How to Download a Track From SoundCloud: What Actually Works
You can download a track from SoundCloud only if the artist who uploaded it switched downloads on. If they did, a Download button sits under the track's waveform on the web version of SoundCloud, and clicking it saves the file straight to your device. If they did not, there is no official way to get that track as a file — the only offline option is a SoundCloud Go+ subscription, which stores an encrypted copy inside the app rather than giving you an MP3.
That narrower answer matters, because most frustration with SoundCloud downloads comes from expecting every track to be downloadable. Artists decide track by track, and many leave downloads off to protect sales or streams. The tracks that do allow it are usually free releases, remixes, DJ mixes and Creative Commons material — which is exactly the content you are allowed to keep and reuse, subject to the licence the artist chose.
Where is the Download button on a SoundCloud track?
The Download button lives under the track's waveform, in the same row as Like, Repost and Share, on the web version of SoundCloud. If you do not see it in that row, open the three-dot More menu in the same row — on smaller screens the button often hides there as a "Download file" entry.
The button only exists when the uploader enabled downloads for that specific track. There is no setting on your side that makes it appear. If neither the button row nor the More menu shows any download option, the artist has not allowed it and no official download exists for that track.
In the SoundCloud mobile app, the picture is different: free downloads generally do not appear in the app at all. To use the Download button from a phone, open the track in your phone's browser, request the desktop site from the browser menu if the page looks stripped down, and use the button there. The file then lands in your browser's normal download folder.
| Where you open the track | Download button available? | Where the file goes |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop browser | Yes, under the waveform or in the More menu | Your browser's Downloads folder |
| Phone browser (mobile or desktop view) | Yes, often hidden under the three-dot More menu | Your browser's download folder, usually Internal storage > Download |
| SoundCloud mobile app (free account) | No free download option shown | — |
| SoundCloud mobile app (Go+ subscription) | In-app offline save only, not a file | Locked inside the app |
What is the difference between the Download button, a Buy link and Go+ offline?
These are three different things that all look like "getting the track": the Download button gives you a file to keep, a Buy or free-download link sends you off SoundCloud to the artist's own page, and Go+ offline saves an encrypted copy that only plays inside the SoundCloud app while your subscription is active.
Artists can rename the Buy link to anything, so it often reads "Free download" and points to a page on a service the artist uses to trade downloads for a follow or an email address. That link leaving SoundCloud is normal — it is the artist's chosen distribution method, and the download you get at the other end is legitimate because the artist put it there.
Go+ offline listening is a subscription feature, not a download. The app stores the tracks in a protected cache tied to your account. You can play them with no connection, but you cannot copy them out, rename them or play them in another player, and they stop working if the subscription lapses.
| Option | What you actually get | Plays in other apps? | Survives without a subscription? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Download button (artist-enabled) | The audio file the artist uploaded | Yes | Yes, it is a normal file you own a copy of |
| Buy / free-download link | A file from the artist's external page | Yes | Yes |
| Go+ offline listening | Encrypted in-app cache | No, SoundCloud app only | No, it stops when the subscription ends |
If a track matters to you long-term, a real file beats an offline cache — a cached track disappears the day the subscription or the app does.
How do you download a SoundCloud track step by step?
Open the track's own page (not just your feed, where the download option is hidden) and use the Download button or the More menu under the waveform. The steps below work on both a computer and a phone browser.
On a phone, the saved file usually sits in Internal storage > Download and shows up in any music player that scans your storage. If your player does not see it, open your file manager, find the file in Download, and move it into your Music folder — some players only scan that folder.
If you would rather search across sources that are free to download in one place, the Music FM search tool finds artist-released and Creative Commons tracks and converts them to MP3 without installing anything.
- Open the track's page on soundcloud in a browser, not the app.
- Look under the waveform for a Download button. If it is not there, tap the three-dot More menu and look for "Download file".
- Tap it. On a phone, confirm the download when the browser asks.
- Open your file manager and check the Download folder for the new file.
- If the artist only offers a Buy or "Free download" link instead, tap it and follow the artist's external page — that link is the download they chose to offer.
What file format and quality do SoundCloud downloads come in?
A SoundCloud download gives you the file the artist originally uploaded, in whatever format and quality they chose — there is no single SoundCloud download format. One track may arrive as a high-quality WAV, the next as a 128 kbps MP3, because each uploader decided separately what to upload.
This also means the download can be better than the stream. SoundCloud compresses everything it streams, but the download button bypasses that and hands you the source file. If the artist uploaded a WAV or FLAC, you get the full-quality master.
The catch is size. A WAV of a four-minute track takes roughly ten times the storage of the same track as a 128 kbps MP3, which matters on a phone with limited space or a slow connection. If storage is tight, you can convert the file to MP3 after downloading — you lose nothing you could hear in a car or on earbuds at 192 kbps or above.
| Format an artist might upload | Approximate size of a 4-minute track | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
| MP3 at 128 kbps | About 4 MB | Small and universal, fine for most phones |
| MP3 at 320 kbps | About 10 MB | Near-transparent quality, still compact |
| FLAC (lossless) | Roughly 20–30 MB | Full quality at about half the WAV size |
| WAV (uncompressed) | Roughly 40 MB | Studio master size, heavy on metered data |
Why does a downloaded SoundCloud file show as Unknown Artist?
A downloaded SoundCloud file often shows as Unknown Artist because SoundCloud hands you the raw file the uploader gave it, and many uploaders never filled in the file's ID3 tags — the metadata fields inside an MP3 that store title, artist and album art. Your music player reads those tags, not the SoundCloud page title, so an untagged file arrives looking anonymous.
The fix takes a minute per track. On Android, apps like automatic tag editors can match the file against online databases and fill in title, artist and cover art in one tap. On a computer, free tag editors let you type the fields in yourself — copy the exact track title and artist name from the SoundCloud page so your library stays consistent.
Two habits save you from repeating this work: rename the file to "Artist - Title.mp3" the moment it downloads, and drop it into your Music folder instead of leaving it in Download, where it gets mixed with PDFs and app installers. If a downloaded track also has a long silent intro or a DJ shoutout you want gone, the MP3 cutter trims it in the browser without installing anything.
What about third-party SoundCloud downloader sites?
Third-party SoundCloud downloader sites pull the stream of any track — including tracks the artist deliberately left undownloadable — and converting a stream to a file that way goes against SoundCloud's terms and, depending on your country and the track's licence, may infringe the artist's copyright. The Download button and the artist's own links exist precisely to show which tracks the rights holder has agreed to share.
The safe line is simple: if the artist enabled downloads or posted a free-download link, save the track freely. If they did not, the track is stream-only by the rights holder's choice, and the legal answer to grabbing it anyway depends on your country's copyright law and the track's licence — neither of which a downloader site checks for you.
There is also a practical risk beyond legality. Stream-ripping sites are a common source of mislabelled files, padded silence, and aggressive pop-up ads that are costly on metered mobile data. A track saved through the official button or the artist's own link arrives faster and cleaner. If you are unsure what the rules are where you live, the FAQ covers the basics of what downloading is and is not allowed to do.
Frequently asked questions
Can I download every song on SoundCloud as an MP3?
No. Only tracks whose uploader switched on the download option can be saved as files, and that is the artist's choice per track. Many commercial tracks on SoundCloud are stream-only by design. Everything else can only be saved for offline play inside the app with a Go+ subscription, which does not produce an MP3.
Do SoundCloud Go+ downloads play after my subscription ends?
No. Go+ offline tracks are stored as an encrypted cache inside the SoundCloud app, tied to your active subscription. When the subscription lapses, the app removes or locks the offline tracks. They were never normal audio files, so there is nothing to copy out beforehand.
Why does SoundCloud send me to another website when I tap Free download?
Because the artist set it up that way. SoundCloud lets uploaders attach an external Buy link to a track, and artists often rename it to "Free download" and point it at their own page or a download-gate service. Leaving SoundCloud through that link is the official route the artist chose for sharing the file.
Can I use a downloaded SoundCloud track in my own video or podcast?
Only if the track's licence allows it. Many downloadable SoundCloud tracks are released under Creative Commons, but each CC variant has different rules — some require credit, some forbid commercial use or edits. Check the licence shown on the track page before reusing anything, and when in doubt, ask the artist.
The download button is missing on my phone. Is it broken?
Usually not — the SoundCloud mobile app simply does not show free downloads. Open the same track in your phone's browser instead, switch to desktop site view from the browser menu if needed, and look under the waveform or in the three-dot More menu. If no download option appears there either, the artist has disabled downloads for that track.