Aluminum and magnesium extruded metal products are of great interest to various industries and have a wide range of applications due to their high production rate and cost efficiency, which often accompanies a reduction in the number of process steps involved in manufacturing. The work presented in this paper aims to determine the major adjustable key elements which govern material flow during extrusion. In this context, a parametric study was carried out on the direct extrusion of magnesium and aluminum bars, in which the extrusion speed and the extrusion temperature were varied. The aim of this is to investigate the influence of different process parameters on the material flow and microstructure development during miniaturized extrusion tests of AZ31 and AA6082 alloys. The obtained knowledge is essential to optimize process parameters and allows a more controlled development of microstructure during extrusion of magnesium and aluminum.