MP4 to WAV Converter
Pull the soundtrack out of an MP4 as an uncompressed WAV file at 48 kHz and 24-bit, ready to edit, mix or clean up in an audio program without losing any more quality along the way.
Video to Audio
or drag MP4, MOV, MKV … files here ·
Up to 95 MB each· 20 files at once· Removed after 30 min
Your files are removed from our servers 30 minutes after processing.
Keep the source rate unless a device or app asks for one. 44.1 kHz is CD standard, 16 kHz is enough for speech recognition.
Mono halves the size of lossless files and is fine for speech.
16-bit is CD quality. Choose 24-bit only if you will edit or master the audio.
Videos with several languages or a commentary have more than one track. 1 is the main track.
Optional. Seconds (e.g. 75) or minutes:seconds (1:15). Leave empty to start at the beginning.
Optional. Same format as the start time. Leave empty to keep everything up to the end.
Files are deleted 30 minutes after processingPrivacy policy
4 GB
The size ceiling of a classic WAV file, set by the 32-bit size fields of the RIFF format it is built on.
Extensions such as RF64 go beyond it, as the Library of Congress WAVE description notes. A 95 MB video's soundtrack is far below the limit.
| Opens in | WAV | FLAC | MP3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Edge | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Firefox | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Safari on Mac | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Android | Supported | Supported | Supported |
- Supported
- Some versions or devices
- Not supported
All three play in current browsers. The difference that matters for WAV is in editing software, where uncompressed audio is the most widely accepted input.
When an uncompressed copy is the right choice
MP3 is the format for listening; WAV is the format for working. If you plan to cut a podcast, remove background noise from an interview, mix a voice-over with music, or align dialogue with a new edit, start from an uncompressed file. Every save of a lossy format throws away a little more detail, while a WAV can be edited and saved as often as you like without any further loss.
Audio editors and DAWs also handle WAV most smoothly. It loads instantly, needs no decoding while you scrub through the timeline, and opens in every program from free tools like Audacity to professional suites. Some transcription and speech tools ask for WAV for the same reason: there is nothing to decode and no compression artifacts to confuse the recognizer.
MP4 audio and WAV compared
MP4
MP4 video
The MPEG-4 Part 14 container, standardized in 2001 and now the default for online video. It usually carries H.264 or HEVC video with AAC audio, all lossy, plus optional subtitles. Phones, browsers, smart TVs and social platforms all play it.
- Lossy
- Open standard
WAV
WAV audio
The Waveform Audio File format Microsoft and IBM introduced in 1991. It usually stores uncompressed audio, so there is no quality loss and files are large. Recording studios, audio editors and sound effect libraries use it, and every computer can play it.
- Lossless
- Vendor format
Why convertGoing to WAV trades a compact, compressed soundtrack for a large file that stores every sample. Choose it when the audio will be edited, mixed or analyzed; the extra size buys freedom from further quality loss, not better sound.
WAV was developed by Microsoft and IBM for Windows 3.1, according to the Library of Congress, and it has been the common language of audio software ever since. The WAV made here contains plain PCM samples. It cannot restore what the MP4's compression already removed, but it stops any further loss from happening during your edits.
The preset matches video. 48 kHz is the sample rate of nearly all camera, phone and screen-recording audio, so no resampling takes place, and 24-bit gives an editor room to raise levels and apply effects without adding noise.
Sample rate and bit depth in plain terms
- Bit depth
- Also called sample resolution · word length
- How precisely each sample stores the loudness of the sound. 16-bit is CD quality and enough for playback; 24-bit keeps more detail in quiet passages and gives headroom while editing, which is why studios record and mix at 24-bit.
Sample rate is the other half: how many times per second the sound is measured. 48,000 times per second covers the full range of human hearing with room to spare. Multiplying it out shows the size: 48,000 samples times 3 bytes times 2 channels is 288,000 bytes per second, or about 17 MB per minute of stereo audio. Choose Mono for a single voice to halve that.
Common jobs for the WAV file
Podcasters often record a video call and need the conversation as a clean track to cut and level. Video editors pull out the sound of a clip to repair it in a dedicated audio program and drop it back on the timeline. Musicians extract a performance from a phone video to study or remix it, and researchers keep interviews as WAV for transcription and analysis.
In each case the WAV is an intermediate file. It is large on purpose and rarely shared as it is; it is what you work on before exporting a finished, compressed version. Keep the original MP4 too, so you can extract again with different settings, for example mono instead of stereo, if a later step needs it.
Batches and the next step
Convert up to 20 videos at a time, each up to 95 MB, and download the WAV files together. Uploaded videos are deleted after processing and the WAVs 30 minutes later.
When the edit is finished, export a compressed copy for sharing. The Audio Converter turns a WAV into MP3, M4A or Ogg, and MP4 to MP3 is the direct route when you only want to listen and do not need to edit at all. For a video's sound that ends up as a podcast with a cover image, MP3 to MP4 puts a picture back with the audio.
How to convert MP4 to WAV
Add the MP4 files
Drop the videos on the box above, or press Choose Files.
Keep the editing settings
WAV at 48 kHz and 24-bit is preset, matching the audio of most video. Choose 44.1 kHz and 16-bit under Advanced settings for a CD-style file.
Convert and import
Press Convert and open the WAV files in Audacity, GarageBand, Audition, Logic or any other audio editor.
MP4 to WAV questions
Why 48 kHz instead of the CD rate of 44.1 kHz?
Video audio is almost always recorded and mixed at 48 kHz. Keeping that rate avoids a resampling step, and the WAV lines up exactly when you bring it back into a video editor.
Is 24-bit worth it if the video's audio was compressed?
It gives headroom while you edit. Raising the volume, applying effects and mixing all create in-between values that 24-bit stores more precisely. For a file that will only be played back, 16-bit is enough.
Can I bring the edited WAV back into my video?
Yes. Because the WAV keeps the video's sample rate and full length unless you trim it, it lines up with the picture from the first frame. Replace the original track in your video editor.
Which files can I convert besides MP4?
Most video formats, including MOV, MKV, WebM and AVI. The Video to Audio page lists every input and output.
Why does the WAV take so much more space than the MP4?
WAV stores every sample without compression, while the MP4's audio track is compressed. A minute of 48 kHz, 24-bit stereo WAV takes about 17 MB, whatever the content.
Can I extract just the dialogue from part of a long recording?
Yes. Set Start at and End at under Trim to keep a section, and choose Mono under Channels if the recording is speech from one microphone.
Other ways to get audio from video
MP4 → MP3
MP4 to MP3
Save the soundtrack of an MP4 video as an MP3 that plays anywhere.
MOV → MP3
MOV to MP3
Turn iPhone MOV recordings of talks and lectures into small, clear MP3s.
MP3 → MP4
MP3 to MP4
Put a picture to an MP3 and get an MP4 video ready for YouTube and social apps.
MP4 → MOV
MP4 to MOV
Rewrap MP4 video as a QuickTime MOV file for workflows that ask for .mov.
WAV → MP3
WAV to MP3
Turn big WAV recordings and mixes into small MP3s you can send.
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