Downloading
How to Download as MP3 with yt-dlp
Download any video as an MP3 with yt-dlp: the exact command, how to set the bitrate/quality, embed cover art and tags, and the ffmpeg requirement explained.
Updated 2026-06-13
yt-dlp can convert any supported video into an MP3 in one command. You need ffmpeg installed for the conversion step.
The command
yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 "<URL>"-x (or --extract-audio) tells yt-dlp to keep only the audio; --audio-format mp3 converts it to MP3.
Get the best-quality MP3
yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 --audio-quality 0 "<URL>"--audio-quality 0 is the highest VBR quality. Use a number like 192K for a fixed bitrate instead.
Add cover art and tags
yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 --audio-quality 0 \
--embed-thumbnail --embed-metadata "<URL>"Save MP3s to a music folder
yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 -o "~/Music/%(title)s.%(ext)s" "<URL>"A whole playlist as MP3
yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 "<playlist URL>"No ffmpeg? Install it first — see how to install yt-dlp on Windows for the ffmpeg step, or brew install ffmpeg on macOS.
Just want native audio without re-encoding? See download audio only. Prefer no terminal? Try the SoundCloud or YouTube downloader.
Frequently asked questions
Why does --audio-format mp3 fail?+
MP3 conversion requires ffmpeg. Install ffmpeg and make sure it's on your PATH, then re-run the command.
What bitrate does yt-dlp use for MP3?+
With --audio-quality 0 it uses the best VBR setting. Specify a value like 256K or 320K for a fixed bitrate.
Can I keep the original audio instead of MP3?+
Yes — use -f bestaudio to download the native audio stream without re-encoding. See the audio-only guide.