FFmpeg Cookbook
JA

Audio Extractor

Take the sound out of a video and save it as MP3, WAV or AAC. Useful when you want music, voice or sound effects from a video.

Your file is not uploaded
Drag & drop a video here, or click to select
Supported: MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WebM, and more / Max 500 MB
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.MP3
Universal compatibility
VBR (LAME -V2)
.WAV
Uncompressed, lossless
Larger file size
.AAC
High efficiency
128kbps, great for iOS
MP3: Universal compatibility — plays on virtually all devices.
Extracting… 0%

Equivalent FFmpeg command

CLI command for your current settings. Updates live as you change controls.

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vn -acodec libmp3lame -q:a 2 output.mp3
Popular uses
Extract MP3 from videoSave meeting or lecture audioPrepare narration or BGM assets

How to use

  1. Pick a videoMP4, MOV, MKV and so on, up to 500 MB.
  2. Pick formatMP3 plays on the most devices, WAV is for editing, AAC gives a smaller file.
  3. ExtractPress "Extract Audio", listen in the player, then download.

Recommended settings

Voice / narration
AAC (128 kbps)
Enough quality for speech, and the file stays small.
Music
MP3 (-V2) or WAV
-V2 is a high-quality setting. Use WAV if you will edit the audio later.
Pre-edit master
WAV
No generation loss across edits.

When it goes wrong

Output too quiet

Cause: The source recording is quiet.

Fix: Run the Volume Normalizer.

One-sided audio

Cause: The source has sound in only one channel.

Fix: Extract as WAV and copy that channel to the other side in an audio editor.

MP3 too big

Cause: MP3 is written at a high-quality setting (-V2); the bitrate cannot be changed.

Fix: For a smaller file, try AAC, which is fixed at 128 kbps.

Questions

Copyrighted music?

Copying for your own private use is allowed in some countries, but sharing or publishing the audio usually needs permission from the rights holder. Check the rights before you use it.

Multiple audio tracks?

Only one track is extracted. FFmpeg picks it automatically, and it is usually the first one. For another track, use `-map` in FFmpeg: `ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -map 0:a:1 -c:a pcm_s16le output.wav` takes the second.

More detail (settings, limits, FFmpeg commands)

What each setting means

MP3
Variable bitrate (LAME -V2). Plays on phones, car stereos, older players and most other devices.
WAV
16-bit uncompressed. The file is large, but saving it again during editing adds no loss.
AAC
AAC at 128 kbps, saved as .m4a. Plays directly on iPhone and similar devices.

Browsers and limits

  • Only one audio track (usually the first)
  • Up to 500MB input

The same job with the FFmpeg command line

MP3 (VBR -V2)
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vn -c:a libmp3lame -q:a 2 output.mp3
The same setting as the tool. -q:a 2 is LAME's -V2 (variable bitrate).
WAV (uncompressed)
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vn -c:a pcm_s16le output.wav
The same setting as the tool (16-bit).
AAC (128 kbps)
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vn -c:a aac -b:a 128k output.m4a
The same setting as the tool.

What to do next