Does it lose quality to extract audio from video?

No. With Original selected the sound track is copied, not re-encoded, so the audio is identical to what the video had. Choosing MP3 re-encodes it, which costs a little quality.

What format is the extracted audio?

It follows the sound in the video: M4A for AAC (most MP4 and MOV files), OGG for Opus (most WebM), the same file type for MP3 and FLAC, and WAV for PCM.

Why do I get an M4A and not an MP3?

Most videos carry AAC sound, and M4A is its own file type, so it comes out untouched. If you need MP3, switch the output to MP3.

Can I extract only the commentary or one language?

Yes. When a video has several sound tracks, pick the one you want, or Every track to save each as its own file.

Can I extract 5.1 surround sound?

Yes. AC-3 5.1 tracks are copied out whole, all six channels, as an M4A. Browsers can’t play AC-3, so open it in a free media player or an editor.

Can I use a video link?

The converter works on videos saved on your device. Download the video first, from your camera roll or your own cloud storage, then add it here.

Is it free, and are my videos uploaded?

It’s free with no account, and nothing is uploaded: your browser does the work on your own device.

Does it work on an iPhone?

Yes. Open the page in Safari and choose the video from the Files app to give it the original file.

Is it legal to take the audio from a video?

Extracting sound from videos you recorded or have the rights to is fine. Copies of other people’s work are governed by copyright law: in the US, the owner holds the right to make copies (17 U.S.C. § 106) and fair use (§ 107) is decided case by case.

Extract Audio from Video, Original Quality

no sign-up, no file limit: Free
the sound is not re-encoded: Original quality
10-minute video, sound kept as it is: 0.3 s
commentary, a language or 5.1: Any track
to M4A, OGG, FLAC or WAV: MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM
128 to 320 kbps when you need it: Or MP3

How do you extract audio from a video?

To extract audio from video, open the converter with Original selected, add the video and download its sound track: an M4A for most MP4 and MOV videos, an OGG for WebM recordings. Nothing is re-encoded, so the audio is exactly what the video carried. Choose MP3 instead when the sound has to play on any device.

Extract audio from video in three steps

The same for one clip or a folder of them.

Add the video
Drop in MP4, MOV, MKV or WebM files. Each one lists its sound tracks with their codec, channels and language.
Pick the track and the output
Original keeps the sound as it is. MP3 or WAV re-encode it for older players or for editing.
Download the audio
The file takes the video’s name. From there it can go straight to the transcriber or the vocal remover.

Why extract the original sound

Untouched audio, the track you meant, and a file type that fits it.

A creator filming a short video outdoors

The sound exactly as it was recorded

Original copies the video’s audio out into an audio file without decoding it. Nothing is re-encoded, so not one detail changes, and a 10-minute video takes about 0.3 seconds against 7 for an MP3.

Choose the sound track

Game captures, films and some screen recordings carry several tracks: game sound and commentary, two languages, a surround mix. Pick one, or save every track as its own file.

The right file for each sound

AAC from phones and cameras goes into an M4A, Opus from browser recordings into an OGG; MP3 and FLAC stay as they are and PCM becomes WAV. The file follows the sound, so nothing needs converting.

Need an MP3? It’s right here

When a car stereo or an old player only takes MP3, switch the output and pick 128 to 320 kbps, with the size shown for your video before you start.

Your videos stay on your device

The sound is read and saved by your own browser. Interviews, lessons and family videos never leave your phone or computer, and a large file starts at once because nothing is uploaded.

Surround sound, kept whole

AC-3 5.1 tracks from films and camcorders can’t be decoded in a browser, but they can still be copied out as they are, all six channels, for a player or an editor that reads them.

Extract audio from video samples

Four videos made from this site’s own recordings and music, each with its sound taken out by this converter: compare the spectrum and the size.

Your videos stay yours

What happens to your files, point by point.

Extracted on your device
Your browser reads the video and writes the audio, on a phone or a computer.
Nothing leaves your device
The videos and the audio taken from them stay in your own folders.
No account needed
Extract as many soundtracks as you like without signing up.
Named after the video
Each audio file keeps its video’s name, so a folder of clips stays easy to sort.

Extract audio from video: a guide by device and format

Extracting versus converting

A video file holds a picture track and one or more sound tracks, each already compressed with a codec such as AAC or Opus. To get audio from video with no loss, the sound track is lifted out and put in an audio file of its own; nothing is decoded or compressed again.

Converting, by contrast, decodes the sound and encodes it as something else, usually MP3. That is the way to go when a device needs MP3, and the MP3 converter covers every format pair, but it costs a little quality and more time.

What the extracted file will be

The audio keeps its codec, so the file type depends on what the video recorded.

1AAC (phones, most cameras, MP4 and MOV): an M4A file.
2Opus (browser and some screen recordings, WebM): an OGG file.
3MP3 or FLAC: the same kind of file, as it was.
4PCM (cameras and ProRes exports): a WAV with every sample kept.
5AC-3 (films, some camcorders): an M4A that free media players and many editors open.

M4A plays on iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac. If something only accepts MP3, switch the output to MP3 before you start.

Extract audio from video on iPhone, Mac, Windows and Android

This page works the same in Safari, Chrome, Edge and Firefox. Each system also has its own route, with some limits.

1iPhone: the Shortcuts app’s Encode Media action with Audio Only saves an M4A.
2Mac: the built-in video player’s File, Export As, Audio Only, also as M4A.
3Windows: there is no built-in option, so use a browser or a free media player.
4Android: many video editor apps can extract audio inside a project.

Picking the right sound track

OBS can record the game and your microphone on separate tracks, films often carry two languages plus a surround mix. When a video has more than one, the converter lists each with its codec, channels, language and name.

Choose the one you want, or Every track to get each as its own file, which is the quickest way to get sound from a video when you aren’t sure which track is which.

On the command line

The command that copies a sound track without re-encoding it is ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vn -c:a copy output.m4a. Here -vn leaves out the picture and -c:a copy keeps the audio exactly as it is.

For a second track, add -map 0:a:1. The output’s extension has to match the codec: m4a for AAC, ogg for Opus, mka for anything else.

When there’s no sound to extract

A few videos need another route. The converter says which case it is.

1No sound track: some screen recordings and exported clips carry pictures only.
2Copy protection: films bought in stores play only in their own app.
3AVI, WMV and FLV: save them as MP4 first, for example with a free media player.