How to Play Only Audio in YouTube: Simple Desktop Guide

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Switch to audio only YouTube using a web browser

Co-authored by Rain Kengly Reviewed by Stan Kats

Last Updated: April 28, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Playing YouTube Audio Only (Desktop)
|
• Using YouTube Music Mobile
|
• FAQ
|
• Video

|Show more |Show less

If you use YouTube Music in a web browser, you may want to hear only audio in YouTube without streaming video. While you can only use the audio-only mode in the mobile app version, you can still minimize the video for a more streamlined appearance. This wikiHow guide teaches you how to play audio only on YouTube Music on PC or Mac.

Quick Steps

1. Open YouTube Music in a web browser.
2. Open the video.
3. Click the down-arrow icon in the bottom-right.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

Playing YouTube Audio Only (Desktop)

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1. 
   1
   Open YouTube Music in a web browser. YouTube Music doesn't have an audio-only toggle in the web-based version like the mobile app, but you can minimize the video so it's out of sight.

   • If you prefer full audio-only mode, you'll need to use the mobile app.
   • You can use this method to listen to YouTube audio without video in any web browser on your Windows PC, Mac, or Chromebook.
2. 
   2
   Click the video you want to play in audio-only mode. This will open the video and start playing it in video mode.
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3. 
   3
   Click the white down-arrow icon on the bottom right

   

   . You can find this button next to the Repeat and Shuffle icons in the lower-right corner of the page. It will minimize the YouTube video to the mini-player in the lower-right corner of the page. Now you will be able to listen to the audio without having to watch the video.

   • The arrow icon on the bottom right will turn upwards when you minimize the video.
4. 
   4
   Expand the video again to return to video mode. Click the upwards arrowhead icon on the bottom-right. This will expand the video screen again and switch you back to video mode.
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Section 2 of 3:

Using YouTube Music Mobile

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1. 
   1
   Open the YouTube Music app on your Android, iPhone, or iPad. This is a separate app from the regular YouTube app. If you aren't already signed into your account, do so now.

   • If you subscribe to YouTube Music Premium or YouTube Premium, you can use this method to play music content on YouTube in audio-only mode.
   • Audio-only mode for podcasts is available to most listeners regardless of subscription status, depending on the content.
2. 
   2
   Tap your profile picture. This will open a menu.
3. 
   3
   Tap Settings. You can find this near the bottom of the menu.
4. 
   4
   Tap Playback & restrictions. On Android, this will look like Data saving instead.
5. 
   5
   Toggle on the "Don't play music videos" switch. This option is near the bottom. This turns off video playback so you can listen to music audio only.

   • Now, when you load music videos, you'll be in audio-only mode by default.
6. 
   6
   Toggle on the "Don't play podcast videos" switch. This option is near the bottom. This turns off podcast videos so you'll only hear the audio.

   • Audio-only mode will remain enabled until you turn it back off.
7. 
   7
   Switch between audio and video (optional). If you want to change back to video mode from audio-only, do the following:

   • Navigate to any music track or podcast video.
   • Tap Video to turn on video mode.
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Section 3 of 3:

Frequently Asked Questions

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1. 1
   Can I play audio only on the mobile app? You can turn on audio-only mode using the YouTube Music app only if you have YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium. To enable it, open the app and select a song (or podcast). Select Song at the top (or Audio for podcasts) to only hear the audio.

   • To switch back to video mode, just tap Video near the top.
   • If you want to have audio-only mode on by default, navigate to your settings and select Playback & Restrictions or Data saving. Then, toggle on Don't play music videos and Don't play podcast videos.
2. 2
   Does minimizing the video close it? When you minimize the video with the down-arrow, it won't close the video. The video will be hidden, and the audio will continue playing until you click the pause button. To close the video, you'll need to fully exit out of YouTube Music or navigate to a new video.
3. 3
   Do I need YouTube Premium to use audio-only? Audio-only mode is available for all users listening on the desktop website. Keep in mind that YouTube on the web only allows minimizing the video rather than a true audio-only feature.

   • On the mobile app, audio-only mode is available for most podcasts. For music content, you'll need a YouTube Music Premium or YouTube Premium subscription to use audio-only mode.
4. 4
   What is audio only mode? Audio-only mode lets you listen to podcasts or music content on YouTube without loading the entire video. This can be helpful if you have a spotty internet connection or are using cellular data to listen.

   • If you have YouTube Premium, you can download videos to watch or listen to later.
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