How to Extract the Audio from a Video File in Windows

This tutorial will walk you through the steps to export/extract the audio from a video file, using free software, in Windows.

Following the guide below, you can convert a video file (eg. .MP4, .AVI, .MKV, .MPG and may others) and save it as a separate audio file (eg. .MP3, .WAV, .OGG and make others).

1. First up, download and install the program “Best Video Converter” (seriously, that’s what the program is called… I didn’t name it). The installation is very straight forward. Launch “Best Video Converter” from your Start Menu after it has been installed.
2. Click the very large Open button in the upper-left corner.


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3. Navigate to the video file you want to extract the audio from, select it, and click Open


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4. Now click the very large Convert button (don’t worry, you’ll pick the format you want to save the audio as in the next step).


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5. Click the Customize button in the Output format section.


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6. Scroll down to the Standard Audio section of the list. From here you can select the type of audio file you want to create – and there are a lot of choices. In the example below I’ve selected .MP3 as the file type, since you can play .mp3’s on nearly every audio device out there.


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7. Once you’ve made your selection, you’ll be taken back to the Convert Files To… window. If you’d like to change the folder that the audio file will be saved in, click the Change button in the Destination folder section. Navigate to the folder you want to save your file in, select it and click OK. Once you’re ready, click the Start Conversion button.


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8. The program will now extract the audio from your video file, and save it as a new file – leaving the source video file exactly as it was. The process can take a while, depending on the type of video file you’re working with, the type of audio file you selected as the output, and the overall speed of your PC.


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9. Once the process has completed, a Windows Explorer window will pop up and open the folder with your newly created audio file.


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10. All done! From here you can import your file to iTunes or your default media player.