The short answer
Drop the video on the tool below. MP3 is selected as the Output format, which is the safest choice for playing anywhere. If you want the exact original sound, choose M4A instead; for editing, choose WAV. The audio is extracted right away and each file gets a Download button, or use Download all as ZIP for several videos.
When you pick M4A and the video's sound is AAC, which is the case for almost every MP4 and MOV from phones and cameras, the tool shows Copied without re-encoding, no quality loss. That takes about a second even for a two hour recording.
Try it here: MP4 to MP3
Open the full tool pageHow extracting audio works
A video file is a container with separate tracks: usually one video track and one audio track. Extracting audio means writing only the audio track into a new file and leaving the picture out.
If the target format can hold the audio as it is, the track is copied unchanged. M4A uses the same container family as MP4, so the AAC audio of an MP4 or MOV moves over without being touched. MP3, WAV and OGG use different codecs, so the sound is decoded and encoded again. For MP3 and OGG this is a second lossy compression, but at 192 kbit/s the difference is not audible for nearly all listeners.
Which format to choose
MP3 is the format that every device understands: car stereos, Bluetooth speakers, old phones, smart TVs and voice message apps. M4A gives the original quality in a small file and plays on iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac. WAV is uncompressed, about ten times larger, and the standard input for audio editors and many transcription services. OGG with the Opus codec is efficient and plays in browsers and Android, but some players and car systems do not support it.
| Format | What the tool writes | Size per minute (stereo) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| MP3 | MP3 at 192 kbit/s | about 1.4 MB | Playing anywhere, sharing |
| M4A | Original AAC copied, or AAC at 192 kbit/s | same as the source, often 1 to 2 MB | Best quality at small size |
| WAV | 16 bit PCM at the original sample rate | about 10 to 11.5 MB | Editing, transcription, archiving |
| OGG | Opus at 192 kbit/s | about 1.4 MB | Web use, Android |
Bitrate and quality, explained
Bitrate is how much data is used per second of sound. For MP3, 128 kbit/s is acceptable for speech and casual listening, 192 kbit/s sounds the same as the source for almost everyone, and 320 kbit/s is the format's maximum. The tool uses 192 kbit/s for MP3 and OGG, a level that works for music as well as speech.
A higher bitrate cannot add quality that is not in the source. Most phone videos store their sound as AAC at a moderate bitrate, so converting it to a 320 kbit/s MP3 would only make the file bigger. If you want the best possible result, choose M4A, which keeps the original bits.
WAV keeps the sample rate of the video, usually 48 kHz, and writes 16 bit samples. MP3 supports sample rates up to 48 kHz and at most two channels, so surround audio is reduced to stereo.
Lectures, music and voice notes
- Lectures, webinars and meetings: MP3 or M4A. A one hour lecture is about 86 MB as MP3 at 192 kbit/s, fine for a phone. For a transcription service, WAV or M4A avoids an extra lossy step.
- Music from your own videos, such as a concert you filmed: M4A for the original quality, MP3 if it has to play on an older device.
- Voice notes and interviews: M4A or MP3 for sharing, WAV if you plan to clean up noise in an audio editor.
- Podcasts recorded as video calls: WAV for editing, then export the finished episode as MP3.
- Only part of the video: trim the video first with fast trimming, which is lossless, then extract the audio from the shorter clip.
Other ways to do it
On a Mac, QuickTime Player can save the sound of a video with File > Export As > Audio Only, which produces an M4A. On Windows, VLC can do it through Media > Convert / Save with an audio profile such as MP3. If you use the command line, ffmpeg copies the audio without re-encoding with the options -vn -c:a copy and an .m4a output name.
The browser tool is handy when you do not want to install anything, need several files converted at once, or work on a phone: it runs in current Safari and Chrome on iPhone and Android, and the result is saved to your files.
A note on copyright
Extracting audio from your own recordings, from videos you have the rights to, or from material under a license that allows it is fine. Music, films and broadcasts are usually protected by copyright, and copying or sharing their sound can be illegal even if the video is on your device. The rules differ between countries, so when in doubt, use only content you made yourself or have permission to use. This tool works only with files already on your device and does not download anything from streaming sites.