How to Remove Audio from a Video in Avidemux (Mute/Delete Track)
Removing audio in Avidemux means disabling the audio track (or tracks) before saving, so the output file contains video only. In current 2.8.x builds you do this under Audio > Select Track by unchecking the tracks — the video stream is untouched and stays in Copy mode, so there is no quality loss and the job finishes in seconds. This guide shows the exact 2.8.x steps, the difference between disabling a track and setting Audio Output to “None”, and when a different tool is the honest answer.
Method: disable the audio track (2.8.x)
- Open your video in Avidemux.
- Go to Audio > Select Track. A track list opens showing the audio streams in the file.
- Uncheck every audio track you want to remove.
- Set Video Output to Copy (video untouched, no re-encode).
- Set Output Format to match your container (e.g. Mp4 Muxer for MP4).
- Press Save and name the file with its extension, e.g.
silent.mp4.
The saved file contains the original video stream and no audio stream. Playback time: seconds, not minutes.
“Disable track” vs “Audio Output: None”
| Option | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Audio > Select Track > uncheck tracks | Drops the audio stream(s) from the output entirely | You want a video-only file (most cases) |
| Audio Output > None | Tells the muxer not to write an audio stream | Equivalent result for single-track files; the track method gives finer control with multiple tracks |
Both achieve a silent output. The track method is the one to learn because it also handles multi-track files — uncheck the commentary track but keep the main one, for example.
Container quirks to know about
- MP4 without audio is perfectly valid and plays everywhere. No special settings needed beyond disabling the track.
- TS/M2TS muxer: forum users have reported crashes when disabling all audio tracks with the MPEG-TS muxer on some builds. If that happens to you, switch the Output Format to MKV Muxer or Mp4 Muxer instead.
- Keep at least the video in Copy mode. Removing audio never requires re-encoding the video — if a guide tells you to re-encode for this, it is wasting your time.
When to use a different tool (honest comparison)
Avidemux is the fastest option for the common case, but it is not always the best tool:
| Situation | Best tool | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Remove audio from one file, keep video as-is | Avidemux | Two clicks, Copy mode, done in seconds |
| Strip audio from many files at once | ffmpeg (-an flag) |
One command loops over a folder; Avidemux is GUI-first |
| Remove one of several audio/subtitle streams from MKV | MKVToolNix | Purpose-built stream editor with a visual track list; Avidemux forum moderators recommend it for this exact job |
Want to swap the audio instead of deleting it? See our replace audio track guide. Want the audio as its own file? See extract audio to MP3.
Frequently asked questions
Where is “Audio > Main track” in Avidemux 2.8?
It no longer exists — that menu path is from pre-2.6 versions. In 2.8.x, go to Audio > Select Track and uncheck the tracks you want to remove.
Will removing audio reduce video quality?
No. With Video Output set to Copy, the video stream is copied bit-for-bit. Only the audio stream is dropped.
Avidemux crashes when I disable all audio tracks. What now?
This is a known issue with the MPEG-TS muxer on some builds. Switch Output Format to MKV Muxer or Mp4 Muxer and save again.
How do I remove audio from multiple videos at once?
Avidemux is not the right tool for batch jobs. Use ffmpeg with the -an flag (which drops all audio streams while copying video), or see our batch processing guide.