---
title: "How to extract audio from a video | ToolSugar"
description: "Pull the sound out of a video as MP3, M4A or WAV, or copy the original track without re-encoding, all inside your browser."
canonical: https://toolsugar.com/blog/how-to-extract-audio-from-a-video
image: https://toolsugar.com/og.png
---

# How to extract audio from a video file

Updated 2026-11-09

To extract audio from a video, read the sound track and save it as its own file. Extract Audio does this in your browser. Pick MP3, M4A or WAV, or choose Original to copy the track exactly as it was recorded. The video stays on your device. This guide explains when Original is the better choice.

[Open Extract Audio](https://toolsugar.com/tools/audio-extractor)

## Save the sound from a video in four steps

The tool needs a video file with a sound track. The ffmpeg engine is about 32 MB and downloads from a public CDN on your first run.

1. Choose a video file.
2. Select MP3, M4A, WAV or Original.
3. Press extract audio.
4. Download the audio file.

## When to choose Original

Original copies the audio packets straight out of the video. An AAC track becomes an M4A, an MP3 track stays an MP3, and an Opus track becomes a .opus file. Nothing is encoded again, so quality cannot drop. Our tests confirm the packets are byte-identical.

Use it whenever your player can open that format.

## What if the track cannot be copied?

Some videos hold audio in a codec that does not fit into those three files. In that case the tool tells you why Original cannot be used. Pick MP3, M4A or WAV instead and it re-encodes the sound.

## Which format should the extracted audio be?

Pick MP3 when you want a small file that plays on any device, such as a podcast clip or a voice memo. Pick WAV when you will edit the sound next, because it is uncompressed and adds no further loss. M4A holds AAC and suits Apple devices.

You only need part of the video? Extract the whole track first, then trim it with Audio Cutter.

## Which audio track is used

The tool reads the first audio track only. If a video carries a second language or a commentary track, it will not be the one you get.

If you want the opposite result, a video with the sound removed, use Remove Audio.

## Questions

### Does extracting audio reduce quality?

Not in Original mode, which copies the track untouched. MP3 and M4A re-encode the sound, and WAV stores it uncompressed.

### Can I get audio from a video with no sound?

No. If the file has no audio track there is nothing to extract, and the tool will say so.

### Which formats can I save?

MP3, M4A and WAV, plus Original, which keeps the track in its own format.

[Open Extract Audio](https://toolsugar.com/tools/audio-extractor)

## Related guides

- [How to convert audio files to MP3, M4A or WAV](https://toolsugar.com/blog/how-to-convert-audio-files)
- [How to cut an audio file to the part you need](https://toolsugar.com/blog/how-to-cut-an-audio-file)
- [How to remove audio from a video](https://toolsugar.com/blog/how-to-remove-audio-from-a-video)
- [How to remove background noise from audio](https://toolsugar.com/blog/how-to-remove-background-noise-from-audio)