How to extract audio from a video
- Drop a video file into the box. The audio track is decoded in your browser.
- Check the waveform, duration, channels and sample rate, and listen with the player.
- Choose MP3 and a bitrate (128, 192, 256 or 320 kbps), or WAV for lossless audio.
- Click Extract & download and save the audio file.
What you can do with Extract Audio from Video
- MP3 or WAV
- Save a compact MP3 for listening and sharing, or an uncompressed WAV for editing in an audio app or DAW.
- Bitrate choice
- Pick 128, 192, 256 or 320 kbps MP3. 192 kbps is the default and sounds transparent for most speech and music.
- Waveform and stats
- See the audio's waveform plus its duration, mono or stereo channels and sample rate before you export.
- Common video formats
- Works with MP4, WebM, MOV and MKV files whose audio codec your browser supports, such as AAC, Opus, Vorbis or MP3.
- Fully local
- Decoding and MP3 encoding both run in your browser, so even large private videos stay on your device.
MP3 vs WAV and choosing a bitrate for extracted audio
Most videos carry their sound as a separate compressed audio track: AAC inside MP4 and MOV, Opus or Vorbis inside WebM. Extracting it means decoding that track to raw audio and saving it in a format audio players understand. MP3 is the most compatible choice for phones, car stereos and podcast apps. WAV keeps the decoded audio exactly as it is, which is best for editing, transcription software or further processing, but it takes about 10 MB per minute in stereo, compared with about 1.4 MB per minute for a 192 kbps MP3.
Converting to MP3 can't improve quality beyond the source. A typical phone or YouTube-style video has AAC audio around 128 to 256 kbps, so 192 or 256 kbps MP3 preserves essentially everything; 320 kbps only makes sense for high-quality sources. The tool exports the whole audio track. To keep only part of it, save the MP3 or WAV and open it in the Audio Cutter. Very large files, hundreds of megabytes or more, need a lot of memory to decode, so a desktop browser is more reliable for long recordings.
Frequently asked questions
Is my video uploaded to extract the audio?
No. The audio track is decoded with the Web Audio API and encoded to MP3 or WAV by JavaScript on your device. The video never leaves your computer or phone, which makes it safe for interviews, meetings and other private recordings.
How do I convert MP4 to MP3?
Drop the MP4 into the box, wait a moment for the waveform to appear, keep Format set to MP3, choose a bitrate such as 192 kbps, and click Extract & download. The MP3 is saved with the same name as the video.
Why does it say it couldn't read an audio track?
Either the video has no sound, or its audio uses a codec your browser can't decode. This is common with some MKV and AVI files that use AC-3 or DTS surround audio. Try Chrome, or convert the video to a standard MP4 with AAC audio first.
Which bitrate should I choose?
Use 128 kbps for speech, lectures and podcasts, 192 kbps for general music, and 256 or 320 kbps if the source is high quality and you want the closest match. Choose WAV if you plan to edit the audio, since re-encoding MP3 loses a little quality each time.
Can I extract only part of the audio?
This tool always exports the full track. Save it as MP3 or WAV, then open the file in the Audio Cutter to keep just the section you need. Alternatively, trim the video first with the Video Trimmer and extract audio from the shorter clip.