What does the -an flag do?

The -an flag tells FFmpeg to exclude all audio streams from the output file. The video stream is copied as-is, so no re-encoding occurs and the operation is nearly instantaneous regardless of file size.

Will the video quality change?

No. The -c:v copy flag copies the video stream byte-for-byte without re-encoding. Resolution, frame rate, and quality are identical to the source.

How do I install FFmpeg?

On macOS: brew install ffmpeg. On Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install ffmpeg. On Windows: download a build from ffmpeg.org/download.html or use winget install ffmpeg. Once installed, run the copied command directly in your terminal.

Can I use this for any video format?

Yes. FFmpeg supports virtually every format — MP4, MKV, MOV, AVI, WebM, FLV, TS, and more. Pick the output format that matches your target container. When in doubt, MP4 works everywhere.

What if I only want to mute one audio track but keep others?

Use -map 0:v to select only the video stream, which achieves the same result. For selectively keeping specific audio streams use -map 0:v -map 0:a:1 (to keep the second audio track, for example). The simple -an command removes all audio.

How long does the mute operation take?

Because -c:v copy skips re-encoding, the operation is typically 10–50x faster than the video duration. A 1-hour video usually processes in under a minute.

Video Muter

Name: Video Muter
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Generate the exact FFmpeg command to remove audio from any video file — paste your filenames, copy the command, run it locally.

Mute Settings

Input filename

Include the file extension (mp4, mkv, mov, avi, webm, ...)

Output filename

Output container

Add -y flag (overwrite output without prompt)

What this command does

-an drops all audio streams from the output
-c:v copy copies video stream without re-encoding — no quality loss, very fast
Output file is identical to input video — same resolution, frame rate, and codec

FFmpeg Command

Requires FFmpeg installed on your machine. Run in your terminal from the folder containing the video file.

Alternative Commands

Keep only video stream (explicit mapping)

Uses -map 0:v to explicitly select only video streams — useful when the file has multiple tracks.

Mute and re-encode to H.264 (MP4)

Re-encodes the video with libx264 at CRF 23. Slower than copy but ensures maximum compatibility and smaller file size.

Batch — mute all MP4 files in a folder

Bash loop that processes every *.mp4 in the current directory and writes silent copies to a silent/ subfolder.

Copied!

Summary

Generate the exact FFmpeg command to remove audio from any video file — paste your filenames, copy the command, run it locally.

How it works

Enter the name of your input video file (e.g. interview.mp4).
Enter the desired output filename (e.g. interview_silent.mp4).
Choose the output container format: MP4, MKV, MOV, WebM, or AVI.
The tool builds the FFmpeg command with the -an flag to drop all audio streams.
The -c:v copy flag ensures the video is remuxed without re-encoding — fast and lossless.
Click "Copy command" and paste it into your terminal to run the mute.

Use cases

Remove unwanted background noise or music from a screen recording.
Prepare a silent B-roll clip before adding a new voiceover in an editor.
Strip audio from a video before publishing when audio rights are unclear.
Reduce file size slightly by dropping unused audio tracks from archival footage.
Create silent versions of ads or social videos for autoplay-muted feeds.
Remove sensitive audio from a video before sharing it externally.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-06-11 · Reviewed by Nham Vu