M4A to MP3 Converter

M4A to MP3 Converter Online, Free

Convert M4A files, such as iPhone voice memos and iTunes or Apple Music audio, to MP3 in your browser. Choose the bitrate, convert one file or many and download MP3 files or one ZIP. Nothing is uploaded: the conversion runs on your device.

How to convert M4A to MP3

1. Drop your M4A files into the box above or click it to choose them. On an iPhone choose them in Files or share the voice memo to Save to Files first.
2. Pick the bitrate. 256 kbps is the default, because an M4A is already compressed; 320 kbps only makes the MP3 larger.
3. Download the MP3 when the conversion is finished.

M4A vs MP3: what is the difference?

M4A is an MPEG-4 audio container, in most cases with AAC sound. It is the format of iPhone voice memos, iTunes and Apple Music downloads. AAC is a more modern codec than MP3 and usually gives the same quality at a smaller size. MP3 is older, but it plays on absolutely everything: old car stereos, cheap players, presentation software and websites that do not accept M4A. That is the main reason people convert M4A to MP3.

Is quality lost when converting M4A to MP3?

Both formats are lossy, so converting M4A to MP3 compresses the sound a second time. At 192–256 kbps the extra loss is hard to notice, but it cannot be avoided entirely, and converting to a higher bitrate than the original does not add quality. Keep the original M4A if quality matters.

What will not convert

• Protected files from old iTunes purchases (.m4p) cannot be converted: they are encrypted.
• M4A files with Apple Lossless (ALAC) sound are read only by browsers that can play them (Safari does; other browsers may not). The usual AAC files work everywhere.

Convert M4A to MP3 on a computer

• FFmpeg: ffmpeg -i input.m4a -codec:a libmp3lame -b:a 256k output.mp3
• Apple Music / iTunes on a Mac: File → Convert → Create MP3 Version (set the encoder to MP3 in the import settings).

Frequently asked questions

Can I convert iPhone voice memos?

Yes. Voice memos are M4A files: save them to Files and choose them here. 128 kbps is enough for speech.

Is this converter free and private?

Yes. No registration, no watermark, and your audio is not uploaded.

What is the maximum size?

500 MB and 60 minutes per file.

Which other formats can I convert?

The audio converter reads WAV, MP3, OGG, FLAC and the sound of MP4 videos too. For WAV to MP3 see the WAV to MP3 converter.

MP3 encoding: LAME through lamejs (LGPL).