How to extract audio from a video
Sometimes you only need the sound: a podcast recorded on camera, a song from a performance video, a voice note for transcription, or audio to edit in another app. This tool saves the soundtrack of any video as an M4A or WAV file, the whole thing or just part of it, in your browser. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is re-recorded.
- 1
Add your video
Drop in an MP4, MOV or WebM video up to 10 minutes long. Sound files work too, if you just want to cut or convert them.
- 2
Choose M4A or WAV
M4A is small and plays everywhere. WAV is uncompressed, the best choice for editing or transcription software. The tool shows how big a WAV will be.
- 3
Optional: only part of it
Tick “Only part of it” and set the start and end, using the video’s current time if you like, to save just a song, a quote or a chapter.
- 4
Extract and download
The audio file is ready in a moment and downloads straight to your device. You can play it on the result card first.
M4A or WAV?
- M4A is the same AAC audio most phones and video apps record, in a file every phone, computer and music app can play. When your video’s sound is already AAC (true of most phone videos), the tool copies it exactly, with no loss in quality and in a fraction of a second.
- WAV is uncompressed, so it is several times bigger, but every audio editor and transcription service accepts it without converting. A minute of stereo WAV at 48 kHz is about 11 MB.
We don’t offer MP3 yet: the free MP3 encoders that run in browsers come with license terms we’ve chosen not to take on. M4A plays everywhere MP3 does, including iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac.
Uses creators love
- Turn a video podcast into an audio episode for Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
- Pull a voiceover out of a screen recording to re-edit it.
- Save a song or a speech from your own performance or event video.
- Make subtitles: open the audio in the SRT Generator straight from the result.
- Tighten it: open the audio in the Silence Remover to cut the pauses.
Only extract audio you have the right to use: your own recordings, or content licensed to you.
Need a silent video instead?
If you want the opposite, keeping the picture and dropping the sound, use Mute Video. It removes the soundtrack without touching the picture quality.
Firefox can’t create AAC audio, so if your video’s sound isn’t already AAC, choose WAV there, or use Chrome, Edge or Safari for M4A. The tool tells you if this happens.
What you get, exactly
The audio keeps its original sample rate (usually 44.1 or 48 kHz) and channels, so stereo stays stereo. If a video has more than one sound track, for example a second language or a commentary track, the main track is the one that’s saved.
M4A files keep the length you chose to the nearest fraction of a second. WAV files are 16-bit, the standard for editing software and transcription services. If you only need a quick listen, the result card has a player, so you can check the audio before you download it.
Private by design
The audio is pulled out by your own browser, so recordings of meetings, lectures or family events stay on your device. Our guide to cleaning up podcast recordings shows what to do next.
Frequently asked questions
Can I convert a video to MP3?
Not yet. We save M4A instead, because the browser MP3 encoders available to us come with license terms we’ve chosen not to take on. M4A plays in the same places MP3 does.
Does extracting audio reduce quality?
Not when your video’s sound is already AAC, which is true for most phone videos: it is copied exactly. Other sound is converted to high-quality AAC, or saved losslessly as WAV.
Can I extract only part of the audio?
Yes. Tick “Only part of it” and set the start and end before extracting.
Which is better for transcription, M4A or WAV?
Both work with most services. WAV is the safest choice for older or picky software because it needs no decoding.
Is my video uploaded?
No. The audio is extracted in your browser and saved straight to your device.
Why doesn’t M4A work in my browser?
Firefox can’t create AAC audio. If your video’s sound isn’t already AAC, choose WAV in Firefox, or use Chrome, Edge or Safari.