MotionShineShort answer: The quickest free way on a Mac is a browser tool that cleans the sound and keeps your picture as it was. Drop the video in, press one button, compare the original with the clean sound, and download. If you prefer an app, Audacity is free and has a Noise Reduction effect for steady noise. Pro editors such as Final Cut Pro and Premiere list their own speech cleanup tools. QuickTime Player cannot do it: Apple's QuickTime guide lists trimming, splitting, rearranging and rotating, and no noise reduction.
Facts about other apps come from each maker's own pages, checked on 26 October 2026. The free browser tool is by the maker of MotionShine, and what I say about it comes from that tool's own page. This is not a hands-on test of every app.
Which method fits you
| Method | Cost | Good for | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free browser tool (MotionShine's) | Free | One quick fix, a video or a sound file | Built for speech. It is not a full editor |
| Audacity | Free | Steady noise such as hum and hiss | Works on audio, so you take the sound out of the video first |
| Final Cut Pro, Premiere, DaVinci Resolve | Paid, or free with limits | Editing the whole video and cleaning the sound in one place | Heavier apps with a learning curve |
| Descript | Free plan is limited | Editing a talking video by its transcript | Needs an account, and Studio Sound is listed on paid plans |
| QuickTime Player | Free | Trimming | No noise reduction |
Method 1: A free browser tool
MotionShine has a free remove background noise tool. According to its page, it works on a sound file or on a video, and an open AI model called DeepFilterNet3 runs in your browser tab. Nothing is uploaded and there is no sign-up. The first time, the page downloads the model, which it says is 34 MB.
Here is how the page says to use it:
- Drop a sound file or a video on the box, or click to choose one. Press play to hear the original.
- Click Remove the noise.
- Play the result. Press B, or use the Without noise and Original buttons, to switch at the same moment and hear the difference.
- Set Noise removal with the slider or the Light, Medium and Full buttons. The page says the change is ready in a moment, with no second wait.
- Turn on Cut low rumble for traffic or air conditioning, and Even out the volume if the voice goes up and down a lot.
- Click Download. A video comes back with the same picture and the clean sound.
The page says that for a video, the picture is copied across without being encoded again, so it keeps its quality, and the sound is put back in line with the picture. MOV and MP4 come back as MP4, and WebM stays WebM.
What it removes well, and what it does not
The tool's page lists what to expect:
- Removed well: fan, air conditioner, computer whir, electrical hum and mic hiss.
- Mostly removed: traffic, rain, wind on a window.
- Often removed: keyboard and mouse clicks, especially between words.
- Reduced a little: echo in a bare room. The room still sounds like a room.
- Kept: other people talking nearby. The page says the model treats any voice as speech.
- Removed along with the noise: music. It is made for speech, so for music under a voice the page points to its separate remove music from video tool.
Light, Medium or Full
The page explains that the model always runs once at full strength, and the slider then mixes some of the original back in. It says Light allows up to 12 dB of noise reduction, Medium up to 24 dB, and Full as much as the model can. Its advice: Full gives the cleanest pauses and suits loud, steady noise, such as a laptop fan next to the mic. Medium leaves a faint bed of room sound, which can feel more natural, because total silence between sentences can sound odd. Light takes the edge off a mild hiss.
Use it if you have one video with a noisy voice and want it fixed in a minute.
Skip it if the problem is another voice in the background, or music. The page says both are kept or removed in ways you may not want.
Method 2: Audacity, free, for steady noise
Audacity's site says it is free for everyone and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Its manual describes the Noise Reduction effect in two steps:
- Get a noise profile. Select a stretch that contains only the noise, at least 2048 samples long, open Effect, Noise Reduction, and click Get Noise Profile.
- Reduce the noise. Select the whole recording, open Noise Reduction, use Preview to listen, then click OK. You can choose Residue to hear what would be removed, which helps you check that the voice is not being damaged.
The manual's defaults are Noise Reduction 6 dB, Sensitivity 6.00 and Frequency Smoothing 6. It says to use the lowest reduction that gives an acceptable result.
The manual is clear about limits. The effect targets constant noise such as hum, hiss or whine. It says it is not suited to individual clicks and pops, or to irregular noise such as traffic or crowds. It also says some distortion is normal, and that removal may be impossible if the noise is very loud or variable, or if the voice is not much louder than the noise.
Audacity works on sound, not video. You would take the audio out of your video first, clean it, and put it back in your editor. The video to MP3 tool can pull the sound out.
Use it if your noise is a steady hum or hiss and you are comfortable with a sound editor.
Method 3: A video editor
If you already edit in a full editor, clean the sound there so you do not leave the project.
- Final Cut Pro. Apple's product page lists Voice Isolation, which it describes as reducing background noise and improving speech clarity. Apple's user guide page I opened did not show the steps, so open the "Enhance audio" article in the Final Cut Pro guide.
- Adobe Premiere. Adobe's page lists noise reduction and Enhance Speech for dialogue.
- DaVinci Resolve. Blackmagic's page lists Voice Isolation in Fairlight and AI noise reduction. It does not say which version has Voice Isolation, and it lists noise reduction among the Studio features, so check which version you have.
- Camtasia. TechSmith's page lists one-click AI background noise removal.
- iMovie. Apple's iMovie guide lists "correct and enhance audio", but does not say whether that includes noise reduction.
For a longer look at these apps, see best video editing software for Mac and best AI video editors for Mac.
Method 4: Descript, if you edit by transcript
Descript's page for this job says you create a project, upload an MP4, MOV or M4V, and turn on Studio Sound under Audio Effects. An Intensity slider sets how strong it is. The page says it reduces background noise and room echo in speech, and that it is for voice, not music. You need an account. On the pricing page, Studio Sound is marked "Limited" on the Free plan and included on paid plans, and the Free plan exports at 720p with a watermark.
Why QuickTime cannot do it
Apple's QuickTime Player guide lists these edit topics: split a movie into clips, rearrange clips, add a clip, rotate or flip, trim, and remove audio or video. It lists no noise reduction. The closest option, remove audio, deletes the sound track rather than cleaning it. If your recording was made with QuickTime, clean it with one of the methods above.
What noise removal cannot fix
Noise removal is a trade. Every source above warns about this in some form.
- It is not magic. A steady fan or hiss comes out well. Loud, changing noise does not, and Audacity's manual says so directly.
- Too much makes the voice sound wrong. The browser tool's page warns of a watery or robotic voice and cut-off word endings at strong settings, and suggests a lighter one.
- Other voices stay. A model that keeps speech keeps all speech.
- Echo stays mostly. Treat the room, not the file.
A good habit from the browser tool's page: listen to the result next to the original, and choose the weakest setting that sounds clean.
Make less noise to begin with
Cleaning is the second best fix. The first is a quieter recording. These tips come from the tool's own page:
- Get the mic closer to your mouth, so the voice is louder and the room is the same.
- Turn off fans, close windows, and move the laptop away from the mic if its fan spins up.
- Record a few seconds of silence at the start. It makes the noise easy to hear when you compare.
- Record in a room with curtains, a rug or a sofa, which soak up echo.
If you record with OBS, it has its own noise filter, covered in OBS noise suppression settings for Mac. MotionShine's home page also lists a Noise reduction slider in its editor, as one part of its audio tools. See also how to record your voice on a Mac.
FAQ
How do I remove background noise from a video on a Mac for free?
Use a free browser tool, such as the remove background noise tool, or clean the sound in Audacity, which is free on Mac. Both work without a subscription.
Does QuickTime remove background noise?
No. Apple's QuickTime Player guide lists trimming, splitting, rearranging, rotating and removing audio or video, and no noise reduction.
Can I remove noise without losing quality?
You can lower it, but removal always changes the sound a little. With the browser tool, the page says the video picture is copied without re-encoding, so only the sound changes. A lighter setting protects the voice better.
Is it safe to upload my video?
The browser tool's page says the model runs in your browser, so the recording never leaves your computer. For any other tool, read its privacy page before you upload.
Should I remove noise before or after editing?
Before, according to the tool's page. Cleaning the whole recording first gives every clip the same sound, so cuts do not jump between noisy and clean.
Can I remove other people talking in the background?
Not with these tools. The browser tool's page says nearby voices are kept because the model treats any voice as speech. Trim those parts out in an editor.
