How to extract audio from a video: 7 free methods (2026)

Whether you want the soundtrack of a concert you filmed, the audio of a recorded lecture or a voice memo saved as a video, “extracting the audio” always means the same thing: reading the sound stream inside the video file and saving it as a separate audio file. Here are the seven free methods that work best in 2026, from the simplest to the most advanced.

Method 1: an online converter (fastest, any device)

An online converter is the best choice when you just want the result without installing anything. With Videos-to-MP3:

1. Open the site in any browser – computer, tablet or phone.
2. Drag your video onto the page or tap Choose files. MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WEBM, WMV and many other formats are accepted, up to 100 MB per file.
3. Keep MP3 (or pick M4A, WAV, FLAC, OGG or Opus) and choose the quality.
4. Wait a few seconds, listen to the preview and click Download.

Pros: nothing to install, works on iPhone and Android, batch conversion, trimming and volume normalization built in. Cons: the file must be uploaded, so it needs an internet connection and is limited to 100 MB.

Method 2: VLC media player (offline, Windows, Mac, Linux)

VLC is not only a player: it has a hidden converter.

1. Open VLC and choose Media → Convert / Save (on Mac: File → Convert / Stream).
2. Click Add, select your video, then Convert / Save.
3. In Profile, choose Audio – MP3. Click the wrench icon to set the bitrate (192 kbps is a good default).
4. Choose a destination file ending in .mp3 and click Start.

Pros: free, offline, no size limit. Cons: the interface is confusing, and a missing .mp3 extension in the file name produces an unreadable file.

Method 3: FFmpeg (most powerful, command line)

FFmpeg is the engine behind most converters, including ours. Once installed, one command is enough:

ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 192k audio.mp3

-vn drops the video, -c:a libmp3lame selects the MP3 encoder and -b:a 192k sets the bitrate. If the video already contains AAC audio, you can even copy it without re-encoding – instantly and with zero quality loss:

ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -c:a copy audio.m4a

Our FFmpeg cheat sheet lists every useful command: trimming, batch conversion, choosing an audio track, normalizing volume and more.

Method 4: Audacity (to edit the audio afterwards)

Audacity, the free audio editor, can open videos directly if the optional FFmpeg library is installed (Audacity offers to download it in Preferences → Libraries). Then:

1. File → Open and select the video: only the sound is imported.
2. Cut, clean up noise or adjust the volume as you wish.
3. File → Export Audio and choose MP3, WAV or FLAC.

This is the best route if the audio needs cleaning before you use it.

Method 5: QuickTime Player on Mac

macOS has a built-in solution that few people know about: open the video in QuickTime Player, then choose File → Export As → Audio Only. You get an M4A (AAC) file that plays everywhere in the Apple ecosystem. If you specifically need MP3, convert the M4A afterwards or use method 1.

Method 6: on iPhone and iPad

iOS has no “save as MP3” button, but there are two good options:

• In Safari: open Videos-to-MP3, tap Choose files → Photo Library, select the video, then download the result. The file lands in Files → Downloads.
• With the Shortcuts app: create a shortcut with the Encode Media action and enable Audio Only. It produces an M4A file from any video you share to it.

Our dedicated guide Convert video to MP3 on iPhone and Android shows each step with screenshots-free instructions.

Method 7: on Android

On Android, the browser method works exactly like on a computer: open the site in Chrome, tap Choose files, pick the video in your gallery and download the MP3 to the Download folder. Many file managers and video players also offer an “extract audio” option, but they often add watermarks or ads – check the reviews before installing one.

Which method should you use?

Which audio format and quality?

For most people, MP3 at 192 kbps is the right answer: it plays everywhere and sounds like the original. Use 128 kbps for speech to save space, 320 kbps for music you care about, and WAV or FLAC if you plan to edit the audio, so you do not stack two rounds of lossy compression. Our comparisons of MP3 bitrates and audio formats go into more detail.