How Do I Convert MP4 To MP3 For Free?

When you have multiple media devices in your arsenal, like a laptop, iPad, iPhone, and MP3 player, something that can convert MP4 files to MP3 is very handy! Fortunately, there are many viable options to help you convert your favorite MP4 files, but it can be challenging to know where to look. How do you convert MP4 files to MP3 for free?

You can convert MP4 files to MP3 for free by using online converters like Convertio.io, Online-Convert.com, and CloudConvert.com. Command-line tools like FFmpeg and avconv, desktop converters like Freemake Video Converter and Any Video Converter, and media players like VLC Media Player.

Converting your favorite MP4 files to MP3 for free is easier than you think. We’ll cover various methods for converting your MP4 files and examine why some options are more favorable. You can also expect a step-by-step guide for every method without needing in-depth technical knowledge.

How Do You Convert Your MP4 Files To MP3 For Free?

The primary methods for converting your MP4 files to MP3 involve using websites with online conversion services. They’re usually free, but some may have the option to pay for additional features.

Command-line tools lean more on the technical expertise side of audio conversion. It requires that you enter commands into a window and have the computer execute them to convert your audio file.

Desktop converters are applications that either come with the standard version of your computer’s operating system or you can download the software from an official website.

Lastly, media players like VLC Media Player or Windows Media Player can convert your MP4 files to MP3. They can come with Windows or download them for free from an official website.

Let’s delve into these categories and see how they can benefit you.

Convert From MP4 To MP3 For Free With Online Converters

Numerous online converter tools allow you to convert MP4 files to MP3 files for free. They’re straightforward to use, requiring only that you upload the MP4 file, select the MP3 format, and start the conversion process.

There are plenty of great free MP4 to MP3 converters available online, and among the best are Convertio.co, Online-Convert.com, and CloudConvert.com.

Convertio.co

To convert your MP4 file to an MP3 file using Convertio.co, follow these steps:

Go to Convertio.co in your web browser.

Click the “Choose Files” button to select the MP4 file you want to convert. You can also drag the file into the designated area on the website.

When your MP4 file uploads successfully, click on the dropdown box to the right and select “MP3”.

You can adjust attributes like bitrate, audio channels, frequency, and volume if you click the tiny cogwheel next to the dropdown box.

Click on the red “Convert” button to begin the conversion process.

Wait for the conversion process to reach 100 percent, which could take a few minutes, depending on the file size and your internet connection speed. Some converters are quicker than others, too.

When the conversion is complete, click the blue “Download” button on the right.

Online-Convert.com

Converting an MP4 file to an MP3 file using the services of Online-Convert.com requires eight steps:

Go to Online-Convert.com in your web browser.

Look for the “Audio converter” option on the left side of the page. Click the dropdown box and select “convert to MP3”.

Click on the “Choose File” button in the center of the screen to select the MP4 file you want to convert. You can also drag the file into the designated area on the website.

Wait for the blue line underneath the “Start” button to upload your MP4 file.

Use the optional settings to customize the conversion if desired. For example, you can choose the bit rate, sample rate, and channel mode for the output MP3 file.

Click on the top or bottom “Start” button to begin the conversion process.

Wait for the conversion to complete. Depending on the file size and internet connection speed, it could take a little while.

When the conversion is complete, a download link will appear. Click on the link to download the converted MP3 file to your computer.

Alternatively, you can use the URL of an online MP4 file instead of uploading a file from your computer. To do this, click on the “From URL” button under “Select file,” enter the URL of the MP4 file, and then follow the steps above to complete the conversion.

CloudConvert.com

You can convert your files from MP4 to MP3 on CloudConvert.com with five easy steps:

Go to CloudConvert.com in your web browser.

Click the “Select File” button to select the MP4 file you want to convert. Alternatively, you can click the dropdown box and select your file by URL, Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox. You can also drag your file over the “Select File” button to upload it.

By clicking the tiny wrench icon after selecting MP3, you can adjust the settings of your file. You can set the bitrate, volume, sample rate, and channels and even trim the file.

Click the orange “Convert” button on the right and wait for the conversion process to reach 100 percent.

Afterward, you’ll get to listen to it before downloading it. Click the green “Download” button to the right if you’re happy with the quality.

Command-Line Tools Can Convert MP4 To MP3 For Free

A command-line tool is a computer program that allows you to give commands to a computer by typing them into a command-line interface (CLI) or terminal window.

They are typically more powerful and efficient than graphical user interface (GUI) tools but require higher technical expertise.

If you want to use a command-line tool, you can use FFmpeg, Avconv, and MP4Box to convert MP4 files to MP3 files.

FFmpeg

FFmpeg is a free, open-source command-line tool for working with audio and video files. It’s helpful to convert between different file formats, extract audio or video from a file, and perform various other audio and video processing tasks.

To use FFmpeg to convert an MP4 file to an MP3 file, you can use the following command:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vn -acodec libmp3lame -ac 2 -q:a 4 output.mp3

This command will extract the audio from the MP4 file and save it as an MP3 file. Here is a breakdown of the above code.

“ffmpeg” is the name of the command-line tool.

“-i input.mp4” specifies the input file, which in this case is an MP4 file called “input.mp4”.

“-vn” tells FFmpeg to ignore the video stream in the input file.

“-acodec libmp3lame” specifies the audio codec for the output file. In this case, it is using the LAME MP3 codec.

“-ac 2” specifies the number of audio channels in the output file. In this case, it is using stereo audio.

“-q:a 4” specifies the quality of the output audio. A higher number means better quality but also a larger file size.

“output.mp3” specifies the name of the output file. It saves the audio as an MP3 file called “output.mp3”.

Remember, to use this command, you must have FFmpeg installed on your computer. Once installed, you can open a terminal window or command prompt and enter the command above to convert the MP4 file to an MP3 file.

Avconv

Avconv is a free, open-source command-line tool for working with audio and video files. It is similar to FFmpeg and can be used to convert between different file formats, extract audio or video from a file, and perform various other audio and video processing tasks.

Here’s the avconv command for converting an MP4 file to an MP3 file:

avconv -i input.mp4 -vn -acodec libmp3lame -ac 2 -q:a 4 output.mp3

The code follows the exact breakdown as the FFmpeg code.

Avconv is typically available on Linux and Unix-like systems and may also come as part of your operating system’s package manager or be available for download from the official website.

MP4Box

MP4Box is a free, open-source command-line tool for working with MP4 files. It is part of the GPAC multimedia framework and is handy for manipulating MP4 files in various ways, such as splitting or merging files, extracting audio or video streams, and adding metadata.

The command line to convert an MP4 file to an MP3 file is:

MP4Box -raw 2 input.mp4 -out output.mp3

Here’s the code breakdown to help you with the conversion process:

“MP4Box” is the name of the command-line tool.

“-raw 2” specifies that MP4Box should extract the audio stream from the input file. The “2” indicates that it should extract the second audio stream if there are multiple audio streams in the input file.

“input.mp4” specifies the input file, which is an MP4 file called “input.mp4”.

“-out output.mp3” specifies the name of the output file. It saves the audio as an MP3 file called “output.mp3”.

Use Free Desktop Converters To Convert MP4 To MP3

Desktop converters are applications you can use on your computer to convert your MP4 files to MP3. Some of the best free ones include Freemake Video Converter, MediaHuman Audio Converter, and Any Video Converter.

Freemake Video Converter

Freemake Video Converter is a free software program that allows users to convert video files from one format to another. It supports various video formats, including AVI, MP4, WMV, MKV, and more. The software includes additional features such as video editing tools and downloading videos from online sources. It is available for Windows operating systems.

The conversion process is straightforward and only takes six steps:

Download and install Freemake Video Converter on your computer.

When you open Freemake Video Converter, you can click the relevant buttons at the top to add your file or drag the file you want to convert into the app. You can also add multiple MP4 files to the conversion list by holding the “Ctrl” key while selecting the files.

Select “to MP3” from the “Convert” dropdown menu at the top of the application.

Click on the blue “Convert” button to start the conversion process.

Wait for the conversion to complete. You can find the converted MP3 file at the destination you specified when you created the file.

Use caution when you install Freemake Video Converter, as it may offer to install additional software or change your default browser settings. You can choose to decline these offers during the installation process.

MediaHuman Audio Converter

MediaHuman Audio Converter allows you to convert audio files to different formats, including MP3, WAV, FLAC, and others. It also allows you to edit the metadata of the audio files, such as the title, artist, and album. MediaHuman Audio Converter is available for Windows and macOS.

To convert MP4 files to MP3 using MediaHuman Audio Converter, follow these six steps:

Download and install MediaHuman Audio Converter on your computer.

Open MediaHuman Audio Converter and click on the “Add” button. You can also drag your MP4 file into the application window.

Above your uploaded file on the toolbar, click on the dropdown box and select “MP3”.

The “Custom” button will allow you to adjust the settings of your converted file.

Click on the button to the right of the dropdown box where you chose MP3. It will start the conversion process, and you can click it again if you want to cancel it.

Wait for the blue conversion bar to complete. You can locate your converted file by clicking the magnifying glass icon to the far right of your file.

Any Video Converter

Any Video Converter is software that allows you to convert various audio files to different formats, including MP4, AVI, MKV, and MP3. It also allows you to edit the video files, such as trimming and cropping and adding effects and watermarks. Any Video Converter is available for Windows and macOS.

Here’s an eight-step guide on how you can convert your MP4 files to MP3:

Download and install Any Video Converter.

Open Any Video Converter and click on the “Add Video(s)” button.

Select the file that you want to convert to MP3.

Click on the dropdown box to the left of the blue button that says “Convert now!” and select the “Output Profile” tab on the left from the “MP3” from the “Output Format” dropdown menu.

From the list on the right, select “MP3”.

You can adjust the output settings of your converted file by navigating to the window below the blue “Convert now!” button.

Click on the “Convert” button to start converting your file from MP4 to MP3.

Wait for the conversion to complete.

Some Media Players Can Convert MP4 To MP3 For Free

Some media players have built-in conversion tools that give you the power to convert MP4 files to MP3 files. Open the MP4 file in the media player, and use the conversion function to save the audio as an MP3 file.

VLC Media Player is the best option for converting your MP4 files to MP3. You can also use Windows Media Player, but it requires that you download third-party plugins. The standard version that comes with Windows does not have audio-conversion capabilities.

Remember that adding third-party plugins can come with issues, so you may need to troubleshoot if you decide to go this route. It’s much better to opt for Windows Media Player only as a last resort.

VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player is a potent and open-source media player that can play various audio and video formats. It has a simple and intuitive user interface and is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. VLC Media Player can stream media over the internet and play damaged or incomplete media files.

To convert an MP4 file to MP3 using VLC Media Player, follow these seven steps:

Open VLC Media Player and navigate to the “Media” menu.

Select “Convert / Save.”

Click the “Add” button and select the MP4 file you want to convert.

Click on the “Convert / Save” button.

In the “Profile” dropdown menu, select “Audio – MP3.”

Click the “Browse” button and select where you want to save the converted MP3 file.

Choose the “Start” button to convert your MP4 file to MP3.

Windows Media Player

Since Windows Media Player cannot convert audio and video files as a built-in feature of Windows, you will need to install a third-party plugin or use a separate audio conversion software.

Here’s what you need to do if you want to use Windows Media Player to convert audio files:

Download and install a third-party plugin that adds audio conversion capabilities to Windows Media Player, such as the LAME MP3 encoder or the FAAC encoder.

Open Windows Media Player and navigate to the “Tools” menu.

Select “Options” and then click on the “Plug-ins” tab.

Click on the “Audio DSPs” tab and select the audio conversion plugin you installed.

Click on the “Apply” button and then the “OK” button to save any changes you made.

Add the MP4 file you want to convert to the Windows Media Player library.

Right-click on the MP4 file and select “Convert to MP3” from the context menu.

Wait for the conversion to complete.

Conclusion

You can convert your files from MP4 to MP3 for free by using the online services of some websites. You can also use command-line tools if you’re comfortable with computer language; otherwise, opt for a desktop converter that you install on your computer. The last option is to use a media player like VLC or Windows Media Player.