How to extract audio from a video
- Choose a video. MP4, MOV, WebM and MKV all work. The file is read by your browser and never uploaded.
- Pick a format. M4A is small and plays everywhere. WAV is uncompressed, which some audio editors and transcription tools prefer.
- Press Extract audio. The video track is dropped, the sound is written to a new file, and it downloads straight away. You can play it on the page to check it.
M4A or WAV?
| M4A (AAC) | WAV | |
|---|---|---|
| Size for 10 minutes of stereo | About 10 to 20 MB | About 100 MB at 44.1 kHz, 110 MB at 48 kHz |
| Quality | Identical to the video’s audio when it was AAC already | Identical to the decoded audio, nothing lost on top |
| Speed | Seconds when copied, longer when re-encoded | Fast; it only decodes |
| Best for | Podcasts, sharing, phones, voice notes | Audacity, DAWs, editing and mastering |
Most MP4 and MOV files from phones, screen recorders and cameras already carry AAC audio. In that case the M4A option copies the audio track byte for byte, so there is no quality loss at all and even an hour-long video finishes in a few seconds. WebM files usually carry Opus audio, which has to be re-encoded to make an M4A; choose WAV if you’d rather avoid a second lossy encode.
Common uses
- Turning a recorded talk, webinar or interview into a podcast episode.
- Getting a clean audio file to send to a transcription service.
- Saving the voice-over from a screen recording so you can clean it up in an audio editor.
- Keeping a song or a voice memo you filmed on your phone.
If it doesn’t work
Encoding to AAC needs WebCodecs, which Chrome and Edge support on Mac and Windows, and recent Safari supports too. If your browser can’t encode, the WAV option still works because it only decodes. If a file won’t open at all, its audio codec may not be supported by your browser; ffmpeg handles almost anything: ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vn -c:a copy output.m4a copies AAC audio, and ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vn output.wav makes a WAV.
FAQ
How do I extract audio from a video online for free?
Choose the video above, pick M4A or WAV and press Extract audio. The file downloads straight away. There’s no sign-up, no watermark and no size limit beyond what your computer’s memory can hold.
Is my video uploaded to a server?
No. The page reads the file and writes the audio with your browser’s own media tools, so the video never leaves your computer.
How do I convert MP4 to M4A without losing quality?
Choose M4A. If the MP4’s audio is AAC, which it almost always is, the audio track is copied into the M4A unchanged, so there is no quality loss and nothing is re-encoded.
Can I extract audio from a video on iPhone or Android?
Yes, in a recent mobile browser: choose the video from your library and pick M4A. Large files can run out of memory on a phone; if that happens, use a computer.