How to Convert MOV to MP3 (iPhone and Mac Videos)

To convert MOV to MP3, you pull the sound out of the video and save it as an MP3, dropping the picture. That's handy for iPhone videos of concerts, talks and family moments, and for screen recordings made on a Mac. Our video to MP3 converter does it in one step: choose the MOV, press Start, download the MP3. It's a pro tool; a free account can try it on videos up to 30 seconds.

Where MOV files come from

MOV is Apple's video format, so you'll usually have one from:

• An iPhone or iPad. Videos recorded with the iPhone camera are .mov files when you copy them to a computer or the Files app.
• A Mac screen recording. Screenshot (Shift-Command-5) and QuickTime Player save recordings as .mov.
• QuickTime Player recordings of the camera or microphone.
• Some cameras and video editors, which export MOV by default.

Common reasons to want just the audio: a song from a concert or a school function, a speech or sermon to listen to again, a lecture recorded on your phone, a voice track from a screen recording, or your child singing, to share as audio with grandparents.

Step by step

1. Open the video to MP3 converter and sign in.
2. Under Choose a file, pick your MOV. On an iPhone, tap Photo Library to choose straight from Photos, or Choose File for the Files app. On a Mac, drag it in from Finder or pick it in the file window.
3. Press Start. Extracting audio is quick, usually much faster than the video's length.
4. Press Download result to save the MP3. It's available for 1 hour.

There are no settings to get wrong. The MP3 is saved at high quality, a variable bitrate averaging around 190 kbps, which works for music and voice alike. That's roughly 1.4 MB per minute, so a 5-minute song is about 7 MB, much smaller than the video it came from. If the MOV has more than one sound track, the first one is used.

Files up to 500 MB and 60 minutes are accepted on a paid plan.

Trying it free

Video to MP3 is a pro tool. A free account can try it on MOV videos up to 30 seconds, with 5 free tries a day across all our pro tools. That covers short clips, voice messages recorded as video, and a test of the quality before you commit.

Many iPhone videos are longer than that. If you only need part of the sound, say one song from an hour-long function video, cut it first with trim video: it accepts MOV, and free tries cover any trim where the part you keep is 30 seconds or less. For longer audio, see the plans.

On the iPhone itself

The whole thing works in Safari:

1. Open the converter and tap Choose a file, then Photo Library.
2. Pick the video. iPhone may prepare it for a moment before it's ready.
3. Tap Start, then Download result. The MP3 saves to the Files app, usually in Downloads.

From Files, you can share the MP3 to WhatsApp, email it, or add it to a music or podcast app that accepts files. To set it as a ringtone, cut the best 30 seconds first; see how to make a ringtone from a song.

The Mac's built-in option

On a Mac, QuickTime Player can export just the sound: open the MOV, choose File > Export As > Audio Only, and you get an M4A file. That's fine for Apple devices. If you need MP3 specifically, for an older car stereo, a Windows PC or a website that only accepts MP3, convert the M4A with the audio converter, or go straight from MOV to MP3 with the video to MP3 converter. See how to convert M4A to MP3 for the first route.

After you have the MP3

• Keep only one part with the free MP3 cutter. It cuts on your device without re-encoding, so there's no further quality loss, and nothing is uploaded.
• Need WAV or M4A instead? The audio converter converts MP3 to WAV, M4A, OGG or FLAC, though it can't add back detail the MP3 already dropped. For the best quality, keep the original MOV.
• Want the video to play on Windows or Android too? That's a different job: MOV to MP4 keeps the picture and makes it play everywhere.

Common problems

• "That file isn't a video we can read." The file may still be downloading from iCloud. In Photos, open the video and wait until it plays, then try again.
• The MP3 is silent, or you see "We couldn't extract audio from that video." Some screen recordings have no sound at all. On a Mac, recording system audio needs extra setup, and the microphone must be chosen in the recording options.
• The free try is refused. Free tries take videos up to 30 seconds. Trim the part you need first, or upgrade for longer videos.

For other video formats such as MP4 and MKV, see how to convert MP4 to MP3.

Your files and privacy

The conversion runs on our servers, so your video is uploaded. It's deleted as soon as it's converted, and the MP3 is available to download for 1 hour, then deleted too.

Convert your MOV

Pick the video, press Start and download your MP3 with the video to MP3 converter. MOV clips up to 30 seconds can be tried with a free account.