How to Extract Audio From a Video on Mac (4 Ways)
The short answer
Open the video in QuickTime Player, choose File → Export As → Audio Only, and save. You get an M4A file in a few seconds, and nothing to install. If you need an MP3 or a WAV instead, use iMovie's audio-only share option, an FFmpeg command, or a browser tool such as my video to audio converter, which lets you pick the format and bitrate.
Option 1: QuickTime Player (built in, M4A)
QuickTime Player comes with every Mac and has an audio-only export that most people never find.
1.Open the video
Right-click the video in Finder and choose Open With → QuickTime Player.
2.Trim if you want
Press Cmd+T to trim and drag the yellow handles. Only the part between them is exported.
3.Export audio only
Choose File → Export As → Audio Only, pick a folder and click Save.
What's good: it's already there, it's fast, and the built-in trim is enough for most "I only need this part" jobs.
The limits: the output is always M4A (AAC), with no bitrate setting. That plays fine in Music, on an iPhone and in most apps, but some upload forms, older car stereos and Windows tools want MP3. QuickTime also only opens formats macOS understands, so MKV, WebM and AVI files usually won't open at all.
Option 2: iMovie (MP3, WAV, AIFF or AAC)
iMovie is free on every Mac and gives you more output formats than QuickTime.
1.Start a project
Create a new Movie project, import the video and drag it onto the timeline.
2.Cut what you don't need
Trim the clip on the timeline if you only want part of the audio.
3.Share as audio
Choose File → Share → File. In the Format menu, pick Audio Only, then choose the file format (MP3, WAV, AIFF or AAC) and save.
What's good: real MP3 and WAV output, and you can trim, fade and adjust volume first.
The limits: it's a full editor, so it's a lot of clicking for one file, and iMovie creates a library on your drive that grows with every import. Like QuickTime, it won't open MKV or WebM.
Option 3: FFmpeg in Terminal (lossless or any format)
FFmpeg handles every video format, including the MKV and WebM files QuickTime refuses. Install it with Homebrew (brew install ffmpeg), then run commands in Terminal from the folder with your video.
Copy the audio with no quality loss (works when the audio is AAC, which it is in almost every iPhone video and Mac screen recording):
ffmpeg -i input.mov -vn -c:a copy output.m4aThis copies the audio track bit for bit instead of re-encoding it, so it finishes in seconds and sounds identical to the video. If FFmpeg complains, the audio isn't AAC. Check with:
ffprobe -v error -select_streams a:0 -show_entries stream=codec_name -of default=nw=1 input.movConvert to MP3 (high-quality variable bitrate, around 190 kbps):
ffmpeg -i input.mov -vn -c:a libmp3lame -q:a 2 output.mp3Convert to WAV for Logic or GarageBand:
ffmpeg -i input.mov -vn -c:a pcm_s16le output.wavOption 4: A browser converter (any format, no install)
Safari, Chrome and Firefox on a Mac can all decode and encode audio inside a web page.
1.Open the converter
Go to the video to audio converter and drag the video in. MOV, MP4, MKV, WebM and older formats all work.
2.Pick the format
MP3, M4A, WAV or OGG, and 128, 192 or 320 kbps for the compressed formats.
3.Convert and download
Listen in the page, then download.
What's good: MP3 without installing anything, and it opens the MKV and WebM files that QuickTime and iMovie can't. The conversion runs on your Mac, so the video doesn't go anywhere.
The limits: one file at a time, and no trimming, so trim first in QuickTime if you only need part.
Which one should you use?
| You need | Use |
|---|---|
| Quick audio from an iPhone clip or screen recording | QuickTime, Audio Only |
| An MP3 specifically | Browser converter, iMovie, or FFmpeg |
| A WAV for Logic or GarageBand | iMovie, FFmpeg, or browser converter |
| Audio from an MKV or WebM file | Browser converter or FFmpeg |
| Zero quality loss | FFmpeg with -c:a copy |
| A whole folder of videos | FFmpeg in a loop |
If the audio is going into Apple Music or onto an iPhone, M4A is a perfectly good format and QuickTime is all you need. For everything else, see MP3 vs. WAV vs. M4A.
Why won't QuickTime open my video?
QuickTime only plays codecs and containers macOS supports natively: MOV and MP4 with H.264, HEVC or ProRes video. MKV, WebM, AVI and WMV files, common from screen recorders, downloads and older Windows cameras, usually give an error or open with no picture. Use FFmpeg or a browser converter for those. MOV vs. MP4 explained covers why containers matter here.
Getting audio from a Mac screen recording
Screenshot.app (Cmd+Shift+5) records the screen without sound unless you pick a microphone under Options before you start. macOS can't record other apps' sound through it at all without extra software. If your screen recording is silent, nothing went wrong during extraction: the file never had audio.
If you recorded a meeting or a lecture and need the words more than the sound, video to text turns it into a transcript.