How to Change M4A to MP3 on Mac
M4A is AAC audio wrapped in an MPEG-4 container, used by iPhone Voice Memos and many downloads. Drop your M4A below to save it as an MP3, trimming it on the waveform first if you want. It all happens on your Mac.
Drop an audio file here
MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, FLAC… · nothing is uploaded
Trimmed on your device. Your audio is never uploaded.
The steps: Change M4A to MP3 on Mac
- 1
Open this page in Safari, Chrome or Firefox on your Mac.
- 2
Drag the file out of Finder onto the box above, or click the box to choose it.
- 3
The full track is selected to start with. Only drag the waveform handles if you want to shorten it.
- 4
Pick MP3 as the format (it's selected already), then download. Click Download. You'll find the file in your Downloads folder (in Finder or on the Dock).
What changes going from M4A to MP3
- Your MP3 is encoded at 192 kbps – for most listening you can't tell it from the original, and it takes about 1.4 MB per minute.
M4A and MP3 in brief
- M4A is AAC audio wrapped in an MPEG-4 container, used by iPhone Voice Memos and many downloads. Some Windows programs, older MP3 players, car stereos and upload forms reject it.
- MP3 is the audio format that plays on every phone, car stereo, speaker, editor and website. It's lossy, which keeps files small.
Mac tips
- It runs the same on Apple silicon and Intel Macs, with nothing to get from the App Store.
- Decoding uses your browser's own audio support. If one browser can't open the file, try Chrome or Firefox.
M4A vs MP3
| M4A | MP3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy (AAC) or lossless (ALAC) | Lossy |
| Ideal for | Voice memos and Apple devices | Music, ringtones and anything that has to play everywhere |
| Works on | Apple devices and most browsers; uneven on older players | Everywhere |
Questions & answers
Will M4A to MP3 make it sound worse?
Very slightly, since MP3 is lossy, but at 192 kbps the difference is extremely hard to hear.
Can I trim the audio while I'm at it?
Yes. Drag the start and end handles on the waveform, play it back, and add a fade in or fade out if you like.
Do my recordings get sent anywhere?
No. Your browser does the conversion with your device's own processor, so your recordings stay with you. Once the page has loaded you could even switch off your internet connection.
Where do I find the converted file on my Mac?
Click Download. You'll find the file in your Downloads folder (in Finder or on the Dock).
Need more options? Open the full Audio Trimmer tool →