Getting audio out of video: the guides
12 pages, each written for one specific situation — the iPhone in your pocket, the editor that will not export audio on its own, the film with three soundtracks, the command line. Every one of them ends with the thing that actually works.
On your phone
iPhone
Extract audio on an iPhone
Four routes that work on iOS 26, and the one Apple quietly removed.
iPhoneThe Shortcuts app route
It works, it is free, and it hands you an M4A — not an MP3. Here is how to build it.
AndroidExtract audio on Android
Chrome on the phone can do this on its own — and what to watch for on Samsung.
On a computer
Windows
MP4 to MP3 on Windows
What Windows ships with, what Clipchamp actually does, and the fastest way in a browser.
macOSMP4 to MP3 on a Mac
QuickTime gives you an M4A, not an MP3. Four routes compared, including the one-line Terminal command.
VLCThe VLC route, step by step
The exact menu path, plus the two settings that make VLC produce an empty or silent file.