How to remove background noise from a recording

Got a voice memo or recording with steady hiss, hum or fan noise in the background? You can reduce it in your browser — for free, with nothing uploaded — by showing the tool what the noise sounds like.

Clean up your recording in 3 steps

  1. Open the Noise Reducer and drop your recording in. Choose or drag an MP3, M4A, WAV, OGG or FLAC — it loads locally and is never uploaded.
  2. Mark a noise-only sample. Use the Start/End sliders to select a short stretch of just the background noise — no voice or music (the gap at the start usually works). Press Hear selection to check it.
  3. Reduce & download. Pick a strength (Light, Medium or Strong), press Preview result to compare, then download as MP3 or WAV.
What it can and can't do (honestly): this is built for steady background noise — hiss, hum, fans, air-conditioning — and it learns that noise from the sample you pick. Sudden, loud or constantly-changing sounds (a cough, passing traffic, music behind speech) won't fully disappear, and very aggressive settings can make the voice sound slightly watery. Cleaner noise sample = better result. It handles clips up to 5 minutes — trim longer recordings in the Audio Cutter first.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free?

Yes — completely free, with no sign-up, no watermarks, and no limit on how many files you clean up.

What kind of noise can it remove?

Steady background noise like hiss, hum, fans and air-conditioning. It learns the noise from the sample you select and gates it out. Sudden, loud or changing noise won't fully disappear.

Why do I need to pick a noise sample?

The tool reduces noise that matches the sample you give it, so the cleaner the noise-only snippet you select, the better the result. A half-second of room tone with no voice works well.

Are my files uploaded anywhere?

No. Decoding and processing happen locally in your browser, so your recording never leaves your device.

Tools used in this guide