“Your browser can’t extract audio.”

Error details

Message on screen

“Your browser can’t extract audio. Try a recent Chrome, Edge or Safari.”

Internal code

unsupported

Where it appears

MP3 conversion in your browser: WebCodecs AudioDecoder missing

HTTP status

None: notification in the page

Does retrying help?

Not in the same browser. Update it or switch browsers.

How to fix it

1. Update the browser. Install the latest Safari (via iOS/macOS updates), Chrome, Edge or Firefox.
2. Open the page in a real browser. If you came from a link inside an app, use “Open in browser”.
3. Convert the MP4 yourself. Download the MP4 and convert with any desktop tool or ffmpeg -i clip.mp4 -vn clip.mp3.

What this message means

The check is a single line in our code: if AudioDecoder is undefined, stop. Chromium browsers (Chrome, Edge, Opera, Samsung Internet) have shipped it for years. Firefox added WebCodecs on desktop in version 130. Safari added video decoding first and audio decoding later, so older iOS and macOS versions fail here.

Nothing is uploaded or lost when this happens; the MP4 buttons keep working.

Why it happens

• An older Safari / iOS. Older iPhones or iPads that can't update Safari lack the audio decoder.
• Firefox before 130, or a Firefox build without WebCodecs. Update Firefox, or use a Chromium browser for the MP3.
• In-app browsers. Browsers built into other apps (opening our link from inside an app) can disable newer APIs.

What the browser is missing

The MP3 converter relies on WebCodecs, a browser API that gives web pages access to the device's audio decoders. Before starting, the page checks whether AudioDecoder exists. If it doesn't, nothing is downloaded and this message appears straight away. The check is about the browser build, not your connection or the video.

Current Chrome, Edge, Opera and Samsung Internet include it. Desktop Firefox added it in version 130. Safari added audio decoding later than video decoding, so older iOS and macOS versions are the most common reason for this message. Embedded browsers inside other apps (in-app browsers from social or chat apps) can lag behind the system browser too; opening the page in the real browser often fixes it.

Nothing about your network, the post or your account changes the result: the same browser will show this message for every video until it gains the missing API, and a different browser on the same device may convert the very same clip without trouble.

Privacy-hardened browser configurations can also hide the API on purpose; if you turned on strict fingerprinting protection, try a normal profile.

Workarounds that need no update

• Download the MP4 instead and convert it later on a device that supports the MP3 button.
• Open the same post on a computer with a current Chrome or Edge: the MP3 is created there in seconds.
• Use an offline tool such as ffmpeg -i clip.mp4 -vn -b:a 128k clip.mp3 if you are comfortable with the command line.

Questions people ask