video-mute

name	video-mute
description	Remove audio tracks from video files. Use when the user needs to strip audio from videos, create silent versions, or remove unwanted soundtracks from MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WebM, and other video formats.

Video Mute

Remove audio tracks from video files while preserving video quality.

Supported Formats

Format	Extension	Notes
MP4	.mp4	Most common, widely compatible
MOV	.mov	Apple QuickTime format
AVI	.avi	Windows format, larger files
MKV	.mkv	Matroska, supports many codecs
WebM	.webm	Web-optimized format
MPEG	.mpg, .mpeg	Older format
FLV	.flv	Flash video format
WMV	.wmv	Windows Media Video

Quick Start

Remove Audio from Single File

scripts/mute.sh input.mp4 output.mp4

Or use the default naming (appends -muted):

scripts/mute.sh input.mp4
# Creates: input-muted.mp4

Batch Process Multiple Files

Remove audio from all MP4 files in current directory:

scripts/mute.sh *.mp4

Output files will be named with -muted suffix.

Copy Instead of Re-encode (Fastest)

Use copy mode to strip audio without re-encoding video (much faster):

scripts/mute.sh -c input.mp4 output.mp4

Specify Video Codec

# Re-encode with H.264 (better compatibility)
scripts/mute.sh -v libx264 input.mp4 output.mp4

# Re-encode with H.265/HEVC (smaller file size)
scripts/mute.sh -v libx265 input.mp4 output.mp4

Command Options

Option	Description	Example
-c, --copy	Copy video stream (no re-encode, fast)	-c
-v, --vcodec	Video codec (default: copy)	-v libx264
-y, --yes	Overwrite output without asking	-y
-h, --help	Show help	-h

Tool Dependencies

Requires ffmpeg for video processing.

Install ffmpeg:

# macOS
brew install ffmpeg

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install ffmpeg

# Arch
sudo pacman -S ffmpeg

# Fedora
dnf install ffmpeg

Common Workflows

Prepare Videos for Social Media

Remove original audio before adding new soundtrack:

scripts/mute.sh -c vacation.mp4
# Then add new audio with ffmpeg or video editor

Batch Process Folder

Remove audio from all videos in a folder:

for video in ~/Videos/*.mp4; do
    scripts/mute.sh -c "$video"
done

Create Preview Clips

Make short silent preview versions:

# First trim to 10 seconds, then mute
ffmpeg -i long-video.mp4 -t 10 -c copy -an preview.mp4

Strip Audio for Privacy

Remove sensitive audio before sharing:

scripts/mute.sh -c -y meeting-recording.mp4

Performance Tips

• Copy mode (-c): Fastest, no quality loss, same file size
• Re-encoding: Slower, may reduce quality, can reduce file size
• Use copy mode when you just need to remove audio without other changes
• Re-encode only if you need to change video codec or compress further

Troubleshooting

"Unknown encoder" error

Some codecs may not be available. Check available codecs:

ffmpeg -encoders | grep -i h264

Output file is larger than input

Use copy mode (-c) instead of re-encoding.

Quality looks worse

Copy mode preserves original quality. If re-encoding, try a higher bitrate:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -an -vcodec libx264 -crf 18 output.mp4