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M4A to MP3 converter

Convert M4A to MP3 in your browser. No upload and no account: the file never leaves your device, so the only size limit is your device’s memory.

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Need it the other way round? Convert MP3 to M4A

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Read more about the M4A format and the MP3 format, or see every audio tool and all audio conversions.

Should you convert M4A to MP3?

Voice Memos and iTunes give you M4A files, but some cars, Windows apps, podcast hosts and forms only take MP3.

Fine when a player or app needs MP3. Converting between two lossy formats compresses the sound a second time, so match or exceed the original bitrate to keep the loss inaudible.

MP3 also plays in more places: every phone, computer, car stereo, speaker and app.

M4A is AAC audio in an MP4 container, Apple’s everyday audio format; MP3 is the most compatible lossy audio format ever made. Use MP3 when you don’t know what will play the file: cars, old players, podcasts hosts and upload forms all take it.

M4A and MP3 compared
Property M4A MP3
Compression Lossy Lossy
Typical quality 128–256 kbps AAC 128–320 kbps
Support Opens almost everywhere Opens everywhere
Best for Good-sounding audio at small sizes Music and voice that has to play on anything
Introduced 2003 1993

How to convert M4A to MP3

  1. 01

    Add your M4A

    Drop your M4A file onto the box, or click to choose it. It is read from your disk and stays there.

  2. 02

    Check the settings

    The output is already set to MP3. Change the bitrate if you want to; the defaults suit most files.

  3. 03

    Save the MP3

    Press convert and save the MP3. Several files come back together as a ZIP.

What changes when M4A becomes MP3

Two rounds of compression

Each lossy encode throws away a little more. A M4A at 128 kbps converted to MP3 at 192 kbps sounds like the original; converted at 96 kbps it can turn swirly and dull.

The size stays about the same

M4A and MP3 are close in size for the same content, so do this for compatibility rather than to save space. M4A: About 1 MB a minute at 128 kbps. MP3: About 1 MB a minute at 128 kbps, 2.4 MB at 320 kbps.

This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of M4A and MP3, so every pairing states the same facts the same way. How these pages are made.

Why it doesn’t upload

Recordings are often private: interviews, voice notes, unreleased music. Your browser can decode and encode audio itself, so there is no reason to send it anywhere.

How to check for yourself

Worth knowing

  • About the M4A. An .m4a can also hold lossless ALAC audio, several times larger; the extension alone doesn’t tell you which.
  • About the MP3. Converting a low-bitrate MP3 to 320 kbps makes it bigger without making it sound any better; what was thrown away is gone.
  • MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, Opus and FLAC are converted by your browser directly. WMA, AMR, APE, AC3 and the other specialist formats use the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download.

Questions

How do I convert an iPhone voice memo to MP3?

Share the memo to Files or email it to yourself to get the .m4a file, then drop it here and choose MP3. Nothing is uploaded, so the recording stays private.

Does converting M4A to MP3 lose quality?

MP3 is lossy, so a little is discarded, but at the default bitrate the difference is inaudible for nearly everyone.

Will an MP3 play in my car or on my phone?

MP3 opens everywhere: every phone, computer, car stereo, speaker and app.

Read more about this

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