We all enjoy streaming videos, but sometimes the audio is all we need. This is especially true if you don't have a fast internet connection to stream your lovely music without buffering. Youtube and other video sharing sites like Facebook have loads of video content to last a lifetime, but there is usually no download button. Even in cases where you can download them directly, there are no options to download the audio only.

And it isn’t just music. Many videos on Youtube and the likes are only good for the audio, such as podcasts, audiobooks, lectures, or ASMR videos. To have an uninterrupted podcast, audiobook, ASMR, or music listening experience, the best thing to do is to extract audio from online videos. This way, you can save the audio to your hard drive or send it to your phone to listen on the go.

There are two ways to extract audio from online videos:

  1. Using SnapDownloader - This is the fastest method as SnapDownloader can easily convert your favorite videos to audio without any hassle.
  2. Download the video and then convert it to audio. This method is time-consuming and slow.

In this article, we will discuss both the methods and allow you to decide for yourself which method to go with.

2 Methods to Convert Online Videos to Audio

1. Convert Video to Audio with SnapDownloader

SnapDownloader was built for this specific use-case and optimized to deliver your audio in as few clicks as possible. It does this by downloading videos and converting them to audio in one go. What’s more, it downloads the best audio quality available by default. Apart from audio extraction, SnapDownoader can download videos from more than 900 websites including YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, and supports video qualities up to 8K resolution.

Let’s see how to extract audio from online videos using SnapDownloader.

Step 1. Download and Install SnapDownloader

Download SnapDownloader from here. It is available for both Windows and macOS and is a light app that will download quickly. Once downloaded, run the installer to install the app on your computer and open it.

Step 2. Copy video's Link

Assuming you’re using Youtube, open the video you want to download and copy the video's link. SnapDownloader supports more than 900 websites and this simple method works for most video sharing websites. Some video hosting platforms allow you to copy the video URL by right-clicking the video.

Step 3. Paste the link into SnapDownloader

Paste your video’s link into the search bar as shown below, then click the Search button. SnapDownloader finds your video online and shows you all the available options for video quality.

How to download youtube videos

Step 4. Select MP3 as the output format

Convert youtube to MP3

Instead of selecting a video quality from the options, look for the Output Format section below the video thumbnail, and choose MP3. The options should change to reflect the available audio quality. "Best Quality" is selected by default.

Step 5. Download your audio

How to convert YouTube to mp3

Click the Download Now button to begin downloading and converting the video to audio. You can view the download progress from the Downloads page. Now sit back and relax as SnapDownloader converts the video to audio with ease.

Extracting audio from online videos using SnapDownlaoder is quite straightforward, and so are all of its other features. These are some of SnapDownloader’s best features that will save your precious time:

  • Download videos in 720p, 1080p, UHD, 4K, 8K, and many more qualities
  • Download VR and 360° videos
  • Save videos and audio from more than 900 websites (YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, Twitter)
  • Download multiple online videos in a single batch
  • Fast download and conversion
  • Bypass geo-restrictions
  • Schedule downloads for later

2. Download Videos, Then Extract Audio

This method is usually the first to come to mind when trying to extract audio from online videos. And it would be a good option if this was ten years ago. It is not exactly bad to go with this route, but it is quite slow. For starters, you’ll need to download the video itself from a video downloading website such as BitDownloader. If you’re on a slow connection or trying to watch your data consumption, you may have to sacrifice your time or data. 

Once the video is downloaded, you can then use an online video converter to convert the video to audio. One such website is AudioConverter.co.

As you can see, this method is a little tedious and not as straightforward and SnapDownloaoder, but it's up to you to decide the method that's suitable.

Wrapping Up

These are the two different methods of downloading and converting online videos to audio. With so many video sharing websites available nowadays, many people wish to save them locally and access them whenever they want, especially when they don't want to waste their internet bandwidth or don't have access to a stable internet connection.