YouTube Audio Library: Free Music & SFX for Creators

YouTube Audio Library

The YouTube Audio Library is a free, built-in collection of royalty-free production music and sound effects inside YouTube Studio. Creators can browse, preview, and download tracks to use in their videos without paying a license fee — and, in almost all cases, without risking a music-related copyright claim or copyright strike.

It's one of the simplest tools available for adding professional-sounding background music, transitions, and sound effects to a video, which is why it's a standard stop for new creators building out their YouTube monetization and policies knowledge before their first upload.

Where to find the YouTube Audio Library

You can reach the Audio Library two ways:

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio and select Audio Library from the left-hand menu.
2. Go directly to youtube.com/audiolibrary.

Both paths lead to the same place — the Audio Library isn't a separate product, it's a feature of Studio.

What's inside: Music vs. Sound Effects

The library is split into two tabs:

• Music — thousands of production tracks across genres like cinematic, pop, hip-hop, electronic, ambient, and more. New releases are added twice a month, according to YouTube's own documentation, so the catalog is a moving target rather than a fixed number.
• Sound Effects — a separate catalog of short audio clips (impacts, ambiences, foley, transitions, crowd noise, etc.) for editing polish.

You can filter and sort music by track title, genre, mood, artist name, attribution requirement, and duration. Sound effects can be filtered by category and duration. You can also star tracks to save them to a Favorites list for later.

Note: You may see specific track counts (like "150 tracks" or "1,600 tracks") quoted elsewhere online. YouTube doesn't publish a current running total, and the numbers you'll find online vary widely and go stale quickly — treat any specific figure as a rough snapshot, not a fact to rely on.

Licensing: attribution required vs. not required

Every track and sound effect carries one of two license types, shown in the License type column:

License type	Attribution required?	What you must do	Typical marking
YouTube Audio Library License	No	Just download and use — no credit needed in your description	Listed simply as "YouTube Audio Library License"
Creative Commons – Attribution (CC BY 4.0)	Yes	Credit the artist and link the track in your video's description	Marked with a Creative Commons icon in the License type column

To find the exact attribution text for a CC BY track, click the Creative Commons icon next to it, then click Copy in the pop-up and paste that text into your video description. If you'd rather avoid attribution altogether, use the Attribution not required filter to see only tracks that don't need it.

One detail worth knowing: if your video uses any Audio Library music, YouTube automatically displays a "Music in this Video" panel on the watch page. That panel is informational only — it does not replace the in-description attribution text required for CC BY tracks. You still need both.

How to download and use a track (step by step)

1. Open YouTube Studio and click Audio Library in the left menu.
2. Choose the Music or Sound effects tab.
3. Use the search bar or filters (genre, mood, artist, duration, attribution) to narrow your results.
4. Click the Play icon to preview a track before committing to it.
5. Hover over the track and click Download to save it as an MP3.
6. If the track requires attribution, click the Creative Commons icon in the License type column, copy the attribution text, and paste it into your video description.
7. Import the downloaded file into your video editor, sync it to your footage, and export as normal.

Does Audio Library music avoid copyright claims? What YouTube actually says

YouTube's own guidance states it plainly: "Copyright-safe music and sound effects downloaded from the Audio Library won't be claimed by a rights holder through the Content ID system." If you're in the YouTube Partner Program, you can monetize videos that use Audio Library music and sound effects and count that ad revenue normally.

That said, it's worth reading YouTube's own fine print rather than the flattened "100% safe, no exceptions" version that circulates in a lot of creator content:

• This guarantee applies specifically to files downloaded from the Audio Library itself — not to similar-sounding "royalty-free" tracks from other channels or third-party libraries. YouTube is explicit that it can't vouch for those.
• In practice, some creators do occasionally see a Content ID claim land on a video using a legitimate Audio Library track — typically because a third-party rights-management service has separately registered the same or a similar recording in Content ID's database, independent of YouTube's own licensing. This isn't a strike, and it's disputable: go to the Copyright section of Studio, dispute the claim, and cite the Audio Library license as proof of usage rights. These disputes are generally resolved quickly.
• YouTube also states it "can't give legal guidance" on music issues, especially ones that occur off the platform, and recommends consulting a lawyer if you have specific legal concerns.

Can you use YouTube Audio Library tracks outside of YouTube?

This is one of the most commonly asked — and least consistently answered — questions about the library. Here's what's actually verifiable:

• Content ID protection is YouTube-only. The "won't be claimed" guarantee is a YouTube Content ID guarantee. If you reuse a track in a podcast, a TikTok, or an Instagram Reel, that protection doesn't travel with the file — those platforms have their own rights-detection systems, and Content ID has no jurisdiction there.
• CC BY tracks carry a standard Creative Commons Attribution license, which by design is usable well beyond YouTube as long as you credit the artist per the license terms.
• Standard "YouTube Audio Library License" tracks: YouTube's current Help Center documentation focuses specifically on in-YouTube-video use and doesn't explicitly state a blanket policy for use outside YouTube. If you plan to reuse a track in a non-YouTube context (a client video, a paid podcast, a TikTok), check that specific track's license details in Studio and don't assume a rule that YouTube hasn't actually published.

YouTube Audio Library vs. Creator Music

These two are easy to mix up because they live in the same part of Studio:

• Audio Library — always free, no revenue share, no licensing fee. Covers original production music and sound effects made available specifically through this program.
• Creator Music — a separate, newer Studio feature that lets creators license popular commercial songs, either through a revenue-share arrangement or a flat fee, for use in monetized videos.

This entry covers the Audio Library specifically.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Skipping attribution on CC BY tracks. It doesn't trigger a strike by itself, but it can prompt a rights-holder claim or dispute later — it takes seconds to add, so don't skip it.
• Downloading via third-party tools instead of the official Download button. Re-uploaded or scraped copies can behave differently in Content ID than files sourced directly from the library.
• Assuming a track is permanently available. The catalog changes regularly (new releases twice a month, per YouTube), so a track you used previously may not exist in your account's download history — keep your own backup copy of anything you rely on.
• Using an extremely popular track and expecting it to make your video stand out. Because the library is free and widely used, the most-downloaded tracks show up across thousands of channels.

FAQ

Is the YouTube Audio Library completely free?

Yes. There's no subscription, download limit, or licensing fee for any track in the Audio Library, regardless of whether it requires attribution.

Do I have to credit every track I use from the Audio Library?

No — only tracks licensed under Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0). Tracks marked "YouTube Audio Library License" don't require any credit. Use the "Attribution not required" filter if you want to skip this step entirely.

Can Audio Library music still get my video claimed?

YouTube states that copyright-safe tracks downloaded directly from the Audio Library won't be claimed by a rights holder through Content ID. In rare cases, a third-party rights-management service can still trigger a claim due to database overlaps outside YouTube's control; if that happens, dispute it in Studio's Copyright section using the Audio Library's license as your proof.

What's the difference between the Audio Library and Creator Music?

The Audio Library is YouTube's free, no-revenue-share catalog of production music and sound effects. Creator Music is a separate, newer feature for licensing popular commercial songs via revenue share or a flat fee. They're accessed from different parts of Studio and operate under different rules.