AudioExtractor for macOS (Beta version)

Translate and say text from chrome Extract audio (mp3, wav, flac, ogg, m4a, …) from movie (mp4, avi, mov, mkv, …) file and save as mp3 file - Shortcut Setup

Extract audio from any video using a Finder Quick Action and a SwiftUI desktop app.

This is a beta version so please give me your feedback. I’m very happy to take any input for what could be ammended or needs to be refined!

AudioExtractor is a macOS utility designed to make audio extraction from video files effortless, fast, and fully integrated into the operating system. Instead of opening a dedicated app, navigating file pickers, or typing ffmpeg commands, you simply right‑click any video file in Finder and choose Extract Audio. The main SwiftUI app launches automatically, processes the file, and outputs clean audio in your preferred format.

The project demonstrates how to combine modern SwiftUI architecture with macOS system extensions, custom URL schemes, and a robust ffmpeg pipeline. It is built to feel like a native macOS feature rather than a standalone tool.

🎬 Project Goals

AudioExtractor was created with several goals in mind:

Provide a system‑wide, context‑menu‑based workflow for extracting audio.
Use a SwiftUI app for a clean, modern macOS interface.
Integrate ffmpeg without sandbox restrictions.
Support all movie formats Finder can handle.
Work across all volumes (internal, external, network).
Avoid the limitations of Finder Sync Extensions.
Provide a reliable, extensible architecture for future enhancements.

The result is a tool that blends seamlessly into macOS and behaves like a built‑in utility.

🧩 High‑Level Architecture

AudioExtractor consists of two cooperating components:

Finder Quick Action Extension

A macOS extension that appears in Finder’s right‑click menu for movie files. Its responsibilities:

Detect when the user selects a video file.
Resolve the file URL from Finder’s NSItemProvider.
Launch the main app using a custom URL scheme.
Pass the selected file path as a parameter.

This extension is lightweight and contains no ffmpeg logic.

SwiftUI Main App

A full macOS app that:

Receives the file URL via `.onOpenRL.
Displays the file in the UI.
Runs ffmpeg to extract audio.
Shows logs, progress, and status.
Allows cancellation.
Stores user preferences.

The app is not sandboxed, allowing it to run ffmpeg freely.

Communication Between Components

The Quick Action launches the main app using a custom URL:

  
audioextractor://process?file=/path/to/movie.mp4

The main app parses this URL and begins processing. This architecture avoids the limitations of Finder Sync Extensions, which cannot operate globally across all folders or volumes.

⚙️ Finder Quick Action Implementation

Why a Quick Action Instead of a Finder Sync Extension?

Finder Sync Extensions require you to specify observed directories, and the menu item only appears inside those directories. They cannot:

Observe the entire filesystem
Observe external drives
Observe network volumes
Provide global context menu items

Quick Actions, however:

Work everywhere
Support all file types
Are simple to implement
Integrate cleanly with SwiftUI apps

This makes them ideal for system‑wide utilities like AudioExtractor.

Activation Rule

The Quick Action is configured to appear for all movie files:

  
<key>NSExtensionActivationRule</key>
<dict>
    <key>NSExtensionActivationSupportsMovieFiles</key>
    <true/>
</dict>

This includes:

MP4
MOV
MKV
AVI
M4V
WebM
And any other UTType conforming to public.movie

Robust File Loading

Finder may provide the selected file in several different representations:

`public.fileurl
`public.url
`public.movie
`com.apple.quickime-movie
`publicmpeg-4
`com.appleprivate.ex-sandboxed-resource

A robust loader is required to handle all of them. The extension includes a universal resolver that:

Checks for each supported type
Loads the item
Extracts the underlying file URL
Falls back to sandboxed resource wrappers when necessary

This ensures compatibility across all volumes and file types.

Launching the Main App

Once the file URL is resolved, the extension constructs a custom URL:

  
let urlString = "audioextractor://process?file=\(encodedPath)"
NSWorkspace.shared.open(URL(string: urlString)!)

macOS then launches the main app (or brings it to the foreground) and passes the URL to it.

🖥️ SwiftUI Main App

URL Scheme Registration The main app registers the custom URL scheme in its Info.plist:

  
<key>CFBundleURLTypes</key>
<array>
    <dict>
        <key>CFBundleURLName</key>
        <string>AudioExtractor</string>
        <key>CFBundleURLSchemes</key>
        <array>
            <string>audioextractor</string>
        </array>
    </dict>
</array>

This allows macOS to route URLs like:

  
audioextractor://process?file=/path/to/movie.mp4

directly to the app.

URL Handling in SwiftUI

The app listens for incoming URLs:

  
.onOpenURL { url in
    if url.host == "process",
       let file = url.queryParameters["file"] {
        vm.processFile(URL(fileURLWithPath: file))
    }
}

This triggers the ffmpeg pipeline.

ffmpeg Integration

The app uses `rocess to run ffmpeg:

Launches ffmpeg with the selected file
Captures stdout and stderr
Updates the UI in real time
Supports cancellation
Handles errors gracefully
Because the app is not sandboxed, ffmpeg can run without entitlements or restrictions.

UI Features

The SwiftUI interface includes: -

Drag‑and‑drop support
File preview
Format selection (MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, etc.)
Real‑time logs
Progress indicators
Cancel button
Settings panel with switches and toggles

The UI is designed to be minimal, responsive, and macOS‑native.

🎨 Quick Action Icon Setup

Why .icns Is Not Used Finder Quick Actions do not use `.ics files.

*.icns is only for:

App icons
Document icons
Bundle icons

Quick Actions use template images stored in the extension’s asset catalog.

Correct Icon Setup

Add a PDF vector to the extension’s `Assets.xcassets
Name it QuickActionIcon.
Set Render As → Template Image.
Reference it in the extension’s Info.plist:

  
<key>NSExtensionServiceIconFile</key>
<string>QuickActionIcon</string>

Finder automatically:

Tints the icon
Scales it correctly
Renders it crisply

Even if the PDF is large, Finder uses the vector to draw it at the correct size.

Designing the Icon

For best results:

Use a 32×32 pt artboard.
Use a single‑color glyph (black).
Keep the glyph smaller inside the canvas.
Use a transparent background.
Export as PDF vector.

This produces a clean, native‑looking Finder icon.

📦 Project Structure

AudioExtractor/
│
├── AudioExtractor/          # SwiftUI main app
│   ├── ContentView.swift
│   ├── MovieViewModel.swift
│   ├── MovieLogViewModel.swift
│   ├── SettingsView.swift
│   ├── URLHandler.swift
│   └── Assets.xcassets
│   └── ...
│
└── AudioExtractorAction/    # Finder Quick Action (extension) / Finder Context menu item
    ├── ActionViewController.swift
    ├── Info.plist
    └── Assets.xcassets
    └── ...    

This separation keeps the extension lightweight and the main app fully featured.

🚀 Usage

Build and run the main app once to register the URL scheme.
Enable the Quick Action in: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Extensions → Finder
Right‑click any movie file in Finder.
Choose Quick Actions → Extract Audio.
The main app opens and begins extraction.
View logs, progress, and output in the SwiftUI interface.

🛠️ Supported Formats

The app supports any format ffmpeg can decode, including:

MP4
MOV
MKV
AVI
M4V
WebM
ProRes
HEVC
H.264

Output formats depend on your ffmpeg arguments and may include:

MP3
AAC
WAV
FLAC
OGG
AIFF

The pipeline is fully customizable.

🔧 Extensibility

AudioExtractor is designed to be extended. Possible enhancements include:

Batch processing of multiple files
Custom output directory selection
Presets for podcasting, music extraction, or voice isolation
Integration with Shortcuts
Automatic naming conventions
Background processing
Notifications when extraction completes

The architecture supports all of these without major changes.

📚 Summary

AudioExtractor provides a fast, native macOS workflow for extracting audio from video files using:

A global Finder Quick Action
A SwiftUI desktop app
A robust ffmpeg pipeline
A custom URL scheme for communication
A template PDF icon for Finder integration

It is designed to feel like a built‑in macOS feature: simple, fast, and always available where you need it—right in Finder.

Alternative macOS Shortcut

What is the Shortcuts App / are Shortcuts on macOS

The Shortcuts app on macOS is Apple’s system‑level automation environment. It gives users a way to build custom actions, workflows, and automations by combining small, modular building blocks called actions. These actions can interact with apps, files, system features, web services, and even third‑party tools. The goal is to let anyone—from casual users to power users—automate repetitive tasks without writing code, while still offering enough depth for complex workflows.

Extract audio from video Shortcut

As an alternative I also created a macOS Shortcut that works pretty similar by using ffmpeg for extracting audio from video files on macOS from Finder via Context Menu.

Even though it produces the same audio output because it uses the same ffmpeg executables, its configuration and settings are limited campared to the AudioExtractor App. But if you are looking for a quick and simple way to extract audio from video with a macOS Finder-Extension, it’s worth to look at. It’s up to your needs and preferences. Check it out here:

Extract audio from various video formats into various audio formats - macOS Shortcut (github repo)

Download Source code / github repo

Credits

ffmpeg.org
Copilot
Google.com

AudioExtractor- macOS app for extracting audio from movie file