Free tool
Extract audio from video
Drop a video to extract audio from video files right in your browser: MP4, MOV, WebM or MKV in, and an MP3, M4A or WAV file out, with nothing uploaded.
- Free
- Works on phones
- Nothing is uploaded
Save as
MP3 quality
Plays everywhere. The sound is re-encoded at the quality you pick.
Drop your video here, or Choose your video
Any audio or video file, up to 1 GB and 2 hours. It’s converted in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
MP3 encoding by LAME, open-source software.
Pulling out the sound to get a transcript? NoteOwl turns recordings into transcripts with speaker names and notes, unlimited and privately on your Mac. Dictation into any app is free.
How it works
How do you extract audio from a video?
Choose the format first: MP3 to play anywhere, M4A to keep the video’s own sound untouched, or WAV to edit. Then drop the video on the page. Your browser reads the sound track and writes the audio file; the picture is never decoded.
- 1
Choose MP3, M4A or WAV
MP3 plays everywhere. M4A copies an MP4 or MOV video’s AAC sound with no re-encoding. WAV is uncompressed, for editing.
- 2
Drop the video
MP4, MOV, M4V, WebM and MKV all work, up to 1 GB and 2 hours. On a phone, pick it from your photos or files.
- 3
Save the audio
Play it back, then download it. The audio file takes the video’s name, and the video isn’t changed.
Which format should you save the audio as?
MP3 if you just want to listen or share it, M4A to keep an MP4 or MOV video’s sound exactly as it was recorded, and WAV if you’re going to edit it. All three turn video to audio in your browser.
- MP3
- Best forSharing, podcasts and any player
- SoundRe-encoded at 128, 192 or 320 kbps
- SizeAbout 1 to 2.4 MB a minute
- M4A
- Best forKeeping the sound exactly as recorded
- SoundAn MP4 or MOV video’s AAC sound, copied without re-encoding
- SizeThe same as the video’s sound
- WAV
- Best forEditing in Audacity, GarageBand, Premiere or DaVinci Resolve
- SoundUncompressed 16-bit
- SizeAbout 10 MB a minute
| Format | Best for | Sound | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| MP3 | Sharing, podcasts and any player | Re-encoded at 128, 192 or 320 kbps | About 1 to 2.4 MB a minute |
| M4A | Keeping the sound exactly as recorded | An MP4 or MOV video’s AAC sound, copied without re-encoding | The same as the video’s sound |
| WAV | Editing in Audacity, GarageBand, Premiere or DaVinci Resolve | Uncompressed 16-bit | About 10 MB a minute |
Which videos can you take the audio from?
It works as a video to MP3, M4A or WAV converter for MP4, M4V and MOV videos from phones, Zoom, Teams and QuickTime, WebM from browsers and screen recorders, and MKV. Older formats such as AVI, WMV and FLV aren’t supported.
- MP4 and M4V
- Where it comes fromPhones, Zoom, Microsoft Teams and most video editors
- Its soundUsually AAC
- MOV
- Where it comes fromiPhone camera, QuickTime Player and Mac screen recordings
- Its soundUsually AAC
- WebM
- Where it comes fromBrowser and screen recordings, and many web videos
- Its soundOpus or Vorbis
- MKV
- Where it comes fromOBS and other recording apps
- Its soundAAC, Opus and others
| Video | Where it comes from | Its sound |
|---|---|---|
| MP4 and M4V | Phones, Zoom, Microsoft Teams and most video editors | Usually AAC |
| MOV | iPhone camera, QuickTime Player and Mac screen recordings | Usually AAC |
| WebM | Browser and screen recordings, and many web videos | Opus or Vorbis |
| MKV | OBS and other recording apps | AAC, Opus and others |
How do you get the audio out of a video on a Mac?
Open the video in QuickTime Player and choose File → Export As → Audio Only: you get its sound as an M4A file. For an MP3 or a WAV, or for a WebM video QuickTime can’t open, drop the video on this page instead.
Can you turn a video’s audio into a transcript?
Yes, on a Mac. NoteOwl imports MP4 videos and M4A, MP3 or WAV audio, transcribes them on your Mac with on-device AI models, labels each speaker and writes notes. It can also save subtitles as an SRT file for the video.
FAQ
Questions about extracting audio from a video
Is my video uploaded?
No. NoteOwl’s extract audio tool reads the video from your device and writes the audio file inside your browser. Nothing is sent to NoteOwl or anyone else, so a private recording stays private, and there is no account to create.
Does extracting audio reduce quality?
Not as M4A or WAV. M4A copies an MP4 or MOV video’s AAC sound exactly, with no re-encoding, and WAV holds the decoded sound uncompressed. MP3 re-encodes it, which loses a little; at 192 or 320 kbps that is very hard to hear.
Why can’t I save some videos as M4A?
M4A holds AAC sound. When a video’s sound is something else, such as the Opus in most WebM files, the browser has to re-encode it as AAC, and not every browser can. NoteOwl’s tool then says so, and you can save the sound as MP3 or WAV instead.
Can I extract audio from a video on my phone?
Yes. NoteOwl’s extract audio tool works in Safari on an iPhone or iPad and in Chrome on Android. Tap Choose file, pick the video from your photos or files, choose MP3, M4A or WAV, and download the audio when it’s ready.
How big a video can I extract audio from?
NoteOwl’s extract audio tool takes videos up to 1 GB and 2 hours long in current Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari 26 or later. Older Safari versions take videos up to 30 minutes long.
What if a video has more than one sound track?
NoteOwl’s extract audio tool saves the video’s main sound track: the one marked as the default, which is the one a player starts with. Extra tracks, such as a second language or a commentary, are left out.
Keep exploring
More free tools
- Audio converterConvert audio and video files to MP3, WAV, M4A or OGG in your browser: M4A, FLAC, AIFF, OGG, Opus, WebM, MP4 and MOV in; nothing is uploaded
- M4A to MP3 converterConvert M4A to MP3 in your browser, iPhone and Mac voice memos included, at 128, 192 or 320 kbps; nothing is uploaded
- MP4 to MP3 converterTurn an MP4 video’s sound into an MP3 in your browser, Zoom and Teams recordings included; nothing is uploaded
- Audio to text converterTranscribe audio to text free: drop in an MP3, M4A, WAV or other recording and get an AI transcript with times, as text, SRT, VTT or Word; nothing is stored
- Online voice recorderRecord your voice in the browser with a level meter, timer and pause, play it back, and save it as MP3 or WAV; nothing is uploaded
Related
- Audio to textTranscription software for your Mac: drop in an audio or video file and get a speaker-labelled transcript with timestamps, unlimited, with nothing uploaded
- Subtitle generatorTurn a recording into an SRT subtitle file with timecodes and speaker names, on your Mac
- SRT to VTT converterConvert SRT to VTT, VTT to SRT, or either to clean text with each speaker’s lines merged, in your browser; Zoom and Teams transcripts work
- Remove audio from videoTake the sound out of an MP4, MOV, WebM or MKV in your browser; the picture is copied as it is, so it keeps its quality
Recordings into notes, privately on your Mac
Free to download. Runs entirely on your Mac.
macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended
About NoteOwl
NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for the Mac. It captures meetings without a bot joining the call, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and builds a memory of every conversation that you can chat with — fully offline, because the speech recognition and the AI run on the Mac itself. Dictation into any app is free; Pro is a one-time purchase.
NoteOwl pricing: what’s free and what Pro adds
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