by Christine Smith • 2020-09-14 14:49:32 • Proven solutions
If you love listening to music, then you are likely to have several audio files on your device. Audio files come in different formats, including MP3, AAC, M4A, and more. Among all the common audio formats, M4A is the best. It has more sound quality than MP3 format. For this reason, you will enjoy listening to your music in M4A format than in MP3 format. Whenever you want to convert your MP3 files to M4A format, you shouldn’t think of it as a hard task to do; we have discussed on easy and free ways to convert MP3 to M4A on your Windows or Mac OS.
Part 1. How to Convert MP3 to M4A with iTunes
Convert M4A to WAV using iTunes. To convert M4A to WAV Mac uers have a great option. Luckily M4A and WAV are both supported by iTunes, that means not only can you play M4A and WAV using iTunes, but also you can use it as an M4A to WAV converter Mac to convert M4A to WAV. Check out the steps below to see how to use iTunes as an M4A to WAV Converter to convert M4A to WAV Mac. How to convert M4A to MP3 online. 1 To get started, upload one or more M4A files. You can upload files from your computer, via a link or from the file storage. 2 Next, click the 'Convert' button and wait for the conversion to complete. Nov 04, 2019 Four Free Ways to Convert M4A Audio to MP3 Method 1: Free Online tool – Apowersoft Free Online Audio Converter. This free tool is easy to use that you can convert M4A files or even other audio and video files saved on your computer to MP3 and other audio formats including WMA, WAV, RA, FLAC, AAC, AC3 and OGG without problems.
iTunes, being a platform to manage media files, allows you to convert files from one format to another, is compatible with both Windows and Mac OS. It converts a file from MP3 to M4A format with the simple 4 steps below.
Step 1. First, launch iTunes, then go to the File > Add to Library to add an MP3 file in iTunes. If you are using Mac OS, directly drag and drop the MP3 on iTunes.
Step 2. Next tap on the iTunes, then select the Preferences, thereafter go to the General > Import Settings.
Step 3. Click on the Import Using and select the AAC Encoder option. You can also adjust the settings on the Setting button.
Step 4. Right-click on the OK button, then head to a music playlist. Right-click on the MP3 music file and click on the Create AAC version. iTunes will then convert the MP3 to M4A easily.
Part 2. How to Quickly Convert MP3 to M4A
Aside from the free yet complicated iTunes way, you might opt for an easier way to convert MP3 to M4A: using Wondershare UniConverter. It is a tool that excels in audio and video conversion, be it standard or high-quality media files. With this software, you will be more efficient as it supports batch conversion of files. Also, its conversion speed is 30 times faster compared to other media converters.
Wondershare UniConverter
Your Complete Video Toolbox
- Convert MP3 to 1000+ formats, including M4A, FLAC, and more.
- Convert to optimized preset for almost all of the devices.
- Edit, enhance & personalize your videos file.
- Burn video to high-quality Blu-ray DVD.
- Download or record videos from video sharing sites.
- Versatile toolbox combines fix video metadata, GIF maker, VR converter, and screen recorder.
- Stream your videos from Windows or Mac to other devices, including Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, Xbox 360, or PS3.
- Supported OS: Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista, Mac OS 10.15 (Catalina), 10.14, 10.13, 10.12, 10.11, 10.10, 10.9, 10.8, 10.7, 10.6.
Security Verified, 5,942,222 people have downloaded it
How to Convert MP3 to M4A Format with Wondershare UniConverter
Below is a step-by-step tutorial for your guidance, with the following steps, you are able to quickly convert MP3 to M4A.
Step 1 Run Wondershare MP3 to M4A UniConverter.
First, download Wondershare UniConverter via the download button above and then launch it on your computer after installation.
Step 2 Add MP3 Files into the best MP3 to M4A Converter.
Thereafter on the top left side of the program, click on the button, and a dialog box would pop up, choose your desired MP3 files.
Step 3 Choose M4A as Output Format.
After the file has been added, select the format you want to convert your files to. Go to the top right side of the program and click the Output Format: button. Next, click on the Audio and select M4A format, then choose the audio quality in the right.
Step 4 Convert MP3 to M4A Easily.
Finally, convert your MP3 file by clicking the Start All button on the right side of the video. Within a few seconds, the MP3 file will be successfully converted to MP4.
Part 3. How to Convert MP3 to M4A Online
Surely, there're many online MP3 to M4A converters online, and we'll discuss 3 high-rated ones for your reference.
1. Online-Convert
Online-Convert is an online converter that converts files free of charge from one format to different other formats. It supports various conversions, including video, audio, image, document, and much more. It's also easy to use, and the tutorial is as simple as follows.
- Identify the type of converter you need from the drop-down icon, choose the format you want to convert your files to. Here select M4A, for example.
- Click on the Browse button to upload the MP3 file to be converted. Note you can also enter the URL of your target MP3 file for uploading or change the settings at will.
- Click Convert file to start converting MP3 to M4A.
2. Online MP3 to M4A UniConverter
Online MP3 to M4A UniConverter is an incredible online tool to convert audio or video. It supports a wide range of formats, including MP3, OGG, M4A, WAV, and others. Online UniConverter can convert many files at the same time. It can download files from sites such as YouTube. Below will show you how to convert MP3 to M4A quickly.
- Upload the file to be converted by selecting it.
- Choose the output format by picking M4A from the list of formats and specify the output quality.
- Start MP3 to M4A conversion by clicking the Convert button.
3. Zamzar
Zamzar is a multipurpose converter that supports many conversions. It is able to convert images, eBooks, video, CAD, audio, and music. It is able to convert a wide range of formats without the need to download software. It supports formats like MP3, WAV, MOV, M4A, MP4, FLV, and many others.
- Select the MP3 file to be converted. You may drag and drop the file on the program.
- Select the format you want to convert your files to. You can do this by picking on the M4A file format from the output formats available.
- On the Email address option, leave your email address so as to receive the converted files.
- Click Convert to convert your files to M4A format. After a short while, your file will have been converted to the M4A file format.
Get a universal media converter
Permute quickly converts files in a required format.
If you think about it, just a decade or so ago, file formats were really important. People were discussing the differences between various file compressions and you often had to install an app extension if you wanted it to run a certain file format.
It seems that everything changed with the iPhone gaining mainstream popularity. Since all files were now hosted within apps, we never came across any incompatibility issues. Similarly, with more of our work moving to the web, it’s stored within appropriate software right away, so we don’t have to deal with file formats.
Still, occasionally, you might encounter a file that you can’t open or that you’d like to convert to another format. One of the most frequent issues for Mac users, for example, is dealing with M4A files, which you often want to convert to MP3s. So let’s discuss briefly what is M4A format and where you can find the best M4A to MP3 converter today.
What Is M4A And How To Use It
You might be more familiar with M4A files if you think of them as MP4s, which they essentially are — the only difference is that an MP4 file can handle video while .m4a is for audio only.
MP4 (also known as MPEG-4) is in turn based on QuickTime File Format (QTFF) and, in some sense, was developed to replace MP3. M4A files, for example, are generally smaller in size and can store audio in better quality than MP3s. Their only downside is that M4A players are much harder to find, whereas MP3 is one of the most universal audio formats out there.
So where can you stumble upon the .m4a format? Mostly in Apple’s own iTunes Store, as it’s the default file extension for song downloads, which is then encoded with AAC for reduced file size or ALAC for lossless audio. However, copyrighted songs might also come in the .m4p format, which is a variant of .m4a.
All this leads us to the question of how do you play M4A vs MP3 on Mac and what’s the easiest way to convert file to MP3?
How to play M4A files on Mac
As already mentioned above, a lot of the M4A files you’d come across are from the iTunes Store, so naturally you’d be able to play them on iTunes as well (or the Music app from macOS Catalina onward). You can drag and drop any M4A file into Music and it’ll be added to your library.
In addition to Music, or iTunes, M4A files also work with QuickTime Player (since they are based on QuickTime File Format), which is one of the default apps you can find in your Applications folder. While QuickTime is mostly used for playing movies, it has a standard audio playback functionality built into it as well. But what if you’re after a great .m4a audio experience?
Elmedia Player is one of the most versatile audio and video players out there. Not only can it easily play a variety of M4A files and MP4 formats, it lets you stream content directly from the web and save videos (e.g. from YouTube) for offline viewing as well. What’s more you can stream to any smart TV or AirPlay-enabled device and completely control the way subtitles are displayed.
How to convert M4A to MP3 using iTunes
While there are quite a few M4A players available on Mac, whether via default or third-party apps, you might often need to convert M4A to MP3 iTunes format to make it more widely available — so you can easily port music or audiobooks to virtually any device.
Surprisingly, there’s a way to use iTunes as an audio file converter, although not many people know about it, since it’s not that straightforward. Regardless, here’s how you can convert file to MP3 using iTunes:
- Launch iTunes (or the new Music app)
- Open Preferences (⌘ + ,)
- Navigate to Files ➙ Import Settings…
- Change Import Using to MP3 Encoder ➙ OK
- Drag and drop your M4A file into iTunes
- Select it and then go File ➙ Convert ➙ Create MP3 Version
- Find the new file created in your library (the old file will still be intact)
In a similar fashion, you can change the default iTunes encoder to create WAV, lossless, AIFF, and AAC files. Overall, iTunes is a good enough M4A converter and general file converter to MP3 if you only need to convert one or two songs occasionally. For more regular conversions, there are much more efficient apps out there.
A better way to convert M4A to MP3 on Mac
If iTunes can be a decent M4A to MP3 converter, you might also wonder what other specialized apps can do an even better job?
Permute is a pro-level and truly universal media converter. This blazing fast app allows you to drag and drop any number of files into it and get converted results in seconds. Transform audio, video (or video to audio), images, and more — possible combinations are nearly endless! You can even merge two videos into one or add a subtitle track on the fly.
To use Permute as a M4A to MP3 converter:
- Launch Permute
- Drag and drop your M4A file onto the app’s window
- Select MP3 in the Audio dropdown
- Click the Start icon
You can find the MP3 result on your Desktop. Repeat as necessary, and don’t forget that Permute can handle as many files at once as you want — you can use this audio file converter to transform whole albums too.
In the end, most of the time nowadays, we don’t have to deal with file formats and can find the appropriate app relatively easy. In the case with M4A files, you can use iTunes (Music) and QuickTime to play them, but better switch your default media to Elmedia Player altogether. And if you ever need a file converter to MP3, look no further than Permute.
Best of all, Elmedia Player and Permute are available to you at absolutely no cost for seven days via the trial of Setapp, a platform with more than 190 top-tier Mac apps across all categories, from productivity (2Do) to following your favorite blogs (News Explorer). Try them all today for free and discover a whole new world of opportunities.
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