Video editing is ideal for those who love to share lovely memories. Find iMovie, a professional tool that lets you edit Apple devices and add other sound effects of choice. More so, you can add background music to spice up the moments for a stunning ending. We cover how to put music on iMovie from YouTube on your Apple device despite owning a free or Premium YouTube account. More so, you can adjust the volume and add transitions to your video as illustrated in the next sessions.
Part 1. Can You Add Music from YouTube to iMovie?
No. Because iMovie only works on Apple OS devices, including macOS, iOS, and iPadOS, it operates under strict copyright rules and lacks official integration with streaming platforms like YouTube Music.
The main roadblock is DRM encryption. iMovie is designed to accept only DRM-free local files or purchased iTunes tracks. Since YouTube audio streams are heavily protected against unauthorized sharing, you cannot simply drag and drop them into your video project. To bridge this gap, you will need a reliable third-party tool to help you convert YouTube audio into a compatible, DRM-free format that iMovie easily recognizes. Before converting your tracks, make sure you choose one of the exact file types your timeline supports:
- iMovie Supported Audio Formats: MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC, and AIFF.
- iMovie Supported Video Formats: MP4, MOV, AVCHD, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and H.264.
Part 2. How to Add YouTube Music to iMovie on Mac
For a stable and permanent way to add music from YouTube to iMovie, upgrading to dedicated desktop software is a highly reliable choice. DRmare Streaming Audio Recorder is a premium tool designed to make this process incredibly smooth for Mac users. Unlike basic web tools that require you to constantly copy and paste URLs, DRmare features a built-in web player that lets you directly access streaming media and bypass heavy encryption.
DRmare can easily batch-convert your favorite tracks into M4A formats that are compatible with iMovie, preserving the original audio quality and essential ID3 tags. It also acts as a versatile offline library builder, supporting downloads from other major streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
How to Convert YouTube Music for iMovie on Mac
Step 1. Open the DRmare application on your Mac and head to the menu in the top-right corner. Select "Preferences" and then click on the "Conversion" tab from menu to choose your output format, ensuring the file will be perfectly compatible with iMovie.
Step 2. Click on the YouTube Music icon directly within the software's interface to open the integrated web player. Log in to safely browse for the exact playlist, album, or track you need, and simply click "Add" > "Add to List" to queue your music for batch processing.
Step 3. Hit the "Convert" button to start the high-speed download at up to 30X speed. The software will automatically filter out any advertisements during the process, leaving you with pristine, beautifully organized audio files in your "Converted" history tab, ready to be dragged into your iMovie timeline.
How to Add YouTube Audio for iMovie on Mac
Now that you have successfully downloaded your favorite tracks from YouTube Music. Your audio files are now DRM-free, meaning Apple's software will treat them just like any other local media on your hard drive. Here is exactly how to drop your newly downloaded YouTube audio straight into your iMovie editing timeline on Mac.
Step 1. Open iMovie on your Mac and open the iMovie project in the timeline.
Step 2. Click on "Audio" at the top of the browser to access the audio options, including Music, Sound Effects, or Jingles in the sidebar on the left.
Step 3. Click the "Music" section to locate YouTube Music folder and drag it from the media browser to the timeline. And then, you can use it as the BGM for your video.
Part 3. How to Put Music on iMovie from YouTube on iPad/iPhone
If you prefer editing on the go, you can certainly add music from YouTube to iMovie directly on your mobile device. While you can always transfer desktop downloads to your iOS or iPadOS devices using iTunes, it is often faster to handle the extraction right from your screen. Here are two practical, app-free ways to get the audio you need.
Method 1. Download YouTube Music via Online Downloader
For a quick online solution, Y2mate is a free online YouTube video and audio downloader. It allows you to extract media from YouTube through your mobile browser. Because it supports output formats like MP3 ( up to 320 kbps) and MP4, it is incredibly easy to generate a file that iMovie will recognize immediately.
Step 1. Open the YouTube app or website on your device to find the specific music video you want. And copy the video's URL from the sharing options or address bar.
Step 2. Open Safari or Chrome, navigate to the Y2mate website, and paste the copied link into the main input box.
Step 3. Choose your preferred output format from the list provided. It is highly recommended to select MP3 to ensure flawless compatibility with your Apple devices.
Step 4. Tap the "Download" button to initiate the conversion process. Once Y2mate generates the final link, tap it to save the audio file directly into your device's native Files app, where it is ready to be imported into your editing timeline.
Method 2. Extract Audio from YouTube via Screen Recording
If you only need a short snippet of a song and want to avoid third-party websites entirely, utilizing your device's built-in features is an incredibly clever workaround. Screen recording captures whatever media is actively playing on your display. You can then use iMovie's own editing tools to strip away the video, leaving you with just the background audio track.
Step 1. Swipe to open your iPhone or iPad Control Center and tap the "Screen Recording" icon to begin capturing.
Step 2. Switch over to the YouTube app and play the target music video. Stop the recording once you have captured the desired segment.
Step 3. Open your iMovie mobile project, tap the "+" icon to add media, and import the video you just recorded.
Step 4. Tap on the imported video clip within your timeline and select the "Detach" function. This turns the music into an independent track, allowing you to delete the screen recording footage while keeping the audio intact.
How to Add Music from YouTube to iMovie on iPad and iPhone
Editing videos on the go is incredibly convenient, and the mobile version of iMovie handles local audio files seamlessly. Since your YouTube Music tracks are now safely stored on your iOS devic. Here is how to quickly import those downloaded tracks into your iMovie with your iPhone or iPad.
Step 1. First, launch your project in iMovie, then tap on the "Add Media" button.
Step 2. Click on the "Audio" option then tap on the "My Music" option to browse YouTube Music you've downloaded to your iPhone and iPad devices.
Step 3. Next, choose a YouTube song to add as background music in iMovie.
Step 4. Click on the "Plus" tab to add YouTube Music to iMovie's project.
Part 4. How to Use Music from YouTube on iMovie
Once you have successfully imported your downloaded YouTube Music into the timeline, iMovie treats it just like any other native media file. This means you have full creative control to fine-tune your favorite YouTube Music songs so they perfectly match the pacing and mood of your video project. You can easily trim the duration, tweak audio levels, and layer additional sound design elements.
Adjust the Volume of Your YouTube Music
To adjust the audio levels, simply click or tap the YouTube Music clip within your timeline to highlight it. Select the "Volume" icon, and then drag the slider to increase or decrease the loudness. You also have a quick toggle option to completely mute the track if you only need the visual elements of your project for a moment.
Trim and Adjust YouTube Music Track Length
Very rarely will a saved track from YouTube Music perfectly match the exact length of your video right out of the box. To adjust the length of your YouTube Music clip, grab either the beginning or the end edge of the audio track in the timeline and drag it inward. As you drag, you will see the precise duration of the clip update in real-time, allowing for accurate, frame-by-frame trimming.
Layer Sound Effects Over Your YouTube Music Download
You can easily elevate your newly imported YouTube Music download by layering it with iMovie's extensive, built-in sound effects library. The navigation differs slightly depending on the device you are using:
- On Mac: Click the "Audio" tab at the very top of the media browser, then select "Sound Effects" from the sidebar to browse the collection.
- On iPhone/iPad: Tap the "+" (Add Media) button on your timeline screen, select "Audio," and then tap "Sound Effects" to explore the available options.
Part 5. Wrapping Up
YouTube Music is one of the best music sources that you can use to spice up your video. We have shown you how to put music on iMovie from YouTube with the best tools, DRmare Audio Capture and Y2mate. Both of them support several outputs and will deliver high-end music that preserves all ID3 tags of the original tracks. With their assistance of them, you can then edit YouTube Music in iMovie as needed.
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