Remove audio from a video without uploading it
This tool takes the sound out of a video and saves a silent copy. Drop an MP4, MOV, WebM or MKV file, check the list of tracks the tool found, and press Remove sound. A few moments later you can watch the result and download it. The video is read and written by your own browser, so there is no upload, no account, no watermark and no waiting in a queue.
- Background noise: wind, traffic or a loud room that spoils an otherwise good clip.
- Privacy: a conversation in the background that should not be shared along with the picture.
- Music and voice-over later: start from a silent clip before you add your own sound in an editor.
- Silent loops: videos for a website background, a presentation or a screen in a shop window that should never make a sound.
Why the picture does not change
A video file is a container that holds separate tracks: usually one video track and one or more sound tracks, each stored in its own compressed format. To mute a video, the tool does not need to touch the picture at all. It opens the container, copies every packet of the video track into a new container of the same type, and simply leaves the sound tracks out. Nothing is decoded and nothing is compressed again, so the picture in the new file is the same data as in the original, frame for frame. This is also why it is fast: the tool only copies data and never has to encode video.
The new file keeps the video codec, the resolution, the frame rate and the orientation flag of phone videos, so a portrait clip stays upright. If the original has more than one sound track, for example two languages, all of them are removed. Subtitle tracks, chapters and other tracks that are neither video nor sound are not carried over, because Mediabunny, the library that reads the file, only reads video and sound tracks. The tool reads the new file back after writing it and lists its tracks, so you can confirm that only the video is left.
How much smaller the file gets
The saving is the space the sound took up in the original, give or take a little for the container's own index. How large that share is differs from video to video: it depends on the bitrate of the sound, the number of sound tracks and how much space the picture needs. The tool shows the size before and after and the change in percent, so you do not have to guess. Sizes count 1 KB as 1,024 bytes and 1 MB as 1,024 KB.
If you need a much smaller file, removing the sound will not be enough; the picture itself has to be compressed more, which means re-encoding it. To shorten the video instead, cut it with the video trimmer first and mute the clip afterwards.
Supported files and devices
The tool reads and writes MP4, MOV, WebM and MKV files, and the muted video is always saved in the same file type as the original: an iPhone MOV stays a MOV. Inside, it does not matter which codec the video uses, because it is copied and not decoded. Other formats, such as AVI or MPEG transport streams, are not supported.
Because nothing is encoded, muting does not need the WebCodecs encoders of your browser, so it does not depend on the video encoding support that differs between browsers and devices. On iPhone and iPad it works the same way as on a computer; what can differ there is the preview, which depends on the formats Safari can play, and the memory that is free. The preview of the result uses your browser's own video player. If it cannot play a format, for example an MKV file in a browser without MKV playback, the tool still writes the file and you can download it; the preview simply stays empty with a short note.
The new file is built in your browser's memory before you download it. A very long, high resolution video can therefore fail on a phone or a computer with little free memory. Closing other tabs helps, or cut the video into shorter parts first.
How to mute a video
- 1Drop an MP4, MOV, WebM or MKV video on the box, or choose it from your device.
- 2Check the tracks the tool found. The sound tracks are the ones that will be removed.
- 3Press Remove sound. Watch the silent result in the player and compare the sizes.
- 4Change the file name if you like and press Download video.
Want to keep the sound instead of the picture? The audio extractor saves the sound of a video as a WAV file, and the MP4 to MP3 converter as an MP3.
How it works
The tool runs on Mediabunny, an open-source media library licensed under MPL-2.0. It reads the container, drops the sound tracks and copies the encoded video packets into a new container without decoding them. The work runs in a background thread, so the page stays responsive, and you can cancel it at any time.
Sources
- Mediabunny: Converting media files: discarding tracks and copying media without re-encoding
- Mediabunny: Supported formats and codecs: reading and writing MP4, MOV, WebM and MKV
Frequently asked questions
Is my video uploaded?
No. Your browser reads the video from your device, removes the sound track and builds the new file in the same tab. Nothing is sent to a server, so the clip and whatever was said in it stay with you.
Does muting change the picture quality?
No. The video data is copied into the new file packet by packet without being decoded or encoded again, so the picture is the same as in the original. Only the sound tracks are left out. Subtitle tracks, chapters and other tracks that are neither video nor sound are not carried over either, because the library that reads the file only reads video and sound tracks.
How much smaller does the file get?
That depends on how much of the file the sound takes up. The tool shows the size before and after and the difference in percent, so you can see it for your video.
Can I mute only part of a video?
No, this tool removes the sound from the whole video. You can cut the part you need first with the video trimmer on this site and then mute the clip.
Which files work?
MP4, MOV, WebM and MKV files. The muted video is saved in the same file type, and the video codec inside, for example H.264, HEVC or VP9, is kept as it is.
Is the sound replaced with silence?
No, the sound track is removed completely, so the new file has no audio track at all. Video players simply play it without sound.