How do I extract audio from a video for free on Windows 11 PC?

[LucasBaker]

I am currently working on a project and need to extract audio from video as background music. I've tried using the free Movie Maker app but unable to find the extract function. In addition, I also use the ffmpeeg command line but unable to execute the commands.

I am stuck and I'm open to exploring other methods or tools that might work better for this task. Are there any free software options available for extracting audio from video, or should I consider purchasing a dedicated tool? Any advice on the process would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

[#2]

@LucasBaker 

You can't extract the video from an video file directly because of the way it is interleaved with the video during encoding.

[#3]

@LucasBaker 

I totally get your frustration with Movie Maker. It can be really annoying when things don't work out as you planned. Here are a few free software options that might help you extract audio from video without all the hassle:

Audacty: This is a free, open-source audio editor that can import video files and extract the audio. Just drag and drop your video file into Audacty, and it should import the audio track. You can then save it as an MP3 or other formats.

VLC Media Player: This trusty player can do a lot more than just play videos. You can use it to convert video files to audio files. Go to Media > Convert / Save, add your video file, select Convert, and choose an audio format like MP3.

[#4]

@LucasBaker You can extract audio from a video by recording the audio on Windows 11PC. To do this, you would play the video on your computer while using an audio recording tool like Windows Voice Recorder to capture the sound.

This method can result in quality loss depending on the recording settings and the playback quality of the video. You’ll also need to ensure your system sound is correctly configured so that the recording software captures the audio from the video and not ambient noise or your microphone.

[#5]

@LucasBaker 

I’ve been in your shoes, trying to extract audio from mp4 video for background music. I remember once trying to do it with the free Movie Maker app, only to realize it didn’t have an extract function. So frustrating! Then I moved on to FFmpeeg, but the command line stuff was just too complicated for me. I kept running into errors and honestly, it was a bit of a nightmare.

After a lot of trial and error, I found some other tools that worked way better for me. VLC Media Player: This one was a lifesaver. It’s more than just a video player; it can also convert videos to audio files. Just go to Media > Convert / Save, add your video file, hit Convert, and choose an audio format like MP3. Super easy and free.

[#6]

Windows Voice Recorder is a simple built-in application on Windows that allows you to record audio using your computer’s microphone or other input sources. It's easy to use for recording interviews, lectures, personal notes, or any audio played through your system.  It is a simple way to help you extract audio from video files for free on Windows PC.

1. You can find it by typing “Voice Recorder” in the Windows search bar.
2. Once the app is open, play the video in Windows Media Player and click the blue microphone button to begin recording. If you want to record system audio, you might need to adjust your sound settings to capture internal sounds rather than microphone input.
3. You can pause the recording by pressing the pause button or stop it completely by pressing the stop button.
4. After stopping the recording, the audio file will be automatically saved. You can find it in the app's list and then right-click to open the file location.

[#7]

@LucasBaker If you are trying to get music from online videos, such as YouTube or TikTok, then there are a couple of tools that can help you download music as mp3 from the videos. They will first download the videos and extract audio from video free with the built-in tool. This is a great workaround for downloading music from online video platforms.

[#8]

Convertico is a user-friendly and free online audio extractor tool that allows you to extract audio from videos online. It supports various video format, such as MP4, MKV, AVI and MOV. You can upload the video from your computer, Dropbox, Google Drive, or via URL.

Here’s how to extract audio from video online free using this tool:
1. Open the website in your web browser.
2. Upload your video file by either selecting the upload option or dragging and dropping the file. You can choose files from your device, cloud storage, or via web links. Select your video file and upload it.
3. Choose the output format for your audio file. MP3 is a popular choice because of its compatibility and good balance between quality and file size. Click the button to convert your video file to an audio format.

4. Download the extracted audio file. Once the conversion is complete, you will be provided with a link to download your audio file. Click the link to save the audio file to your device.

[#9]

@LucasBaker 

It's easy to extract audio from video using FFmpeeg, why not try it? Here's a basic guide on how to extract audio from a video using FFmpeeg. Make sure you have FFmpeeg installed correctly on your system. Here’s a simple command to extract audio:

1. FFmpeeg-i input_video.mp4 -vn -acodec copy output_audio.aac-i input_video.mp4 specifies the input file.
2. -vn is an option to ignore the video stream.
3. -acodec copy tells FFmpeegto copy the audio stream from the input without re encoding

[#10]

@LucasBaker 

I have encountered a similar situation before, wanting to extract audio from a video file for background music. The Movie Maker you mentioned is indeed not very convenient, and the ffmpeeg command line is sometimes difficult to understand. I later found a simple and effective tool - VLC Media Player, which is completely free and powerful.

Here are the steps I took to extract audio using VLC:

1. Open VLC, click "Media" in the top menu, and then select "Convert/Save".
2. In the pop-up window, click "Add", select the video file you want to extract audio from, and then click "Convert/Save".
3. In the next window, select the "Convert" option, and then select the audio format you want in "Profile", usually "Audio - MP3" is enough.
4. Finally, select the location of the output file, click "Start", and VLC will start extracting audio.

The whole process is very simple, and you won't encounter too many complicated settings. I think VLC is definitely a good choice for a project like yours. As for whether you need to buy special software, I think if you only do this kind of extraction occasionally, VLC is completely sufficient. If you have more advanced needs, you may consider other paid tools.

After using VLC, your audio files can basically be used directly, which is very convenient!

[#11]

You can use a free audio extractor - Any Video Converter developed by Anvsoft Inc. to directly extract the audio tracks from a video and reorganize the soundtrack of your video . It is convenient for users to extract music, dialogue, or other audio content from a video file for later editing or use.
Simply choose the "Track Extract" tool from the Any Video Converter Toolkits. Add a video with audio and switch to the "Audio" option. Click the "Export" button and define a folder to save the exported file. And then the program will export the audio track of the video.