How Do I Convert MP4 To MP3 For Free?

Converting from MP4 to MP3 can be useful for extracting the audio track from a video or making it compatible with older devices. Appreciably, there are various free options to help convert your MP4 media. To save you time, we’ve gathered the best and can guide you through using them without spending a dime.

You can convert MP4 files to MP3 for free using online converters like Convertio.io, Online-Convert.com, and CloudConvert.com. Alternatively, you could use command-line tools like FFmpeg or Avconv, as well as desktop apps such as Freemake Video Converter or Any Video Converter.

Converting the format of MP4 files to MP3 is surprisingly easy. However, some services are more inconvenient than others or won’t be compatible with your devices. Accordingly, we’ve compiled a wide variety of suggestions with stepwise guides.

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

The most common method for converting MP4 files to MP3 involves utilizing an online web service. Many of these also give you the option to purchase premium features and perks.

You can also consider command-line tools if you’re more comfortable with tech. They function through the command prompt window on your computer’s operating system, allowing you to enter instructions to various executables via text. Instead, you could use desktop converters โ€“ applications that come standard with your computer’s operating system or are downloaded online.

Media players are traditionally used for watching movies or listening to music. By contrast, the VLC Media Player is versatile: it sports built-in conversion from MP4 to MP3. Windows Media Player could also work, but native conversion functionality is absent – you’ll need to install extra software.

Convert From MP4 To MP3 For Free With Online Converters

There are several free MP4 to MP3 file converters available online. These web-based tools do not require advanced technical expertise, making them excellent choices for anyone wanting to convert their files to MP3.

Convertio.co, Online-Convert.com, and CloudConvert.com, in particular, are among the most reliable options available.

Convertio.co

The following steps will allow you to convert your MP4 file with Convertio.co:

  1. Visit convertio.co using your preferred web browser.
  1. Select the file picker icon, which should display “Choose Files” Then, navigate to the MP4 file you wish to convert. If you’re unsure where it is on your hard drive, drag the file into the designated area on the website. Alternatively, options for directly converting from Dropbox and Google Drive are available.
  1. Once the MP4 file has been uploaded, select “MP3” from the dropdown box towards the right.
  1. If you click the tiny cogwheel next to the dropdown box, you may adjust attributes like bitrate, audio channels, frequency, and volume.
  1. Once you’ve specified all your desired settings, click “Convert” and give it a few moments to transcode the audio stream.
  1. After you click Convert, you’ll see a status bar that will gradually begin to fill, indicating conversion speed. How fast this process takes is mainly determined by the size of your file’s audio tracks.
  1. When the conversion is complete, the download button will become available on the right.

Online-Convert.com

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

  1. Click this link, which takes you to the MP3 conversion page on Online-Convert.com
  1. After clicking the central “Choose File” button, select the MP4 file to be converted. If you’re unsure where to find it, drag your audio file into the website from the file explorer.
  1. While uploading, you’ll need to wait for the blue line underneath the “Start” button to fill, after which your file will be ready for conversion.
  1. Customize the settings for the conversion if necessary. For example, you can choose the bit rate (avoid going lower than 96 kb/s), sample rate, and channel mode for the output MP3 file.
  1. Click the “Start” button on either the web page’s top or bottom to convert your file.
  1. Wait for the conversion process to complete.
  1. The web page will subsequently present you with the download link, which upon clicking, should perform the all-important job it was destined for.

Alternatively, you can use the URL of an online MP4 file instead of uploading the file from your device. Instead of step 3, pick “From URL” from the dropdown menu beside the “Choose file” button and enter the URL of the MP4 file. If successful, continue from step 4.

CloudConvert.com

Converting your files from MP4 to MP3 on CloudConvert.com is a trivial five-step process:

  1. Visit CloudConvert.com with your web browser of choice.
  1. Either choose “Select File” and navigate to the file to be converted, or else you can open the dropdown box and specify the source via URL, Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox. Dragging and dropping your file onto the “Select File” button will also do the trick.
  1. To adjust the conversion settings, click the tiny wrench icon after selecting MP3 as the conversion target. In addition to bitrate and sample rate, CloudConvert allows for volume adjustment and trimming.
  1. Click the orange “Convert” button on the right and wait for the conversion process to reach 100 percent.
  1. Afterward, you can listen to the result before downloading it. Then, if you’re happy, download the track by clicking the appropriately-labeled button on the right.

Command-Line Tools Can Convert MP4 To MP3 For Free

A command-line tool is a computer program with a terminal-based user interface. These inputs are usually typed parameters and values, which specify the source and destination files as well as the desired conversion. This way, the entire process occurs locally, making it an excellent option if you have a poor or metered internet connection.

However, while they are more efficient, configurable, and reliable than online websites, they require technical know-how. The best command-line tool to try first is FFmpeg. If you are not satisfied, Avconv and MP4Box are viable alternatives.

FFmpeg

FFmpeg is free, open-source, and an excellent option for converting between different file formats, removing and isolating audio from videos, and several other features. It’s nigh industry-standard due to its features and flexibility within the realm of media format and encoding manipulation. As with all these options, no sluggish uploading or downloading is necessary.

Here are the steps to take to convert from an example MP4 file called “input.mp4”:

  1. Install FFmpeg. It will be available on most desktop package management systems. Otherwise, the software can be accessed via their webpage.
  1. Open up a terminal such as PowerShell for Windows or Terminal for macOS. If you use Linux, use your favorite.
  1. Copy and paste this command into the terminal or a text editor such as Notepad:

ffmpeg -i ./path/to/input.mp4 -vn -acodec libmp3lame -ac 2 -q:a 5 ./path/to/output.mp3

  1. Edit the paths and file names as you see fit, and run the command in the terminal.

Let’s break down that incantation to get a good grasp of what’s going on:

  • “ffmpeg” is the executable program we’re running.
  • “-i ./path/to/input.mp4” indicates the path to the file you wish to convert. The name of this MP4 file is “input.mp4”.
  • “-vn” tells FFmpeg to ignore the video stream in the input file (since you only want the audio).
  • “-acodec libmp3lame” tells the program what codec you plan to use for the new MP3 file. In this case, it is using the LAME MP3 codec.
  • “-ac 2” indicates the number of audio channels for the MP3 file output file. This particular command tells FFmpeg that the MP3 file must have stereo audio.
  • “-q:a 5” determines the overall quality of your MP3 file. Higher numbers will produce better-sounding audio, but your file size will also increase.
  • “./path/to/output.mp3” tells FFmpeg the path, name, and format to save the resulting data. NB: if the file already exists, it will be overwritten.

Avconv

Avconv is a “fork” of FFmpeg’s code, but has been developed separately since as part of the LibAv project. It’s very similar and may serve as a drop-in alternative for converting between audio file formats. Audio extraction and conversion from MP4 containers, video or otherwise, can be done as follows.

Avconv is developed primarily for Linux and Unix-like operating systems, where it’s either pre-installed or can be installed through your package manager. On Windows, you can download the installer from their SourceForge site.

Once installed, paste this command into your terminal, edit the file names and paths, and press enter:

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

The parameters have the exact same meanings as FFmpeg’s.

MP4Box

MP4Box is another open-source program that’s free to use. It specializes in manipulating MP4 files. In particular, it can merge or split files, add metadata, and extract audio components from video.

Here’s the command you’ll need to run:

mp4box ./path/to/input.mp4 -raws 1 -out ./path/to/output.mp3

The breakdown is much simpler:

  •  “MP4Box” is the title of the command-line tool.
  •  “./path/to/input.mp4” describes the source file’s location.
  • “-raws 1” exports the first track. Incrementally trying other numbers may be necessary.
  •  “-out ./path/to/output.mp3” determines the name and destination of the resulting MP3.

Free Desktop Converters To Convert MP4 To MP3

You can use desktop converters 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 free software designed to convert video files from between formats. It supports media container formats like MP4 as well as AVI, WMV, MKV, and more. The software also gives you access to features for editing videos or downloading videos from online web pages. It is available for Windows operating systems.

The conversion process is straightforward:

  1. Download and install Freemake Video Converter on your computer.
  1. Once you open Freemake Video Converter, use the buttons at the top of the app to add your files, or else drag them into the window. You can choose multiple MP4 files to a conversion list by holding down the “Ctrl” key as you select your files.
  1. Select “to MP3” from the “Convert” dropdown near the top.
  1. Click “Convert” and give it a moment or two.
  1. When the conversion process finishes, you’ll be able to find your converted file at the destination you specified when you created the file.

Be cautious when you install Freemake Video Converter, as it will offer to install bundleware and change your default browser settings. These can be declined during installation, but be vigilant.

MediaHuman Audio Converter

MediaHuman Audio Converter specializes in converting the format of audio files. It supports the usual suspects, including MP3, FLAC, and WAV. It’s able to edit the metadata of the audio files, including the title, artist, and album too. Versions of the program are available for Windows and macOS.

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

  1. Download it and navigate through the installation process.
  1. Open MediaHuman Audio Converter and click on the “Add” button. Feel free to drag the file you want to convert into the application window.
  1. Above your uploaded file on the toolbar, click on the dropdown box and select “MP3”.
  1. The “Custom” button will allow you to adjust the settings of your converted file.
  1. Click on the button to the right of the dropdown box where you chose MP3. It will start the conversion process. If you want to cancel the conversion, click again.
  1. You’ll need to wait for the blue progress bar to fill during the conversion process. Once completed, locating your converted file can be done by clicking the magnifying glass icon.

Any Video Converter

Any Video Converter allows you to convert between different audio formats free of charge. It supports working with formats such as AVI, MKV, MP4, and MP3 on Windows and macOS. It doubles as an editing tool, allowing you to crop them, add or remove watermarks, trim media, and more.

Using Any Video Convert to convert your audio files from MP4 to MP3 can be done like so:

  1. Download the program.
  1. Open it after installation and click on “Add Video(s)”
  1. Find and select the input MP4 file.
  1. 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.
  1. From the list on the right, select “MP3”.
  1. You can adjust the output settings of your converted file by navigating to the window below the blue “Convert now!” button.
  1. Hit “Convert”
  1. Wait for the conversion to complete.

Media Players That Convert MP4 To MP3 For Free

Some media players have conveniently built-in conversion tools. Typically this would involve opening the MP4 file in the media player and using the conversion feature to save the audio component as an MP3 file.

VLC Media Player is among the best in this category. You can also use Windows Media Player, but the stock version does not have audio-conversion capabilities. For the fans among you, you can install third-party codecs to enable conversion, but this can be a hassle.

VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player is open-source and plays almost every video and audio format out of the box. It’s straightforward to use and is available across the popular consumer desktop and mobile platforms. In addition, it’s feature rich. For example, it can play corrupted or incomplete media files.

But let’s focus on its tucked-away conversion capabilities:

  1. Open VLC Media Player and navigate to “Media” in the menu bar.
  1. Click on “Convert / Save” and then “Add”
  1. Locate and choose your MP4 file for conversion.
  1. Click “Convert / Save”
  1. Under the “Profile” selection, choose “Audio – MP3.”
  1. Click “Browse” and select where to save the resulting MP3 files.
  1. Click “Start” and voila.

Windows Media Player

Windows Media Player is widespread, especially on older Windows systems. Technically it can be enabled as a Windows Feature on some contemporary versions – it’s only buried under 7 menus. However, since Windows Media Player cannot convert audio and video files by default, you must install a third-party plugin.

Here’s how you could use Windows Media Player to convert audio files:

  1. Download and install the LAME MP3 codec.
  1. Open Windows Media Player and select the “Tools” menu.
  1. Click “Options” and then switch tabs to “Plugins” then “Audio DSPs”
  1. Select the audio conversion plugin you installed.
  1. Click “Apply” and “OK” to save your selection.
  1. Add the MP4 you wish to convert to the Windows Media Player library.
  1. Right-click on the MP4 file, and finish by selecting “Convert to MP3”

Conclusion

There’s a great deal of flexibility in extracting the audio from MP4 files and saving it as an MP3. Hopefully, a few of them will suit your needs, whether web services work fine, the command line is your bread and butter, or you have access to desktop software that does the job.

References

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