Sometimes the picture in a video is the least interesting part: a lecture, a voice memo, a family message, a recording of a talk. Pulling the sound out gives you a small file you can listen to anywhere.
MP3 or M4A?
Our MP4 to MP3 page can save the sound in two forms. MP3 is the old favourite and plays on practically everything: phones, cars, speakers, old computers. It is made by encoding the sound again, which takes a little time. M4A is the sound exactly as it was recorded in most MP4 and iPhone videos, lifted out without being changed. That makes it quick and means no quality is lost, but a few older players do not recognise it.
If you are not sure, choose MP3. If you know you will play it on an Apple device or a modern phone, M4A is the lossless shortcut.
Choosing an MP3 quality
MP3 quality is measured in kilobits per second. Higher numbers keep more detail and make bigger files:
- 128: fine for speech, lectures, meetings and everyday listening.
- 192: a good balance for music on phones and speakers.
- 256 or 320: for music you care about and listen to on good equipment. Files are noticeably larger.
- Rule of thumb: for a spoken-word recording, higher numbers make the file bigger without a real improvement.
Check that the video has sound
If a video has no sound track, the page tells you so. Screen recordings made without the microphone on, and some clips saved from social media, are silent. The page reads MP4, MOV (including iPhone videos), M4V, WebM and MKV files.
Long recordings
Everything runs on your own computer, so the speed depends on your machine and on the length of the recording. M4A is almost instant because nothing is re-encoded. MP3 takes longer for a long recording, and the progress bar on each video shows where it is. Keep the tab open until it says the sound is ready. If you have several videos, Save all as one zip gives you a single download.
Naming and keeping things tidy
Audio files keep the name of the video, so rename them to something you will recognise later, such as the date and the event. Put recordings of the same kind in one folder. If you ever want the original video again, it has not been changed.
Only use sound you have the right to use
Take the sound only from videos you own or have permission to use. Music and speech in other people's videos are usually protected by copyright. Your own recordings, family videos, lectures you were given permission to record and files you made yourself are the safe choices.