How to Convert MP4 to MP3 Using Windows Media Player

Kevin ArrowsUpdated on October 19, 2024
Kevin is a certified Network Engineer

MP4 files are widely used for storing video and audio, whereas MP3 is a format dedicated solely to audio. Both formats belong to the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), known for creating file compression standards. The primary distinction between the two is that MP4 supports multimedia content, while MP3 focuses on audio.

Windows Media Player

To convert an MP4 to an MP3 using Windows Media Player, you simply remove the video content, leaving only the audio track. Although Windows Media Player is not a dedicated converter, it has basic capabilities to perform this task. However, it lacks advanced conversion features, such as adjusting bit rates or handling batch conversions, which are available in third-party tools.

1. How to Convert MP4 to MP3 using Windows Media Player

  1. Open Windows Media Player.
  2. Go to File > Open…, find the MP4 file on your computer, select it, and click Open.

  3. With the MP4 file open, click on File > Save as…. Change the extension from .mp4 to .mp3.

  4. Select where you want to save the MP3, then click Save. The conversion will start, and the MP3 file will be saved to your chosen location quickly.

After completing all the steps above, an exact copy of the MP4 file (minus the video part) will be saved to the specified directory on your computer as an MP3 file.

Kevin ArrowsUpdated on October 19, 2024
Kevin is a certified Network Engineer
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Kevin Arrows


Kevin Arrows is a highly experienced and knowledgeable technology specialist with over a decade of industry experience. He holds a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification and has a deep passion for staying up-to-date on the latest tech developments. Kevin has written extensively on a wide range of tech-related topics, showcasing his expertise and knowledge in areas such as software development, cybersecurity, and cloud computing. His contributions to the tech field have been widely recognized and respected by his peers, and he is highly regarded for his ability to explain complex technical concepts in a clear and concise manner.

Comments

24
    RI
    Rick Aug 8, 2018

    I followed your directions. And, like the pic you have associated with Step 3, my “Save as…” option is ghosted, so I can’t click on it. Now what?!

    Reply
      TC
      Tony Celentano Aug 8, 2018

      Hi Rick,

      Are you streaming an MP4 from a website through WMP, or did you use “Open” instead of “Save As” in your browser (which makes the MP4 get saved to a “temp” folder)? The “Save As” option will be greyed out unless the file you are playing is saved locally on your computer – this means saving the MP4 file somewhere like C:, or My Documents, or something like that. Please let me know if this fixes your issue.

      Reply
        TB
        Taylor Barker Sep 27, 2018

        It is the same thing on my computer. I moved the audio file from the network drive (at work) to the local disk on my computer and the “save as” option is still ghosted.

        Reply
          TC
          Tony Celentano Oct 3, 2018

          It may be because the file wasn’t originally saved on your local disk. Honestly though WMP is trash – I highly recommend using Foobar or even Audacity for converting files instead.

      MA
      martin65536 Aug 19, 2018

      Same here, load in a local mp4 file, it’s playing, save as is unavailable

      In fact according to the microsoft help here, it will never be available for local files as it considers the file already saved locally –> https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-pictures/wmp-12-save-file-under-file-tab-is-grayed-out/622fb484-af40-45f8-9b1f-4e23c3796f17

      Reply
      JE
      Jennifer Sep 14, 2019

      It’s even greyed out on the example he shows above. Useless information.

      Reply
        SW
        Shane Warren Author Sep 15, 2019

        These options were disabled in the recent updates of the Windows media player

        Reply
    MA
    martin65536 Aug 20, 2018

    Use VLC instead – it works

    Reply
      A
      Angela T. Nov 7, 2019

      I did this just now, to convert a simple 3-second voice M4a voice file (taken via another Microsoft program) to MP3. Should’ve known already that MS WMP wouldn’t do it–used VLC on previous system for transcription files when WMP wouldn’t (and never did download it to current system–until now). Worked.

      Reply
      FX
      Frans X May 7, 2020

      Hey it works, thanks!

      Reply
    EW
    EwokStud Jan 23, 2020

    I see the “Save As” but it is grayed out. Why?

    Reply
      SW
      Shane Warren Author Jan 25, 2020

      Try to launch the media player as an administrator and check if it helps.

      Reply
        EW
        EwokStud Feb 12, 2020

        Nope. Even running WMP as an administrator, it is still greyed out.

        Reply
          SW
          Shane Warren Author Feb 17, 2020

          i Guess this option was disabled in a recent update of WMP

    DB
    David Beatty Mar 18, 2020

    My Media Player does not have a menu bar at the top…. File/View/Play/Tools/Help …. not there.

    Reply
      SW
      Shane Warren Author Mar 21, 2020

      Press the “ALT” key and check if that helps

      Reply
    JN
    JanetS-NZ Jun 3, 2020

    I had all of these issues – hopefully this helps
    1. Windows Media Player not showing the Menu Bar – Organise> Layout> Show Menu Bar
    2. File> “Save As” is greyed out, open the File Location using File Explorer – right click on the file name and overtype .mp4 with .mp3 (If you don’t see the file extension look up how to get it to show on File Explorer)

    Reply
      SW
      Shane Warren Author Jun 5, 2020

      Added successfully, thank you for sharing.

      Reply
      KS
      Kirsten Swanson Aug 31, 2020

      It sounds as if you are just renaming the file by changing the file type extension. With no need for Windows Media Player at all. That works?

      Reply
    KS
    Kirsten Swanson Aug 29, 2020

    There is no “file” menu in my Windows Media player.

    Reply
      SW
      Shane Warren Author Aug 30, 2020

      Maybe this was patched out in new versions, just open the file you want to convert and select save as option from the menu if you can find it.

      Reply
        KS
        Kirsten Swanson Aug 31, 2020

        My thought exactly. With Janet’s tip below I’m able to show the menu bar. No success yet with converting mp4 to mp3, because when I open the .mp4, the menu bar disappears.

        Reply
    CB
    Christi Dart Benz Jan 16, 2021

    My Windows Media Player doesn’t show ‘File-Play-Tools-Help’
    Instead it only shows ‘Organize-Stream-Create Playlist’
    Suggestions?

    Reply
      MZ
      Muhammad Zubyan Author Jan 17, 2021

      Press “CTRL + M” it will enable the menu bar for you.

      Reply