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Extract Audio from a Video with ffmpeg (No Re-encode)

Save a video's audio track to its own file instantly by stream-copying instead of re-encoding.

LinuxaudiomediaffmpegLow risk
Run ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -acodec copy audio.m4a to dump the audio stream untouched into audio.m4a.

01Command

Command
$ ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -acodec copy audio.m4a

02What it does

-vn tells ffmpeg to drop the video stream and -acodec copy copies the audio bytes as-is, so the extraction takes seconds and loses zero quality. The output extension should match the source codec — .m4a for AAC (as in most MP4 files), .opus for WebM/Opus, .mp3 for MP3. If you need a different format, replace copy with an encoder, e.g. -acodec libmp3lame -b:a 192k, which re-encodes.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
Requirementsffmpeg installed

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • ffmpeg(1) — Ubuntu manpage
    Ubuntu · community · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Ubuntu manpage documents ffmpeg's -vn (disable video) and -acodec copy (stream copy audio codec) options
  • ffmpeg(1) — Debian manpage
    Debian · community · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Debian manpage describes -vn disabling video recording and -acodec copy for codec stream copy

Last verified: 2026-09-19 · Category: Media

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Transcode any input video to MP4 (H.264 + AAC) with sensible quality settings for sharing and playback everywhere.

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Extract the audio track from a video with ffmpeg
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Dump a video's audio into a standalone MP3 (or WAV/FLAC/AAC) file without touching the video itself.

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