How to extract audio from a video as MP3
Pull the sound out of a video file, and choose the right quality for it.
Sometimes only the sound matters: a recorded lecture you want to listen to on a walk, an interview filmed on a phone, a talk, a rehearsal or a voice message sent as a video. An audio file is a fraction of the size and plays on anything.
How it works
A video file is a container holding a video track and one or more audio tracks. Extracting the audio means reading that track and saving it as an audio file, usually MP3, which every player, phone and car stereo supports. The video to MP3 tool does this in your browser with a real FFmpeg engine, the same software used by most video tools, compiled to run locally. The engine is a one-time download of about 32 MB; after that it is cached.
Step by step
- Drop the video into the video to MP3 tool. MP4, MOV, WebM and most phone formats work.
- Choose a bitrate, which sets the quality and the file size.
- Convert and download the MP3.
Choosing the bitrate
| Bitrate | Good for | About per minute |
|---|---|---|
| 64 kbps | Speech, voice notes, lectures | 0.5 MB |
| 128 kbps | Podcasts, general listening | 1 MB |
| 192 kbps | Music you recorded | 1.4 MB |
| 320 kbps | Highest MP3 quality | 2.4 MB |
A higher bitrate cannot add quality that was not in the video. Phone videos usually record audio at around 128 to 256 kbps AAC, so 192 kbps captures all of it.
Other audio formats
MP3 is the safe default. If you need WAV for editing software, or M4A or OGG for a specific app, convert the MP3 or the original file with convert audio.
Large videos
The work happens on your own device, so long videos take a little while and very large files can be too much for a phone. On a laptop, an hour-long recording is usually fine.
Only extract what you have the right to
Extracting audio from your own recordings, lectures you are allowed to keep, or content with a licence that permits it is fine. Ripping copyrighted music or films you do not have rights to is not, whatever tool you use.
Why local processing matters here
Recordings of meetings, interviews and family events are private. Online converters upload the whole video to their server first. Extracting in the browser means the video never leaves your computer, and there is no upload wait for large files either.