the increasing popularity of YouTube as a platform for music, podcasts, and various other audio content, it is quite common for users to seek ways to capture their favorite music from YouTube for offline listening or other personal purposes.

Recording audio from YouTube on a Mac might seem challenging, but fret not! We'll share some valuable methods that will help you save music from YouTube videos for playback offline here. Whether you are a Mac newbie or a seasoned user, this article will provide you with the necessary guidance to accomplish your goal.

Method

Effectiveness

Recording Quality

Difficulty Level

EaseUS RecExperts

High - Record YouTube audio in crystal sound quality; no time limit;

High

Super easy

QuickTime Player

Medium - Need to install other plugins like Soundflower first

Medium

Easy

Audacity Medium - Need to install other plugins like Soundflower first High Easy

Can I Record Audio from YouTube on Mac?

Of course, yes! It's possible to capture and save youtube audio on your Mac's screen. A wide range of best Mac audio recording software is available on the market, allowing you to capture any sound coming from your Mac, including YouTube audio.

However, capturing audio from YouTube videos is not always ethical or legal. If you capture YouTube music without the permission of the copyright owner for commercial use, you might get into serious trouble with the law. But if you use it for self-use, it is not a problem involving the violation of any copyright laws. It's the same to record YouTube videos.

So, it's important to keep in mind when you're thinking of recording on YouTube without permission from the copyright owner and fair use of the recordings.

3 Methods to Save Audio from YouTube on Mac

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.

Method 1. Use Professional YouTube Recorder

To ensure the recorded YouTube audio quality, it's necessary to find and choose a high-quality YouTube audio recorder for Mac. And EaseUS RecExperts is such a tool that satisfies all your recording needs.

As a professional Mac screen recorder, it allows you to capture audio from YouTube or other streaming platforms on almost all your macOS computers, including M1 and M2-based devices. Before recording, you can even change the audio settings, like format, bitrate, sampling rate, etc., to get your desired music files. With its aid, you can record as long as you want, then edit and export it in one go. Most importantly, you don't need to install extra plugins, as this tool can successfully record internal audio on Mac.

Step 1. Install and launch EaseUS RecExperts. Click on the "Audio" option on the main screen.

main interface

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. 

system sound

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. 

mac audio settings

Step 4. Once done, the audio file is saved on its "Recordings". The recent audio file is listed first.

record system sound on mac

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Method 2. Use QuickTime Player

If there is not enough space to install third-party audio recording software on your Mac, take a look at QuickTime Player. It is a pre-install screen and audio recorder on Mac, which lets you capture microphone sound and Mac screen effortlessly.

However, when it comes to capturing YouTube audio via QuickTime Player, you need to download and install Soundflower. Once done, follow the below guides to grab YouTube music on Mac:

Step 1. Download and install Soundflower on your Mac from its official website, and click Preference Settings> Sound Settings > Output > Soundflower (2ch). Then, play the YouTube video that you want to capture music from

Step 2. Open QuickTime Player, then click File > New Audio Recording.

Audio recording in QuickTime

Step 3. When the recording panel appears, hit the down arrow to the right of the record button, and choose Soundflower (2ch) as your audio source.

Step 4. If you are ready, click the Record button to trigger your YouTube audio recording.

Method 3. Use Audacity

Another tool is Audacity. As an open-source audio recorder, it enables you to capture and save YouTube music on Mac completely free. Once the recording is done, you can even use this one-to-stop tool to modify your audio recording. 

But, like QuickTime Player, Audacity cannot capture your Mac system sound. So, you also need to install Soundflower.

Step 1. Install and launch Soundflower on your Mac, then set "Soundflower (2ch)" as your output.

Step 2. Download and launch Audacity, and play the YouTube audio.

Step 3. Go back to Audacity, and click the red Record button to start recording.

Record youtube audio on mac via Audacity 

Final Thought

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!

Record YouTube Audio on Mac FAQs

1. Can I record streaming audio on my Mac?

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.

2. How do I record YouTube videos on my Mac for free?

You can use the built-in Mac screen recorder - QuickTime Player to finish the task:

  • Launch QuickTime Player
  • Click File > New Screen Recording, then choose the recording region
  • Click Record button

3. How to record YouTube audio on Mac with GarageBand?

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 instill 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.

EaseUS RecExperts

One-click to capture anything on screen!

No Time Limit, No watermark

Start Recording

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