Mute a video
"Mute video" and "remove audio from video" are the same operation under different names. Both mean dropping the audio track from the container; both produce a silent video file. Here's the command and the trade-offs.
What actually changes
Muting a video and removing audio from a video are the same operation: the audio track gets dropped from the container. The output file has no audio stream - which means it plays back silently on every player. This is different from lowering the audio track's volume to zero (which keeps the track but silences it, and needs an audio re-encode). Real mute = drop the track.
The technical mechanics: video files store video and audio as parallel tracks. Removing a track is a container-level edit that writes a new container without the removed track. The video bytes are copied through untouched. No decode, no re-encode, no quality loss on the video. File size drops by the audio bitrate's share of the total.
When to use "mute" as the framing vs. "remove audio": both search terms end up on the same operation, so pick the phrasing that matches your intent. Muting implies "make this video silent" (usually for uploading somewhere that would strip audio anyway, or for a workflow that adds a new soundtrack later). Removing audio implies "get rid of the audio track" (usually for privacy - the recording captured something you don't want shared, or for file-size reduction).
Wave's current build handles this operation the same way as /remove-audio-from-video/: not with a dedicated UI button, but through the ffmpeg command line locally. The one-liner is `ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c copy -an output.mp4`. For an MP4 source, this runs in seconds. Wave's browser conversion is video-preserving by default - dropping audio in the browser needs the roadmap UI addition.
Three steps.
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Step 1
For an MP4 you have on disk: run ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c copy -an output.mp4 to produce a muted MP4.
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Step 2
For a MOV / MKV / WebM you need to convert first: use the relevant Wave conversion page for the container swap, then run the ffmpeg command above on the MP4 output.
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Step 3
The muted file is the same video with no audio track - plays silently in every player.
Answers, specifically.
Is "muting" different from "removing audio"?
For the file-level operation, no - both mean dropping the audio track from the container. Different search terms, same operation.
Can I mute audio without dropping the track?
Yes with a re-encode: `ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v copy -af "volume=0" output.mp4`. Track stays; audio is silent. Slightly larger file than the drop-track path (silent audio still takes some bytes). Use case: workflows that need to preserve the audio track shape (dubbing pipelines, audio-track-aware editors).
iOS Photos app to mute a video?
Yes. iOS Photos → open video → Edit → tap the yellow speaker icon in the top-left corner → tap Done. Produces a muted version of the video (leaves the original alone, saves the muted copy).
macOS QuickTime Player to mute?
File → Export As → check "Options" → uncheck "Audio". Produces a muted export in the same format.
YouTube Studio or Vimeo Upload - do they preserve muted uploads?
Yes on both. YouTube specifically flags videos with no audio track but still processes them normally. Vimeo doesn't comment on it. Neither adds a placeholder audio track.
Instagram Reels - can I upload a muted video?
Yes, but Instagram's Reels editor forces you to add music or the "Original audio" attribution before publishing. The muted upload survives; the Reels flow just wants an audio source declared.
Discord upload of a muted video - anything to watch out for?
No. Discord uploads a silent video correctly and viewers just see no audio icon. The embedded player shows the "waveform disabled" state.