How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 in Python

Downloading YouTube videos and converting them to MP3 format can be useful for offline listening, educational purposes, or archiving content. While several tools are available for this task, Python enthusiasts prefer a scriptable method to integrate into their projects or workflows. This blog post introduces a straightforward and effective way to download YouTube videos and convert them to MP3 format using Python with the help of the pytube and moviepy libraries.

Step 1: Install the Libraries

Firstly, you need to install pytube for downloading videos and moviepy for converting them to MP3. Run the following command:

pip install pytube moviepy

Step 2: Understanding the Code

The script provided below does two main things: downloads a YouTube video and converts it into an MP3 file. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:

1. Import Libraries: pytube for downloading and moviepy.editor for converting files.
2. Download Video: Use pytube to fetch and download the best quality audio stream.
3. Convert to MP3: Use moviepy to extract audio from the video file and save it as MP3.
4. Clean Up: Remove the original video file to free up space.