WAV is the format you choose when you do not want to lose anything. It stores the sound uncompressed, which makes it a good starting point for editing, mixing or archiving. This page converts MP4 to WAV, and MOV, MKV and WebM videos too, with the format already selected.
Drop your video, press Extract audio, and save the result. Everything runs in your browser, so the video is never uploaded. Below you will find when WAV is the right call, how big the file will be, and how to prepare the sound before you export it.
How to convert MP4 to WAV
- Drop your video onto the page, or pick it from your files.
- Check the 'Save as' choice. WAV is already selected here.
- Press Extract audio.
- Save the .wav file when the bar finishes. If you added several videos, download them together as a zip.
The WAV keeps the name of your video. Your original is not touched, so you can run it again with other settings at any time.
You do not need to change any setting for a normal job. There is no quality slider, because WAV is uncompressed and so has no quality to trade away. The only choices that matter are which video you start from and whether you trim it first.
Before you start, the WAV tile shows a rough size, and the panel lists the length, the channels (mono or stereo) and the sample rate of the sound. Read the size first. It is the one thing about WAV that surprises people.
MOV, MKV and WebM to WAV work the same way
The page takes MOV, MKV, WebM and M4V files as well as MP4, and the video format makes no difference to the sound you get (MOV vs MP4 explains how the formats differ). The steps do not change, so MOV to WAV works exactly like MP4 to WAV, and holiday.mov comes back as holiday.wav. If a video has no sound track, the panel tells you so and there is nothing to save.
What uncompressed WAV means for your file
Formats like MP3 shrink the sound by discarding detail that most people cannot hear. WAV does not. The sound is stored as it is, so the file is as good as the sound in the video. The price is size: a WAV is much bigger than the same sound saved as MP3 or AAC.
| Question | WAV | MP3 or AAC |
|---|---|---|
| Detail kept | Everything in the video sound | Re-encoded once at a balanced quality |
| File size | Large | Small |
| Best for | Editing, mixing, archiving | Listening and sharing |
| Easy to email | Often too big | Usually fine |
One point is worth knowing. If the sound in your video was already compressed, as it usually is in a video file, saving it as WAV does not bring back the detail that was lost. It simply avoids losing any more.
When a smaller file is the better answer
If you only want to listen, or the file has to travel by email or chat, video to MP3 gives a much lighter file. The main Extract audio tool also offers AAC, saved as an .aac file.
Prepare the sound before you export a WAV
Because a WAV is a good base for further work, it pays to tidy the source first. Each of these steps happens in the video, before you extract.
- Cut to the part you need. A short WAV is a small WAV. Use Trim video and extract from the shorter clip.
- Even out the level. If a quiet recording will need lifting later, normalise the video audio first. It raises the loudest point to a safe level without clipping.
- Leave other effects alone. The extraction saves the sound as it is, so any hum, hiss or room echo comes along too.
Plan your disk space as well. A long recording saved as WAV can take a great deal of room. If the file is bigger than you want, trim the video first or pick a smaller format.
Who needs a WAV from a video
Most people are happy with a smaller file. A video to WAV conversion is worth the extra size in a handful of situations, and it helps to know whether yours is one of them.
- Music makers: a live performance filmed on a phone can be pulled out as WAV and opened in your audio program, with nothing squeezed out along the way.
- Video editors: many editing programs take WAV happily, and a separate sound file lets you work on the audio on its own.
- Podcasters and interviewers: keep an uncompressed master of a recorded conversation, then make MP3 copies for listeners.
- Archivists: store the sound of an old family video in a format that every audio program can read.
- Transcription and captioning: some services ask for WAV, so check what yours accepts before you choose.
If none of these fits, a smaller format will do the job and is easier to move around.
Mono, stereo and sample rate
The panel shows the channels and the sample rate of the sound in your video. Those are the facts of the source, and they tell you what you are about to save: a mono voice recording will give a smaller WAV than a stereo music clip of the same length. Use these numbers to judge the size before you press the button, and to check that the video really holds the sound you expect.
What this converter does and does not do
The tool saves the sound of your video exactly as it is, in an uncompressed file. It makes no other changes, which is what you want from a starting point for editing.
- It does not clean up noise, hum or echo.
- It does not change the length or the loudness.
- It does not add tags or cover art.
- It does not touch your original video, which stays exactly as it was.
For any of those changes, use your audio program on the WAV once you have it, or adjust the video first with the tools on this site.
A free MP4 to WAV converter that stays on your device
The conversion runs on your own machine, in current Chrome, Edge or Firefox on a Windows, Mac or Linux computer. The video is not uploaded, and the server does no video work. There is no account, no watermark and no charge.
Most videos have no size limit. Some, such as certain AVI or WMV files, are handled more slowly and can be up to 2 GB.
Video tools do not count towards the daily limit that applies to document conversions, so you can convert as many videos as you like.
Save the WAV and start editing
When you need every detail of the sound, MP4 to WAV is the safest choice, and any other video to WAV works the same way. Drop your video in the tool above, check the size on the WAV tile, and press Extract audio.
If you decide a smaller file will do, use video to MP3 instead.
