Top 3 Ways to Mute Audio in a Video on Mac

Removing audio from videos is often needed to create clean clips or overlay new narration. While advanced Mac software like Final Cut Pro provides robust audio tools, you can actually mute footage right within QuickTime Player, iMovie, or VLC Player – no expert skills required. Here are the top 3 ways to mute audio in a video on Mac using these free built-in apps. Each option allows fast, simple audio editing to temporarily mute clips or completely delete soundtracks from the footage.

Method 1: Use QuickTime Player to Mute Video Audio

QuickTime Player comes pre-installed on all Mac computers, making it a convenient option for quick audio edits. To mute the sound in a video using QuickTime Player, follow these steps:

1. Locate the video file in Finder that you want to mute and double-click to open it in QuickTime Player.

2. In the QuickTime Player menu bar, click “Edit” and select “Remove Audio”.

3. QuickTime Player will remove the audio, so then click File at the top right side and select Save. Then you can rename it & save it in your desired location on your Mac.

Method 2: Use iMovie to Mute Clips

iMovie is a free video editing software for Mac. With iMovie, you can import video clips and mute the audio on individual clips as needed.

1. Drag and drop the video files you want to edit into an iMovie project or use the import menu.

2. Right-click the clip you want to mute in the timeline & select Detach Audio.

3. The audio waveform will separate from the clip. Right-click on the audio part & select delete.

 

4. Then click the Share button at the top right corner and select Export File.

5. From here you can change the video resolution, and quality and click Next. Now you can rename it & save it in your desired location on your Mac.

Method 3: Use VLC Player to Mute Audio

VLC Player offers a handy built-in conversion feature that lets you remove audio from videos entirely. Though a bit hidden, it's easy to find with a few clicks.

1. Play the video file you want to mute with VLC Player.

2. Next, navigate up to the File menu and select Convert / Stream. This opens the conversion dialog box.

3. In the conversion window, click over to the Customize tab on the right.

   

4. Go to the Audio codec settings and simply uncheck the box to disable audio output. Hit Apply to have VLC strip out the audio.

5. Finally, click the Save as File button to export this new muted version of your video. VLC prompts you to pick a destination folder and name for the converted mute file. Set that up and hit Save to complete the process.

Conclusion

QuickTime Player, iMovie, and VLC Player make it simple to mute or delete audio from videos on a Mac, with no expert skills required. QuickTime delivers instant one-click audio muting for temporary changes. iMovie lets you detach audio with precision on certain clips. And VLC Player strips out sound fully through fast built-in conversion. With these handy Mac apps, you have all the options needed to effortlessly edit audio to mute clips or remove it permanently from footage.