M4A to MP3 Converter
Your files never leave your device
Conversion runs inside your browser using WebAssembly. Nothing is uploaded; the only downloads are this page and the conversion engine. You can confirm it in your browser's network tab.
Why convert M4A to MP3?
iPhone Voice Memos and iTunes downloads are M4A, which some older players, car stereos, transcription tools and upload forms don’t accept.
What changes in the MP3
- AAC audio is decoded and re-encoded as MP3, a lossy-to-lossy step that is inaudible at the quality used.
- Low-bitrate voice memos can come out larger than the original, because the converter uses a high-quality music setting.
- Title, artist and album tags are copied; embedded cover art is not.
How Convertz converts it
FFmpeg (WebAssembly) encodes MP3 with LAME at VBR quality 2, typically 170–210 kbps, which most listeners can’t tell from the source. Title, artist and album tags are copied as ID3v2.3.
Everything happens on your device; the file is never uploaded.
Common pitfalls
- Copy-protected iTunes purchases from before 2009 (.m4p files) can’t be converted.
- Apple Lossless (ALAC) M4A files convert fine, but you lose the lossless quality.
M4A vs MP3
| Property | M4A | MP3 |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | MPEG-4 Audio | MPEG-1 Audio Layer III |
| Compression | Usually lossy (AAC); sometimes lossless (ALAC) | Lossy |
| Transparency | — | — |
| Works with | Apple devices, Android, Windows and most modern players. Some older MP3 players and car stereos don’t support it. | Every audio player, phone, car stereo and editing app. |
What is M4A?
An audio-only MP4 file, usually containing AAC (lossy) and sometimes Apple Lossless (ALAC). iPhone Voice Memos, iTunes Store purchases and many podcast downloads are M4A.
What is MP3?
The universal compressed audio format, standardised in 1993. It removes sounds that are masked by louder ones; at 190 kbps or more most listeners can’t tell it from the original. Its patents expired in 2017.
Related conversions
The converter also handles 22 input formats in total. See all formats