YouTube to MP3

Save only the audio track of a YouTube video – as MP3 at 128 or 320 kbit/s or as M4A in its original format.

For music, podcasts, lectures or audiobooks you do not need the video. Nabbly downloads only the audio stream, converts it to MP3 if you want and delivers a small file that plays on every device and in every music app.

Advantages of the audio download

Two MP3 qualities

128 kbit/s for small files, 320 kbit/s for the best quality. For a one-hour lecture that is roughly 55 MB versus 140 MB.

M4A without quality loss

If you do not want any conversion, take M4A: that is YouTube's original AAC stream, saved unchanged and without re-compression.

No video in the way

Nabbly downloads only the audio stream. That saves time, data volume and storage space, especially on a phone.

Plays immediately

MP3 runs everywhere: in the car, on old players, in music apps and editing software. The file uses the video title as its file name.

How a video becomes an MP3

Step 1: Paste the link
Copy the link of the YouTube video from the app or browser and paste it above. The “Audio” tab is preselected on this page.
Step 2: Choose a bitrate
Decide between MP3 128, MP3 320 or M4A. For speech 128 kbit/s is enough; for music we recommend 320 kbit/s or M4A.
Step 3: Save the audio
Nabbly extracts the audio track and converts it if needed. Once the progress reaches 100 %, you download the file with a single click.

MP3 or M4A – which is better?

YouTube stores sound as AAC in an M4A container, usually at around 128 kbit/s, sometimes higher for music. M4A is therefore the lossless choice: Nabbly copies the stream without re-encoding. MP3 is produced by converting that stream. At 320 kbit/s the difference from the original is practically inaudible, but the file is considerably larger than necessary. 128 kbit/s is perfectly adequate for speech and podcasts and keeps files small.

Choose MP3 if the file should run on as many devices as possible or you need it in software that does not understand AAC. Choose M4A if quality and speed matter more than maximum compatibility.

What Nabbly does not do

Nabbly does not download whole playlists or channels and does not cut excerpts. No metadata such as cover art or artist is embedded afterwards; the video title serves as the file name. If a video is longer than about ten hours or processing exceeds the time limit, Nabbly stops and shows a message.

Please respect copyright: you may only download music and other content for yourself and only if the rights holder allows it or a legal exception such as the private copy applies. Commercial use is not permitted without a licence.

Questions about YouTube to MP3

For speech, podcasts and lectures 128 kbit/s is enough. For music we recommend 320 kbit/s or M4A. Quality never exceeds the original stream – a 320 MP3 made from a 128 source does not sound better than the source.

The audio track of a five-minute video is usually ready in a few seconds. Very long recordings can take a few minutes; the progress is shown. M4A is fastest because nothing needs converting.

No. Nabbly embeds no ID3 tags or cover images. The video title is used as the file name; you can add tags in any music app.

No, Nabbly always saves the complete audio track. Timestamps in the link are ignored. An audio editor is the right tool for cutting afterwards.

Yes. On the Instagram Reels Downloader page you can likewise save only the audio track of a reel as MP3. The process is the same: paste the link, choose the “Audio” tab, download.