How to Remove Breaths from a Video

Loud breaths between phrases are a common problem in videos, podcasts and voice-overs. In real life we barely notice them, but in a recording every breath is clearly audible, and after a couple of minutes it starts to annoy the listener. Let’s look at why this happens, whether you should remove breathing completely, and how to do it automatically or manually.

Why Breaths Are Audible in a Recording

• The microphone is too close to the mouth. The airflow from each breath hits the capsule directly, and the mic records it louder than we hear it in real life.
• A sensitive microphone. Condenser mics and built-in phone and laptop mics pick up everything: breaths, swallowing, clothes rustling.
• Audio processing. Compression and volume leveling raise quiet sounds, so after them breaths become almost as loud as the voice.
• Nerves and fast speech. When people speak quickly or are nervous, they breathe more often and more deeply, and breaths become more audible.

Should You Remove Breaths Completely?

Not always. Natural breathing makes speech sound alive: if you cut out absolutely every breath, phrases run into each other and the voice sounds unnatural, almost robotic. The goal is to remove loud, harsh breaths that distract, while quiet breathing can stay.

For podcasts, course voice-overs and ads, breaths are usually removed more aggressively. For interviews and live videos, more naturalness is kept.

How to Remove Breaths Automatically Online

The fastest way is Background Noise Removal. The Voice Cleaner (remove breathings) mode finds audible breaths and removes them without breaking natural speech — no need to hunt for each breath manually.

1. Choose the Voice Cleaner (remove breathings) mode.
2. Upload your video or audio — MP3, WAV, M4A, MP4, MOV and other popular formats are supported.
3. Wait for processing, listen to the result and download the file. On average, a 5-minute recording takes about 45 seconds.

Here’s how it sounds on a recording with a breath before every phrase.

If the recording is also noisy, remove the noise first — background noise removal works in the same tool.

How to Remove Breaths Manually in an Editor

You can remove breaths in any video or audio editor — from CapCut to Premiere Pro and Audacity. On the audio track, breaths show up as small bumps between phrases. Select each one and either lower its volume or replace it with silence.

It’s better to turn the breath down rather than cut it out: cutting shifts the video and makes pauses between phrases unnaturally short. This method is reliable but slow: a 10-minute video can have over a hundred breaths, and each one has to be found and processed separately.

How to Record with Fewer Breaths

• Move the microphone slightly to the side of your mouth. Speaking a little past the mic keeps the airflow out of it, while the voice is recorded just as well.
• Keep a distance of 15–20 centimeters (6–8 inches). Closer means louder breaths; farther means more echo and room noise.
• Use a pop filter or windscreen. They soften the airflow from breathing and plosive “p” and “b” sounds.
• Breathe away from the microphone and speak at a calm pace: when you rush, breaths get louder and more frequent.

More tips on getting clean sound without expensive equipment — in the section how to improve voice in a recording.

Who It’s For

Breath removal is most often needed by people who record a lot of speech: podcasters and online course creators, video editors and sound engineers, SMM specialists recording social media content, and students recording reports and presentations on a laptop or phone microphone.

FAQ

Won’t the speech sound unnatural?

The mode is designed to remove audible breaths without breaking natural speech. You can listen to the result before downloading and try another mode if needed.

Can I also remove coughs and “um”?

Yes, there’s a separate mode: Cut Filler Words, Coughs and Silence. To find out which mode fits which problem, read how to fix bad audio in video and recordings.

How much does it cost?

The first 30 seconds of 2 files are processed for free. After that — no subscription, from $0.80 per file or minute packages from $1.90 for 10 minutes. See Pricing.