Get a universal media converter
Freemake Audio Converter. Supports common audio file formats. Convert more than one audio file. M4A (Apple Lossless Audio) is an audio coding format by Apple, used for storing audio data losslessly without losing any quality, open source and royalty-free. MP3 (MPEG1/2 Audio Layer 3) is an efficient and lossy compression format for digital audio, offers a variety of different bit rates, an MP3 file can also be encoded at higher or lower. To M4A Converter for Mac allows easily and quickly convert most of audio and video files to quality and organised M4A or MP4 files on Mac OS X. MP3 & Audio Software. Free to try Amvidia Mac. Tutorial on Converting M4A to MP3 with UniConverter for Mac Step 1. Add your M4A songs into the M4A to MP3 Mac APP Downlaod and install the Mac APP, launch it, and to add your original MP3 songs, you can directly drag and drop the source music files to the.
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 an audio file 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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![Mp3 Mp3](/uploads/1/1/7/7/117794655/562328596.jpg)
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by Christine Smith • 2020-10-28 17:37:37 • Proven solutions
Compared to MP3 files, M4A files are common audio formats with higher audio quality and smaller file size. However, M4A files' flaw is that it can't be played very well in some devices. In this situation, it comes the need to convert M4A to MP3 or other more widely used audio formats. This article will introduce 6 useful Free M4A to MP3 converters and show how to convert M4A to MP3 online easily.
Part 1. Best Free M4A to MP3 Converter to Change M4A to MP3
More than once, you will need a tool to convert M4A to MP3, maybe to reduce the file size or even more likely to make it playable on your favorite media player. There are many tools out there, but Wondershare Video Converter Free is the best M4A to MP3 converter available. It has a tone of features couple with a beautiful and easy to use interface. Some of the features include supporting virtually every media format, getting files directly from DVD, direct download from URL, and uploading to your favorite social media websites and devices.
How to Free Convert M4A to MP3
Below is the step-by-step tutorial on free M4A to MP3 conversion.
Step 1 Add M4A Files
Install and launch Wondershare Free M4A to MP3 converter on your PC, then click Add Files to import your target M4A files to the program.
Step 2 Choose MP3 as Output Format
Click the drop-down arrow under Output format: or hit the format icon in the right to get the output format list, go to Format > Audio > MP3.
Step 3 Convert M4A to MP3 Free
Now click Convert in the bottom right would proceed to free M4A to MP3 conversion right away.
iTunes and Audacity also have built-in the feature of converting M4A to MP3. If you want to convert M4A to MP3 free in iTunes or Audacity, move to How to Convert M4A to MP3 in iTunes >> and How to Convert M4A to MP3 in Audacity Easily >> to learn more details.
Part 2. M4A to MP3 Freeware to Free Convert M4A to MP3
1. Freemake Audio Converter
This is a desktop program built specifically for audio conversion, and it excels at that. Apart from M4A and MP3, it also supports conversion between different audio formats such as WMA, WAV, AAC, OGG, MP3, M4A. The software also allows you to convert multiple audio files from one format to another, which comes really handy when you convert hundreds of media, say a whole season of your favorite podcast.
2. Free M4A to MP3 Converter
Free M4A to MP3 converter is another freeware audio converter that allows you to convert between M4A and MP3. Let the word 'Free' not deceive you. This software isn't deficient in terms of features at all. It comes with a built-in MP3 splitter/joiner, a video converter, and an audio editor.
Part 3. Online M4A to MP3 Converter to convert M4A to MP3 Free
1. Online UniConverter (originally Media.io)
Online UniConverter (originally Media.io) is a feature-rich online media converter. It supports lots of media formats other than M4A and MP3, which are of interest to us. It is the converter you really should go to when you cannot install a desktop converter. It has a beautiful User interface and is really simple to use. Simply upload your files on their interface, select destination, and convert files.
Pros:
- An appealing user interface.
- Easy to use.
- Fast conversion speeds.
Cons:
- Cannot convert file from URL or the Cloud.
2. Zamzar
Zamzar is another free online tool that can be used to convert between different media files. Like media.io, this tool is also simple, but some of its disadvantages are that you have to input your email address to receive the converted files, and the user interface doesn't seem that modern.
Pros:
- Simple interface.
- It allows users to convert files using the file URLs.
- Gives a short step by step process on how to convert M4A to MP3.
![M4a M4a](/uploads/1/1/7/7/117794655/990168878.png)
Cons:
- You have to input the email to receive files.
3. Online Audio Converter
Online Audio Converter is a website that provides audio conversion for free. It supports M4A to MP3 conversion, among other media types. Its advantage is the support for URL and Cloud upload, i.e., Google Drive and Dropbox, while still maintaining a simple and easy to use interface.
Pros:
- Allow the user to convert files from google drive, Dropbox, and URL.
- It uses a simple and easy to use interface.
- Provides the capability to edit audio file metadata, e.g., Artiste and Genre.
Cons:
- Display advertisements.
- Support for diverse media formats is limited.
Run Free M4a To Mp3 Converter
Here we have answered three of your most pressing questions on the internet about audio conversion. What is the best M4A to MP3 converter? What is the best freeware M4A to MP3 converters? What are the top online M4A to MP3 converters? There are the top free M4A to MP3 converters for your specific situations.