---
title: "How to Convert Media Files with FFmpeg"
description: "In this article: Supported File TypesConvert Audio FilesConvert Video FilesExtract Audio from Videos There are many free audio editors and video editors that can convert between multiple formats, add..."
url: https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/live-broadcasting/convert-media-files-ffmpeg/
date: 2019-09-09
modified: 2021-12-08
author: "InMotion Hosting Contributor"
categories: ["Live Broadcasting"]
type: post
lang: en
---

# How to Convert Media Files with FFmpeg

**In this article:**

- [Supported File Types](#supported)
- [Convert Audio Files](#audio)
- [Convert Video Files](#video)
- [Extract Audio from Videos](#extract)

There are many [free audio editors](/support/edu/live-broadcasting/free-audio-editors/) and [video editors](/support/edu/live-broadcasting/free-video-editors/) that can convert between multiple formats, add metadata, and add effects to improve sound quality – e.g. Audacity noise cancellation. But sometimes all you need is a different file format. Many *audiophiles* prefer Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) and Ogg Vorbis (OGG), but many music platforms prefer an uncompressed 16-32 bit Windows audio (Wav) file or different levels of compressed MP3. This is can be quickly achieved in a terminal with FFmpeg.

VPS / Dedicated server administrators, and Linux desktop users can install FFmpeg for in-depth recording, streaming, and conversion functions for *Flac, Mp3, Ogg, Raw, Wav, Mkv, Mov, Mp4, Webm, and more*.

If you don’t have FFmpeg installed on your VPS or Dedicated server, [email our 24/7 Live Support](/support/amp/how-to-get-great-technical-support/) to request a free installation.

Below we’ll **cover supported file types and converting a file in FFmpeg**.

## Supported File Types

Before getting started, you should know how to check for file types and codecs you may need to convert.

1. [Log in to SSH](/support/server/ssh/do-you-provide-ssh-access/) or [cPanel Terminal](/support/edu/cpanel/how-to-launch-the-cpanel-terminal/)
2. List FFmpeg-supported file types with the command `ffmpeg -formats`
3. (Optional) Filter the results for a specific format for faster results: `ffmpeg -formats | grep mp3`
4. List supported codecs with the command `ffmpeg -codecs`
5. [Navigate to your media files directory](/support/server/linux/using-the-linux-cd-command/) with `cd` command

### Audio Files

**Convert audio files** with the command `ffmpeg -i input.ogg output.mp3`

### Video Files

**Convert video files** with the command `ffmpeg -i input.mp4 output.webm`

### Convert Multiple Files

**Convert a file to multiple files **by adding more filenames with a different extension to the end of the command:
`ffmpeg -i input.mp3 output.wav **output.****ogg**** output.****mp4**`

### Extract Audio from Video

Extract the audio from a recorded video with the command `ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vn audio-only.ogg`

This is helpful for sharing broadcasts [live streams and ](/support/edu/live-broadcasting/screencasting-tools/)[screencasts](/support/edu/live-broadcasting/screencasting-tools/) on [podcast platforms](/support/edu/live-broadcasting/podcast-websites/).

Want to self-host your podcasts? Check out the [PowerPress](/support/edu/wordpress/powerpress-podcast-episodes-wordpress/)[ Podcasting plugin](/support/edu/wordpress/powerpress-podcast-episodes-wordpress/) with our NGINX-powered [WordPress Hosting](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/wordpress-hosting).

You can use the `ffmpeg -version` and `ffmpeg -help` commands for troubleshooting information. Learn more from our [Live Broadcasting channel](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/live-broadcasting/) and [FFmpeg.org](https://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg.html).