Skip to content
Start Editing FreeSign In
MP4 to MP3 · Free

Convert MP4 to MP3

Pull the audio out of your MP4 file and save it as MP3, with nothing to install.

  • Free to start
  • Nothing to install
  • Up to 1GB
How it works

How to convert MP4 to MP3

  1. Upload your MP4 file

    Drag and drop a MP4 file to turn into MP3, or click to browse. Anything under 1GB, and nothing is installed.

  2. Confirm MP3 as the output

    MP3 is already selected for your MP4. Switch between MP3 and WAV if you change your mind.

  3. Convert and download

    We convert the MP4 on our servers, usually in under a minute. Create a free account to download the MP3.

Why convert MP4 to MP3?

MP4 is the closest thing video has to a universal format: an MPEG-4 container that almost always holds H.264 video and AAC audio, which every browser, phone, TV and social platform can play without a plugin.

The practical problem: MP4 is already the safest format, so the usual reason to convert away from it is a specific destination that wants something else.

MP3 solves that. Plays on every phone, car stereo, browser and podcast host in existence. Small enough to attach to an email or send in a chat. Accepted by every transcription and podcast service.

This pulls the audio track straight out of the video, so a recorded call, lecture, interview or podcast video becomes something you can listen to, send, or feed to a transcription service. The MP3 is a fraction of the size of the video, because everything but the sound has been dropped.

Container

MP4MPEG-4 Part 14
MP3MPEG audio layer III

Typical codecs

MP4H.264 video, AAC audio
MP3MP3 (lossy)

Best for

MP4Sharing anywhere, uploads, web embeds
MP3Podcasts, voice notes, music you need to send

Plays on

MP4Every phone, browser, TV and editor
MP3Every device made in the last 25 years

File size

MP4Small for the quality
MP3Roughly a tenth of uncompressed audio

MP3 bitrate: what it means for size and sound

Bitrate is how much data each second of audio gets. Higher costs more space, and past a point nobody can hear the difference, least of all when the source was already compressed inside a video.

REQO writes a variable-bitrate MP3 averaging about 190 kbps: about 1.4 MB per minute, so an hour-long recorded call comes back at roughly 85 MB.

128 kbps

Size per minuteAbout 1 MB
Good forSpeech, podcasts, voice notes

192 kbps

Size per minuteAbout 1.4 MB
Good forMusic on everyday headphones

256 kbps

Size per minuteAbout 1.9 MB
Good forMusic from a high-quality source

320 kbps

Size per minuteAbout 2.4 MB
Good forOnly a lossless source; from an MP4 it adds size, not sound

Converting MP4 to MP3 without a website

On a Mac, QuickTime Player’s File, Export As, Audio Only saves the sound, but as M4A rather than MP3. To get an MP3 from there, set the Music app’s import setting to the MP3 Encoder (Settings, Files, Import Settings), add the M4A to Music, then choose File, Convert, Create MP3 Version.

On Windows, Mac or Linux, the free VLC player does it in one go: Media, Convert / Save, add the MP4, pick the Audio - MP3 profile and choose where to save it.

Both are fine for a file or two. A browser converter is quicker when you are on a phone, on a work machine where you cannot install anything, or when the file came from somebody else.

FAQ

MP4 to MP3 questions

Is the MP4 to MP3 converter free?

Yes. Convert and preview the result for free, then create a free account to download it. There is no per-file charge and no watermark on the MP3 itself beyond the free-plan badge.

Do I need to install any software?

No. The conversion runs on our servers and you use it from a browser tab, so it works the same on Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone and Android. Nothing to install at either end. Where MP4 plays: Every phone, browser, TV and editor. Where the MP3 you get back plays: Every device made in the last 25 years.

Does converting MP4 to MP3 reduce the quality?

The audio track is decoded from the MP4 and written as MP3. MP3 is a lossy format, so there is a small re-encode, inaudible for speech at the default quality. The picture is discarded entirely, which is why the file gets so much smaller.

How large a file can I convert?

Anything under 1GB per upload, which is more footage in some formats than others. MP4: Small for the quality. MP3 coming back: Roughly a tenth of uncompressed audio. For anything bigger, trim or compress it first, both are free tools here.

Is my file kept private?

Your upload is processed and then held only as long as your project needs it. Nothing is published, indexed or shared unless you create a share link yourself.

Does extracting audio re-encode it?

Yes: the AAC track inside the MP4 is decoded and written as MP3. Choose WAV instead if you plan to keep editing the audio and want to avoid stacking lossy encodes.

Can I get a transcript instead of an audio file?

Yes. REQO’s transcribe tool turns the same file into text or SRT subtitles, and it is free with an account.

What bitrate is the MP3?

Variable, averaging about 190 kbps (the LAME encoder at its V2 setting). That is transparent for speech and for most music on ordinary headphones, and it is usually at or above the bitrate of the AAC track your MP4 holds, so a higher setting would only make the file bigger.

Would a 320 kbps MP3 sound better?

Not from an MP4. The audio inside it was already compressed, typically to somewhere between 96 and 256 kbps, and no MP3 setting can put back what that encode removed. A 320 kbps file of the same source is about two thirds larger and sounds the same.

Can I convert MP4 to MP3 on an iPhone or Android phone?

Yes, in the browser, with no app. Open this page in Safari or Chrome, tap the button, pick the video from your photos or files, and keep the tab open until the upload finishes. The MP3 downloads to Files, then Downloads, on an iPhone, and to the Downloads folder on Android.

Can I keep only part of the audio?

Convert the whole file first, then open the MP3 in REQO’s Cut Audio tool and keep the stretch you want. One file at a time: the converter takes a single video per run.

Related conversions

Other formats

To WebM

MP4 to WebM

Turn your MP4 file into a WebM that plays where you need it, with nothing to install.

Open
To MOV

MP4 to MOV

Turn your MP4 file into a MOV that plays where you need it, with nothing to install.

Open
To AVI

MP4 to AVI

Turn your MP4 file into an AVI that plays where you need it, with nothing to install.

Open
To MP3

Video to MP3

Pull the audio out of any video and save it as MP3, with nothing to install.

Open
To MP3

Audio to MP3

Turn any audio file into an MP3 that plays where you need it, with nothing to install.

Open
To MP3

MOV to MP3

Pull the audio out of your MOV file and save it as MP3, with nothing to install.

Open
Tips

Why Is My Screen Recording Not Working? 9 Fixes

Screen recording not working? Fix a black screen, no sound, a greyed-out record button or a recording that stops early, on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android.

Open
More tools

Everything else you can do here.

Convert to WMV

Convert to 3GP

Convert to M4V

Convert to TS

Convert to MPEG

Convert MP4 to MP3 now

Free, nothing to install, and the file stays open in a full video editor afterwards.