Turn AVI files into MP3
Pull the sound out of your AVI and keep it as an MP3, leaving the picture behind. MP3 is the usual choice for music libraries and portable players. The practical difference is that the result opens anywhere, which AVI files do not. Your file never leaves your computer.
How to convert AVI to MP3
- 1 Drop your AVI .avi file onto the page, or click to browse for it.
- 2 Choose the sound quality, or lift the existing track out untouched where that is possible.
- 3 Convert. The work happens on your own machine, so how long it takes depends on your computer and the file.
- 4 Download the MP3, or add more files and do the whole set in one go.
Why convert AVI to MP3
- An AVI will not open in a browser, so anything going onto a web page, into a document or into a message has to become an MP3 first.
- You only want the sound: a lecture, an interview, a podcast that was filmed, or a track to listen to with the screen off.
- Plays on every device, browser and stereo ever built.
- All relevant patents have expired, so it is free to use.
- Car stereos and older players.
AVI compared with MP3
How the two formats differ on the things that decide whether a conversion is worth making.
| Property | AVI | MP3 |
|---|---|---|
| File extension | .avi | .mp3 |
| Compression | Lossy or lossless | Lossy |
| Typical file size | Depends on mode | Smaller |
| Browser support | No browser support | Every browser |
| Introduced | 1992 | 1993 |
| Developed by | Microsoft | Fraunhofer IIS |
| Standard | Proprietary | Open |
Quality and what changes
Whether anything is lost depends on the codec. If the track already matches the target, it can be copied out untouched and the audio is bit for bit what was in the AVI. Choosing a different codec means decoding and re-encoding, which is a second generation of lossy compression on top of whatever the video already applied. Encoding at 192 kbps or above keeps that second generation inaudible for most material.
- One MP3 limitation to keep in mind: detail is thrown away, and converting again takes a little more.
Questions about AVI to MP3
Does extracting the audio re-encode it?
Only when the target codec differs from the one in the AVI. Where they match, the track is copied and the result is identical to the audio inside the video. Converting to a different codec means one extra generation of lossy compression.
Is my AVI file uploaded anywhere?
No. The whole thing runs inside the browser tab you already have open. Your AVI is read straight from your own disk, converted on your machine and handed back as an MP3. Nothing is sent anywhere, nothing is stored and there is no account.
Is there a file size limit?
There is no server-side limit because no server sees the file. The real ceiling is your device memory, since the input and the output both have to fit in the tab. A few hundred megabytes is usually fine on a desktop machine and considerably less on a phone.
Can I convert several AVI files at once?
Yes. Add as many as you like and they are processed one after another, then offered as separate MP3 downloads or as a single ZIP. Speed depends on your own processor rather than on a queue.
Does the converter work offline?
Yes, after the page has loaded once. The engine is cached by the browser, so you can disconnect, reload and keep converting. That falls out of doing the work locally rather than being a separate mode you switch on.