Last updated
An audio file holds more than sound. Inside it are tags: the title and artist, the album, the year, a free-text comment, the name of the app or recorder that made the file and, often, a cover picture. A voice memo can carry the date and time it was recorded and the name of the phone. A podcast episode can carry the editor’s name and the software they used. An audio metadata remover deletes those tags and leaves the sound exactly as it was. Drop a file in the box above to see what it holds and download a clean copy.
What an audio file remembers
| Format | Where the tags live | Typical contents |
|---|---|---|
| MP3 | ID3v2 block at the start, ID3v1 block at the end | Title, artist, album, year, genre, comment, track number, cover picture, encoder name |
| M4A / AAC | MP4 metadata atoms | Title, artist, album, cover art, creation date, the device or app that recorded the file |
| FLAC | Vorbis comments and picture blocks | Title, artist, comments, replay gain, embedded cover art |
| OGG / OPUS | Vorbis comments | Title, artist, encoder, comments |
| WAV | RIFF INFO chunks, plus a BWF or iXML block from field recorders | Software, artist, comment, and, from recorders, scene, take, date and time of the recording |
| AIFF | Text chunks and an ID3 chunk | Author, name, annotations |
| WMA | ASF content description | Title, author, copyright, description |
Why remove audio metadata
- Voice memos and interviews. The file can record when and on which device it was made, and sometimes the title you gave it.
- Podcasts and demos. Tags name the editor, the software and sometimes a private project title or a client.
- Music before release. Comments and encoder tags can reveal the studio, the working title and who touched the file.
- Evidence and legal files. Recordings sent to a lawyer, a court or a journalist should not leak the device and the account that made them.
- Sharing sample packs and field recordings. Recorder metadata can hold locations and project names.
What the remover deletes, and what it keeps
The cleaner copies the audio stream into a new file of the same format, bit for bit, and writes no tags into it. Nothing is decoded or encoded again, so the sound cannot change and there is no loss of quality.
| Removed | Kept |
|---|---|
| Title, artist, album, year, genre, track number, comment | The audio itself, bit for bit |
| Cover art and any other embedded picture | Format, codec, sample rate and bit rate |
| Encoder and software tags | Length and channel layout |
| Creation and modification dates stored in the tags | Basic container information a player needs |
| Chapter marks and lyrics blocks | The file name you choose |
How to remove metadata from an audio file
- Drop an MP3, M4A, FLAC, WAV, OGG, OPUS or AIFF file in the box at the top of the page, or choose it from your device. You can add several files at once.
- Press the clean button. The file is uploaded to our server, cleaned in a few seconds, and listed with the tags that were found.
- Check the report. It names what was removed, such as Title, Artist, Comment, Encoder or Cover art, and whether anything is left.
- Download the clean file. It is deleted from our server within minutes.
Is it safe to upload audio?
Audio is cleaned on our server, because a file format as varied as audio needs a dedicated media tool. The file is held only while it is being cleaned and for a few minutes after, so you can download it, and then it is deleted. It is never listed, indexed or shared, and the download link is a secret that only you receive. If a recording is too sensitive to leave your device, cut the tags locally with a tool such as ffmpeg using the command below.
ffmpeg -i input.mp3 -map 0:a -map_metadata -1 -map_chapters -1 -c copy -fflags +bitexact output.mp3Supported formats
| Format | Extensions | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| MP3 | .mp3 | ID3v1, ID3v2, APE and cover art |
| AAC / M4A | .m4a .aac | iTunes atoms, cover art, voice memo details |
| FLAC | .flac | Vorbis comments and picture blocks |
| Ogg Vorbis and Opus | .ogg .oga .opus | Vorbis comments, embedded pictures |
| WAV and AIFF | .wav .aiff .aif | RIFF INFO and ID3 chunks |
| Windows Media Audio | .wma | ASF content description |
Frequently asked questions
Does cleaning an MP3 reduce its quality?
No. The audio data is copied, not decoded or encoded again, so the sound is identical to the original. Only the tag blocks are left out.
Does it remove the cover art?
Yes. Cover pictures embedded in MP3, M4A and FLAC files are deleted. The cover art is often the largest part of the tags.
Will my player still show the song?
Yes, it plays normally. It will not show a title, artist or cover, because those are exactly what is removed. Players then fall back to the file name.
Can it clean voice memos?
Yes. Voice memos from phones are usually M4A or WAV files. The creation date, device and title tags are removed.
Are my files kept on your server?
Only while they are being cleaned and for a few minutes afterwards so that you can download them. Then they are deleted.
What is the largest file I can clean?
Up to 25 MB for guests and free accounts, and more on paid plans. The limit for your plan is shown above the drop box.
Can I clean audio with the API?
Yes. Send the file to POST /api/v1/clean/audio with your API key. It returns the clean file and reports what was removed in the response headers.
Does it work on video files with audio?
Use the video metadata remover for MP4, MOV, MKV and WebM files. It cleans the video and audio tracks together.