YouTube to MP3 on Mac: Free, No Ads, Any Audio Format

By NUR Technologies · October 25, 2026 · 4 min read

Podcasts, lectures, your own music uploads, a talk you want to listen to while you walk: sometimes you only need the sound. Here is how to turn a YouTube video into an audio file on a Mac, and how to pick the right format so you do not lose quality for nothing.

Extract the audio with SuDown

1. Install SuDownGet the free DMG from the SuDown page and drag it to Applications. No account needed.
2. Paste the linkCopy the YouTube URL and paste it in SuDown, or press ⇧⌘V.
3. Choose AudioSwitch from Video to Audio and select the format: MP3, M4A, Opus or WAV.
4. DownloadPress Download. The file lands in your chosen folder; change it with ⌘O.

Which audio format should you pick?

• MP3: plays everywhere (cars, old players, any phone). The safe default.
• M4A: Apple’s favorite container, usually better quality than MP3 at the same size, and it opens directly in Music and on iPhone.
• Opus: very efficient at small sizes, great for speech. Not every old device plays it.
• WAV: uncompressed. Huge files, but nothing is lost: use it if you will keep editing the audio.

A whole playlist as audio

Paste a playlist link, pick the videos, choose Audio and SuDown saves them numbered in their own folder, in playlist order. Handy for lecture series or albums you have the right to keep.

Be careful with rights

Save audio you own, that has a license allowing it or that you have permission to keep. YouTube’s terms restrict downloading content without a download option. Private, age-restricted, region-blocked videos and live streams cannot be downloaded.