Extract the audio from a video on your Mac
By Himanshu Ranjan · Updated 8 November 2026
To extract the audio from a video on your Mac, select the video in Finder, hold the right Option (⌥) key and choose Audio › Extract audio as MP3, or Audio › Extract audio as M4A. FileDial saves the audio file beside the video, which stays unchanged. It all happens on your Mac, so nothing is uploaded and it works offline.
How to do it with FileDial
- Select one or more videos in Finder.
- Hold right ⌥ to open the dial.
- Choose Audio › Extract audio as MP3, or Audio › Extract audio as M4A.
- Open the new audio file saved beside the video.
Your original file stays untouched. The result is saved beside it, and every result has Undo.
Which option to pick
| Tool | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Extract audio as MP3Audio | You want the soundtrack as an MP3, the format nearly every player, phone and car stereo accepts. |
| Extract audio as M4AAudio | You want an M4A, the format Apple apps such as Music and QuickTime use natively. |
| Remove audioAudio | You want the opposite: a silent copy of the video, made without re-encoding the picture. |
MP3 or M4A, and when to remove audio instead
Pulling the soundtrack out of a video is handy for recorded talks, interviews, lectures, voice memos filmed on a phone, or a song from your own footage. You end up with a much smaller file that plays in the background and is easy to send or transcribe.
MP3 is the most compatible choice. Almost every device and app plays it, which makes it the safe pick when you don't know where the file will end up. M4A is an MPEG-4 audio file, usually AAC inside, and is what Apple's own apps prefer; it's a good fit if you live in Music, QuickTime or GarageBand.
Sometimes you want the reverse. Remove audio creates a silent copy of the video without re-encoding it, so the picture is untouched. That's useful before posting footage with background conversations, or before adding music in an editor.
- Podcast, lecture or interview to listen to anywhere: MP3.
- Keeping it in Apple apps: M4A.
- Silent copy of the video: Remove audio.
Why not extract audio with an online converter
Video-to-MP3 sites need you to upload the whole video just to get a small audio file back. Recordings of meetings, interviews and family events can contain things you would not hand to a stranger.
The FBI Denver Field Office warned on 7 March 2025 that free online document converter tools are increasingly used to spread malware. The conversions work, but the returned files can carry malware leading to ransomware, and the sites can scrape personal data such as identity numbers, banking and crypto details, emails and passwords. The warning was about document converters, but online audio extractors rely on the same upload-and-download model.
FileDial extracts audio on your Mac. The video is never uploaded and every tool works with Wi‑Fi off.
Other ways to extract audio on a Mac
QuickTime Player can do it for free: open the video and choose File › Export As › Audio Only, which saves an M4A file. iMovie can also share just the audio of a project. Both work well for a single video when M4A is all you need.
FileDial is the better fit when you want an MP3 rather than M4A, when you have a batch of videos to process at once, when you want a silent copy without re-encoding, and when you want Undo on each result.
Questions
Does extracting audio change the video?
No. Extract audio as MP3 and Extract audio as M4A save a new audio file beside the video, which stays as it was. Every result can be undone.
How do I remove the sound from a video instead?
Select the video, hold right ⌥ and choose Audio › Remove audio. FileDial saves a new silent copy without re-encoding, so the picture is untouched and the original keeps its sound.
Can I extract audio from many videos at once?
Yes. Select all the videos in Finder, open the dial and choose an extract option. FileDial runs it on each file and saves every audio file beside its video.
Are my videos uploaded?
No. Every FileDial tool runs on your Mac, files are never uploaded, and all tools work with Wi‑Fi off. Optional anonymous usage counts can be turned off in Settings › Privacy and never include file names or contents.
Can I turn the audio into subtitles?
Yes. Transcribe to subtitles… makes an SRT and a TXT file from a video's speech, on your Mac. Select the video, hold right ⌥ and choose Convert › Transcribe to subtitles…