Remove the Audio Track from a Video (FFmpeg -an)
Produce a silent copy of a video by dropping its audio stream without re-encoding the picture.
Run ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -an -c:v copy output-silent.mp4 — -an removes audio and -c:v copy keeps the video untouched.
01Command
Command
$ ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -an -c:v copy output-silent.mp402What it does
The -an flag tells FFmpeg to disable audio output entirely, and -c:v copy reuses the original video stream so the picture is byte-identical and the job takes seconds. This is handy for background-loop videos, privacy clips, or when you plan to add a new soundtrack later with the audio replacement workflow. To remove only one of several audio tracks instead, use the -map stream-selection syntax from the same wiki page.
03Risk
!Warning: The audio is discarded permanently in the output file — keep the original if you might need the sound back.
04Undo
✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.
05Sources
- How to use -map to select streamsEvidence: Documents stream selection flags: -an disables audio streams while video is selected/copied, producing a silent output file.
Last verified: 2026-09-18 · Category: Media