FFmpeg recipe
FFmpeg: Extract Audio from an MP4 (Lossless)
Stream-copy extracts the audio without decoding/re-encoding. Bit-identical to the source. Container changes from MP4 to whatever the audio codec's native container is.
Command
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vn -c:a copy -y output.m4aPrefer no terminal?
Use the Extract Audio in your browser
What each flag does
| -i | Input file. Can be a video, audio, or image. Repeat for multiple inputs. |
|---|---|
| -vn | Strip video (no video in output) — useful for audio-only extraction. |
| -c:a | Audio codec for output. e.g. aac, libmp3lame, copy. |
| -y | Overwrite output file without confirmation. |
Notes & gotchas
- Most MP4 audio is AAC, so the output extension is .m4a (AAC in MP4 container).
- For MP3 output, re-encode with -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 192k -y output.mp3.
- For WAV output (lossless PCM), use -c:a pcm_s16le -y output.wav.
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