Video to audio
Save the sound from a video as its own file. When the sound is AAC, as it is in most phone videos, it is copied straight out and sounds exactly the same.
How the files you choose are handled is set out in the privacy policy.
How to save the sound from a video
- Tap Choose a video and pick the video.
- Choose M4A for everyday listening and sharing, or WAV if you are taking the sound into an editing app.
- To keep only part of it, type the From and To times.
- Press Save audio, listen to the result, then save or share it.
M4A or WAV?
| M4A | WAV | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality | Identical to the sound in the video | Identical to the sound in the video |
| Size | About 1 MB per minute | About 10 MB per minute in stereo |
| Time taken | Almost instant | Longer, because the sound is decoded |
| Best for | Listening, sharing, voice notes | Audio and video editors |
Phones record video sound in a format called AAC. An M4A file is that same AAC sound in its own container, so making one is a copy and nothing is lost. A WAV file stores the sound uncompressed. It is not better quality than the M4A, because it is decoded from the same AAC, but editing apps open it without any conversion.
Why not MP3?
The sound in your video is already compressed as AAC. Turning it into MP3 means compressing it a second time with an older method, which loses a little quality. M4A files play on Android phones, iPhones, Windows and Mac without extra software, so for most purposes the original sound is the better file.
If something you use only accepts MP3, convert the M4A with an audio editor on your computer.
Good to know
- M4A needs a video with AAC sound, which is what phones record.
- WAV works with any video the tool can read, including MKV and WebM.
- Only use sound you have the right to use. Music in a video stays under its owner's copyright after you extract it.
The guide Extract audio from a video: M4A, MP3 or WAV? covers the formats in more depth.
Questions
Can I get an MP3?
Not from this tool. M4A plays everywhere MP3 does on current phones and computers, and it keeps the original quality.
Is the M4A lower quality than the sound in the video?
No. It is the same data, moved into an audio file. Nothing is decoded or compressed again.
The M4A option is greyed out. Why?
The video's sound is not AAC. This happens with WebM files and with some camera recordings that use uncompressed sound. Choose WAV instead.
Can I save the music from a video I found online?
Only if you have the right to use it. Extracting a song does not change who owns it. This tool is for your own recordings: voice notes, interviews, lectures you were allowed to record, your own performances.
Related converters and guides
- Audio converterConvert audio files, or the sound of a video, to WAV or M4A.
- Video trimmerCut the start and end off a video. The fast cut keeps the original quality.
- Video compressorMake a video small enough to send or post. Pick a quality, or a size such as 16 MB.
- Extract audio from a video: M4A, MP3 or WAV?How to save a video's sound with no quality loss, and which format to pick.