M4AMPEG-4 Audio
MPEG-4 audio, usually encoded in AAC. It is the format of iPhone Voice Memos and of many songs bought on iTunes.
- Compression
- Lossy
Convert M4A to MP3
Turn your M4A files into MP3 files in seconds. Conversion happens in your browser, so your files are never uploaded to a server.
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M4A0000002066747970
MP34944330400000000
The first bytes of a file often reveal its real format.
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Files
These sample files are generated on the page. Convert them to try it out, or add your own.
How to convert M4A to MP3
- 01
Add your M4A files
Click “Choose M4A files” or drop them on the page. You can add several at once.
- 02
Check the MP3 format
MP3 is already selected. Choose the bitrate, from 128 to 320 kbps.
- 03
Convert and download
Click “Convert”, then download your MP3 file. With several files, grab everything at once as a ZIP.
M4A to MP3: what to know
M4A files mostly come from iPhone Voice Memos, iTunes Store purchases, GarageBand or many Android recording apps. The sound, nearly always AAC, is decoded and re-encoded as MP3, which means a second round of lossy compression. So pick a bitrate at least equal to the source’s: 256 or 320 kbps for a track bought as 256 kbps AAC, for instance. A memo recorded in mono becomes a mono MP3.
The title, artist, album, track number, year, genre and artwork you see in the Music app are copied into the MP3 (ID3v2.3 tags), which also keeps the same file name. On an iPhone, you can export a memo from the Voice Memos app with the share button, then “Save to Files”. Tracks protected by DRM, such as Apple Music downloads or old .m4p purchases, cannot be converted.
M4A vs MP3: what’s the difference?
MP3MPEG-1 Audio Layer III
The most universal audio format. Its compression shrinks files a lot while keeping good listening quality, and it plays on every device.
- Compression
- Lossy
M4A to MP3: frequently asked questions
Why do some M4A files refuse to convert to MP3?
An M4A can hold something other than AAC, notably Apple Lossless (ALAC), used by the Voice Memos lossless quality setting and by some CD rips. Not every browser decodes that codec, and you then get an error: try again in another browser, such as Safari, which reads Apple’s formats.
Are the chapters of an M4B audiobook kept in the MP3?
No. An .m4b audiobook is accepted, since it is an M4A file underneath, but it comes out as one long MP3 without its chapters, and a message points out the lost chapters; its title, author and cover are copied into it, as for an M4A. Because all the audio is decoded in memory before encoding, a book lasting several hours needs a lot of memory: use a computer rather than a phone, or convert shorter files.
Are my M4A files uploaded to the internet?
No. The file is read and converted by your browser, on your device. Nothing is sent to a server, and nothing is kept after you close the page.
Does converting M4A to MP3 reduce quality?
MP3 is a lossy format. At the default bitrate (192 kbps) the difference is inaudible to most listeners; choose 320 kbps for the best quality.
How many M4A files can I convert?
As many as you like, for free and without signing up. Add them all, then download the results one by one or in a single ZIP. The maximum size depends on your device and browser, with a few caps that protect its memory (for example 20,000 files per archive or 5 million filled cells per workbook: see the home page FAQ); a file over one of them is not converted, and a message says so.
Does it work on iPhone and Android?
Formatomat is designed for recent browsers on computers, iPhone and Android, with no app to install. A conversion the browser cannot do (a format it cannot read or write) is refused with a message that says so.