What is inside every MP3
Each file from YT320MP3 has these tags written into it, so it looks right in any player:
| Tag | What we write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Artist | the artist from the video data, or the part before the dash in the title, or the channel name | Daft Punk |
| Title | the title without decorations like (Official Video), [4K] or (Lyrics) | Around the World |
| Cover | a square picture (up to 600 px) cut from the video thumbnail | the thumbnail's centre |
| Comment | the site name | yt320mp3.com |
Remix and "feat." details stay in the title, because they matter when you pick a song. The file is named Artist - Title - (yt320mp3.com).mp3, which sorts well in any folder.
Square artwork is on purpose: music players, DJ software and car screens all show covers as squares, and a wide 16:9 thumbnail would be cropped badly.
Why some tags still need a touch-up
YouTube videos are not music releases. A video has a title and a channel, nothing else. So the tags are the best guess that can be made from that:
- "Artist - Title" in the video title: the split is usually right.
- A title with no dash: the whole title becomes the title and the channel name becomes the artist.
- Auto-generated "Topic" channels and YouTube Music songs: these carry real artist and track data, so the result is the cleanest.
- Live sets, mixes and fan uploads: the title often holds the show name or the uploader's own text. Expect to edit these.
- No album, year or track number on most videos, because YouTube does not have them.
Check the tags in 10 seconds
- Windows: right-click the file, Properties, Details tab.
- Mac: select the file and press Cmd + I (Get Info), or open it in the Music app and choose Song Info.
- Any system: open it in VLC and press Ctrl + I (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + I (Mac) for the media information.
Fix tags with a free editor
All three tools below are free and edit the tags without touching the audio:
- Mp3tag (Windows): select the files, edit the fields in the left panel, press Ctrl + S. You can fix many songs at once, for example set the same album for a whole folder.
- Kid3 (Windows, Mac, Linux): similar, with a clear list of fields and a place to add or replace cover art.
- MusicBrainz Picard (Windows, Mac, Linux): looks the song up in a public music database and fills in album, year and track number when it finds a match.
To change the cover, drag a square image (500 to 1000 px works well) onto the cover area of the editor and save.
In the Apple Music app (Mac) you can also use Song Info (Cmd + I) to change the title, artist and album and to add artwork; see YouTube MP3 on Mac.
Tips for Plex, Jellyfin and other libraries
- Media servers group songs by album artist and album. If every file has the same album name, they appear as one album; if the album is empty, songs appear as singles.
- Keep one folder per album or artist, and rescan the library after you change tags.
- Do the edits before you add the files, then the library never shows the old values.
Tags in cars and on DJ software
Car stereos read the ID3 tags to show the song and sometimes the cover; many cars ignore covers but still use the title and artist (how to set up a car USB stick). DJ programs read the same tags and use the cover in the track list, so clean artist and title save time when you search your library (YouTube MP3 for DJs).
How to get an MP3 with tags
- Paste a YouTube link, or type the song name, into the box at the top of this page.
- Choose 128, 192 or 320kbps and press Convert.
- Press Download. The tags and the cover are already inside the file.
The quality is set by the audio stream YouTube provides, not by the tags: see Is 320kbps from YouTube real?.
Honest limits
- The tags are a good guess from the video data, not an official music database. Check unusual uploads.
- No album, year or track number unless the source has them.
- Audio only, YouTube only, videos up to 180 minutes, playlists of up to 10 tracks.
Frequently asked questions
Does YT320MP3 add album art and tags to the MP3?
Yes. Every MP3 carries an artist, a title, a comment and a square cover picture (up to 600 pixels) made from the video thumbnail. The file is also named Artist - Title - (yt320mp3.com).mp3.
Why is the artist or title wrong on some songs?
YouTube videos have no real music tags, only a video title and a channel name. We clean decorations such as (Official Video) and split Artist - Title when the title has that form; when it does not, the channel name is used as the artist.
Are album, year and track number included?
Usually not. Most YouTube videos do not publish them. Songs from YouTube Music often carry more information. You can add the rest in a tag editor such as Mp3tag, Kid3 or MusicBrainz Picard, all free.
Will Plex, Jellyfin or my phone read these tags?
Yes. Players and media servers read the standard ID3 tags inside the file, so the artist, title and cover show up without extra setup. Add an album tag if you want songs grouped into albums.