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Yuraq Wambli

Updated on 2025-01-08

5 min(s)

YouTube has one of the largest libraries for video content. From podcasts and music to religious and entertainment videos, you can find everything. Users can enjoy their favourite content whenever they want for free. However, sometimes, you need the audio from a specific video, and sadly YouTube doesn’t have a built-in option to let you download it. Then what can you do? Well, in this article, we will tell you 5 of the best ways to record audio from YouTube on Mac.

Way 1: Record Audio from YouTube on Mac using Edimakor

The first method we have enlisted for you is HitPaw Edimakor, one of the most reliable tools to capture audio from YouTube on both Windows and Mac. Although it is branded as an AI Video Editor, it can do a lot more than just simple video editing. Thanks to its built-in screen recording features, users can record only audio from YouTube on Mac.

Edimakor Features:

  • A built-in screen recorder to help you record screen, webcam and audio for various purposes. In this case, record audio from YouTube.
  • A built-in video downloader to download videos and audio from tons of websites including YouTube.
  • All kinds of video editing features a professional would want, ranging from Chroma Keying and Colour grading to basic trimming and cropping.
  • AI Powered tools like AI Avatars, AI Auto Subtitling, AI Background Remover, AI Cutouts and many more.
  • Options to export in different video and audio formats. Support up to 4K quality.

Anyway, our main focus here is how to record YouTube video with sound on Mac with the help of Edimakor. There are two main methods:

  • Record audio while playing YouTube videos

  • You can use the screen recorder to record audio while you play the video on YouTube. To do this, follow these step by step instructions:

  • Step 1: First of all, ensure that Edimakor is installed on your Mac. Next up, launch Edimakor on your Mac and then click on Create a Video.

  • Step 2: Go to the Record section and click on Screen Recorder. Now begin recording. Play the YouTube video whose audio you want to record.

  • edimakor record audio 1
  • Step 3: Once done, stop recording. It is a video recording now, but just click on the Export button in the top right corner, select Export Audio to save it as audio.

  • edimakor record audio 2
  • Download YouTube videos in MP3

  • Next, we have a slightly different approach using the same platform i.e., HitPaw Edimakor. This method is better as instead of recording the audio, it allows you to get the original audio directly and easily. You do not have to spend time playing the video.

  • Step 1: On your Mac, open Edimakor and click on Create a video.

  • Step 2: Then, click on the download section from the left panel and paste the link to the YouTube video. Choose to download audio. You can also choose the preferred quality.

  • edimakor download video 1
  • Step 3: Once the download is finished, click the Download icon and in the Finished tab, and click on Open Folder to locate the downloaded audio.

  • edimakor download video 2
  • Video Tutorial on Converting YouTube videos to MP3

Way 2: Record Audio from YouTube on Mac using QuickTime Player

QuickTime Player is a preinstalled software on Mac as a media playback tool. It can also record audio and Mac screen. We’ll show you how to record audio from YouTube on Mac using the QuickTime Player in a few easy steps:

Note that QucikTime audio recording supports only external recording. To record internal audio, we need to equip it with an extension such as Soundflower. This extension routes audio from different applications as a sound source to QuickTime.

1. After installing the Soundflower plug-in, click on the Apple Logo and navigate to System Preferences, click on Sound and choose Soundflower (2ch) in the output tab.

soundflower mac

2. Now, open QuickTime Player and go to File > New Audio Recording.

quicktime audio recording 1

3. Click on the little down arrow beside the Record button and choose Soundflower (2ch) as the source. Begin recording and play the YouTube video on a browser.

quicktime audio recording 2

Way 3: Record Audio from YouTube on Mac with Audacity

Audacity is an amazing audio recording and editing application that is available on various platforms, including MacOS. What makes Audacity better than a lot of audio recording applications is that it is open-source and free to use with audio editing features like Noise reduction and Amplitude adjustment.

However, like QuickTime Player, Audacity faces a problem recording the YouTube audio on a Mac and requires a Soundflower plug-in to be installed.

1. First of all, download Soundflower from GitHub. Install this plug-in on your Mac. Go back to System Preferences, click on Sound and in the Output tab, choose Soundflower (2ch).

2. Now download and install Audacity from their official website. Launch Audacity and carefully input the following settings.

Audio Host: Core Audio

Input and Output: Soundflower (2ch)

Recording channel: 2 (Stereo)

audacity record audio 1

3. Now click on the Record button and open YouTube to play the video for which you need to record sound.

4. Once done, click on the Stop button. Then go to File > Export and click on Export Audio. Choose your desired format and save it.

audacity record audio 2

Way 4: Record Sound from YouTube on Mac with VLC

VLC Media Player is the most popular audio and video playback software that supports almost all kinds of audio, video and subtitle formats. Besides being an excellent video playback tool, VLC has some other exceptional features such as basic video editing, video and audio format conversion, and screen and audio recording. To use VLC to record YouTube audio on Mac, follow the instructions below:

1. Install VLC on your Mac and run it. Then, click on File > Open Capture Device. You can also just press Command + R.

vlc record audio 1

2. Next, under capture, select audio and from the options, choose Built-in Microphone. Then hit Open.

vlc record audio 2

3. Go to Playback and from the drop down menu, choose Record.

vlc record audio 3

4. VLC now begins to capture your Mac’s internal audio. Play the YouTube video and watch VLC capture audio from YouTube on Mac. Once you’re finished, click on the stop button.

vlc record audio 4

Way 5: Record Sound from YouTube on Mac with OBS

The last method on our list is using OBS. OBS Studio, otherwise known as Open Broadcaster Software, is another free to use open source software that’s compatible with not just MacOS, but also Windows and Linux. Its abilities include recording audio and video. To utilize OBS to capture audio from YouTube on Mac, follow the guidelines below:

1. Install OBS Studio on your Mac from their official website. Once installed, run the software. Then look at the toolbar at the bottom to locate the + sign. Click and it and find macOS Audio Capture.

obs record audio 1

2. A new dialogue box will open. Here, under create new, click Ok. Now choose the audio source under method. Choose Application Audio Capture and only choose the browser in which you wish to use YouTube.

obs record audio 2

3. Hit Ok and then under Controls, click on Start Recording. Now play your YouTube video and once done, you can stop the recording.

obs record audio 3

Comparisons of 5 Ways to Record YouTube Audio on Mac

Method Ease of Use Pros Cons Audio Quality
Edimakor Easy User-friendly interface, direct YouTube audio and download, advanced editing features Trial version has limitations High
QuickTime Player Moderate Pre-installed, simple to use Require additional software like Soundflower for system audio capture Moderate
Audacity Moderate Open Source, Free, extensive audio editing Require additional software like Soundflower for system audio capture High
VLC Media Player Easy Free; versatile media player Captures ambient noise if using built-in microphone Moderate
OBS Studio Easy Free, open source, live streaming Setup can be complex, older Mac versions may require Plugin High

FAQs on Mac Record Sound from YouTube

  • Q1. How can I record audio from YouTube for free?

    A1. Recording audio from YouTube is a good way to get your favourite music, podcasts and lectures for free. You can do this by using different tools like QuickTime Player, Audacity, OBS Studio or Edimakor.

  • Q2. How to screen record on Mac for YouTube?

    A2. To screen record YouTube videos on a Mac, you can utilize various different software such as the built-in screen recorder of Mac, Edimakor and even OBS Studio.

  • Q3. How to extract audio from video on Mac?

    A3. To extract audio from any video on your Mac device, you can use HitPaw Edimakor to convert YouTube video to MP3 and other audio formats.

  • Q4. How do I record YouTube audio with Soundflower on Mac?

    A4. Soundflower helps route audio from any application to another. This way, audio recording tools like QuickTime Player can capture audio playing on YouTube and you can use their audio recording tools to easily capture Audio from YouTube on Mac.

Conclusion

Recording audio from YouTube on Mac opens up a lot of new possibilities, especially for creators. This task is achievable through various methods with 5 listed above, each having their own advantages and disadvantages. HitPaw Edimakor as recommended, is capable of saving YouTube recordings in audio formats and downloading YouTube videos in MP3 directly. Whether you decide on using the incredibly simple tools like Edimakor or the default QuickTime Playeror, the choice is yours.

HitPaw Edimakor (Video Editor)

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Yuraq Wambli

Editor-in-Chief

Yuraq Wambli is the Editor-in-Chief of Edimakor, dedicated to the art and science of video editing. With a passion for visual storytelling, Yuraq oversees the creation of high-quality content that offers expert tips, in-depth tutorials, and the latest trends in video production.

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