How to Convert MP4 to MP3 using FFmpeg on Windows 11

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Converting MP4 video files to MP3 audio files on Windows 11 is easy with FFmpeg. This guide will show you how to install FFmpeg, set up your environment, and run the conversion.

What You Need

  • A Windows 11 PC
  • FFmpeg (installed in step 1 below)
  • An MP4 video file you want to convert

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Download and Install FFmpeg

  1. Download FFmpeg
  • Go to the FFmpeg official website.
  • Click “Windows” under “Get packages & executable files”.
  • Choose a build (e.g., gyan.dev or BtbN).
  • Download the 64-bit version (if your system is 64-bit).
  1. Extract the Files
  • Find the downloaded .zip file in your Downloads folder.
  • Right-click the .zip file and select “Extract All…”.
  • Extract it to a folder, for example: C:\FFmpeg.
  1. Add FFmpeg to the Path
  • Open Start and search for “Environment Variables”.
  • Click “Edit the system environment variables”.
  • In System Properties, select “Environment Variables…”.
  • Under “System variables”, find and select “Path”. Click “Edit…”.
  • Click “New” and paste the full path to the bin folder inside C:\FFmpeg (e.g., C:\FFmpeg\bin).
  • Click “OK” to confirm changes.

2. Convert MP4 to MP3

  1. Open a Command Prompt
  • Right-click the Start button and select “Windows Terminal (Admin)”.
  1. Change Directories
  • Type cd followed by the path to the folder containing your MP4 file. For example: 
    cd C:\Users\YourName\Videos
  1. Run the Conversion Command
  • Type the following command, replacing input.mp4 and output.mp3 with your filenames: 
    ffmpeg -i input.mp4 output.mp3
  • Press Enter. FFmpeg will convert the file and create output.mp3 in the same folder.

Diagram of the Process


flowchart LR
A["Have MP4 file"] --> B["Download and install FFmpeg"]
B --> C["Set FFmpeg path in Environment Variables"]
C --> D["Open Windows Terminal"]
D --> E["Run ffmpeg -i input.mp4 output.mp3"]
E --> F["MP3 file created"]