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M4A to WMA converter

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

I want WMA
Advanced 4
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Leave both at 0 for the whole file.

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Bytes of your files sent anywhere: 0 B

Related conversions

Need it the other way round? Convert WMA to M4A

Other ways to convert M4A

Convert other formats to WMA

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

Should you convert M4A to WMA?

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

M4A is AAC audio in an MP4 container, Apple’s everyday audio format; WMA is the Windows Media audio format from the Windows XP era. Choose WMA only for an old Windows device; convert your WMA rips to MP3 or M4A to play them anywhere.

M4A and WMA compared
Property M4A WMA
Compression Lossy Lossy
Typical quality 128–256 kbps AAC 64–192 kbps
Support Opens almost everywhere A legacy format
Best for Good-sounding audio at small sizes Old Windows software and devices that expect it
Introduced 2003 1999

How to convert M4A to WMA

  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 WMA. Change the bitrate if you want to; the defaults suit most files.

  3. 03

    Save the WMA

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

What changes when M4A becomes WMA

Two rounds of compression

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

Who needs WMA

Choose WMA only for an old Windows device; convert your WMA rips to MP3 or M4A to play them anywhere.

The size stays about the same

M4A and WMA 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. WMA: Similar to MP3.

This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of M4A and WMA, 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 WMA. WMA files bought from old online stores are often DRM-protected; no converter can open those.
  • 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

Does converting M4A to WMA lose quality?

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

Will a WMA play in my car or on my phone?

WMA a legacy format: Windows and VLC; not iPhones, Macs, most Android apps or browsers.

Read more about this

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