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How to Convert MP4 to MP3 for Free (Extract Audio from Video)

3 min read •
Beginner MP3 MP4 Audio Convert Free Tool

You recorded a lecture on video but only need the audio. You want the audio from a music video. You have a podcast recorded as MP4 and need to distribute it as MP3. Whatever the reason, converting video to audio is a common task.

This guide shows you how to extract audio from any video file — quickly, for free, on any device.

Convert MP4 to MP3 Now

Use our free MP4 to MP3 Converter:

  1. Upload your video file (MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV supported)
  2. Wait a few seconds for server-side conversion (powered by FFmpeg)
  3. Download your MP3 at 192 kbps

That is it. Fast, free, and the file is deleted from our server after conversion.

Why Convert Video to Audio?

Scenario Why MP3
Lectures/talks Listen on your commute without video
Podcasts Distribute audio-only version
Music Save just the song, not the video
Meetings Audio recording is smaller and easier to share
Audiobooks Extract narration from video format
Ringtones Get the audio, then trim it

Convert on Every Device

Online (Any Device)

Our MP4 to MP3 converter works in any browser — Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android. No app to install.

Windows

Using VLC (free):

  1. Open VLC Media Player
  2. Media → Convert/Save
  3. Add your video file
  4. Click Convert/Save
  5. Profile: Audio - MP3
  6. Click Start

Mac

Using QuickTime + Terminal: 

# Using ffmpeg (install with: brew install ffmpeg)
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -acodec libmp3lame -q:a 2 audio.mp3

Linux

# Install ffmpeg if needed
sudo apt install ffmpeg

# Convert
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -acodec libmp3lame -ab 192k audio.mp3

iPhone

  1. Use our MP4 to MP3 in Safari
  2. Or use the Shortcuts app with a "Convert Video to Audio" shortcut

Android

  1. Use our MP4 to MP3 in Chrome
  2. Or install "Video to MP3 Converter" from Play Store

Audio Quality Settings

Bitrate Quality File Size (per minute) Use Case
128 kbps Good ~1 MB Podcasts, speech, casual listening
192 kbps Very good ~1.5 MB Music, general use (our default)
256 kbps Excellent ~2 MB High quality music
320 kbps Best (MP3 max) ~2.5 MB Audiophile, archival

192 kbps is the sweet spot — indistinguishable from higher bitrates for most people, and half the size of 320 kbps.

Supported Video Formats

Format Extension Common Source
MP4 .mp4 Most video recordings, downloads
MOV .mov iPhone recordings, QuickTime
WebM .webm Browser recordings, web video
MKV .mkv Downloaded media, Blu-ray rips
AVI .avi Older video files
WMV .wmv Windows Media files

Our MP4 to MP3 converter accepts all of these.

Trim Audio After Converting

Need just a portion of the audio? After converting to MP3, use our Audio Cutter:

  1. Upload the MP3
  2. Set start and end points with the visual waveform editor
  3. Download the trimmed clip

Perfect for creating ringtones, sound bites, or extracting a specific segment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does converting to MP3 reduce quality? Slightly. MP3 is a lossy format, so some audio data is discarded during encoding. At 192 kbps, the loss is imperceptible to most people.

Can I convert a 2-hour video? Yes. Our converter handles files up to 100 MB. For larger files, use FFmpeg on your computer (see desktop methods above).

Is the audio the same as the video? Exactly the same — the converter re-encodes the audio track from the original format (usually AAC) to MP3 the video. The audio quality matches what was in the original video.

What about DRM-protected videos? DRM-protected content (Netflix, Disney+, etc.) cannot be converted. The converter only works with regular, unprotected video files.

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