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This article will show you how to Convert MP3 to M4A on Windows or Mac. MP3 is one of the most famous ways to listen to music, and most people use it a lot. It was famous because it could reduce the size of a file to one tenth of its original size by getting rid of information that a human ear can’t hear. There didn’t seem to be much of a problem with the sound.
But it wasn’t good enough to meet the high standards that iPhone users have. M4A is a file format that was made by Apple. It is better than MP3 because it can compress files without losing quality. We all know that MP3 is a file name that is used a lot. But it can’t meet the growing demand for high-quality music, especially among iPhone users.
Also, M4A is thought to be the next step after the MP3 compression format, which was made by Apple Inc. It keeps sound clarity better than MP3 but takes up less space. Based on these points, changing MP3 to M4A format is a great choice if you want to keep a lot of MP3 songs on your Apple devices but don’t want to use up too much space.
How to Convert MP3 to M4A on Windows or Mac
Convert MP3 to M4A with iTunes
iTunes is a platform for managing music files that lets you change the format of files and works with both Windows and Mac OS. With the simple 4 steps below, it changes a file from MP3 to M4A.
- 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.
- Next tap on the iTunes, then select the Preferences, thereafter go to the General > Import Settings.
- Click on the Import Using and select the AAC Encoder option. You can also adjust the settings on the Setting button.
- 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.
Convert MP3 to M4A Online
Online-Convert is a free online file converter that lets you change files from one type to another. It can convert many things, like video, music, images, documents, and a lot more. It’s also simple to use, and the training is easy to understand.
- 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.
Convert MP3 to M4A Using VLC Media Player
- Download the latest version of VLC if you have not installed it on your computer yet, and open it.
- Click on Media and select the Convert / Save option, or press Ctrl+R directly.
- You will now have to click on the File tab followed by the +Add button for loading the files you wish to convert. And then choose the Convert / Save button to continue.
- Click the wrench icon to choose MPEG 4 Audio (AAC) option under Audio codec option.
- Then choose the destination path and click Start button for initiating the conversion.
FAQs
The M4A extension has become popular since Apple started using it in iTunes and iPods to separate video and music files from MPEG-4. But M4A is a type of music file that works with Mac. If you want to play it on Windows, Samsung, Android LG, HTC, or other systems, you might run into some tricky problems.
Even though both MP3 and M4A are lossy audio formats that use compression methods, M4A has better audio quality when encoded at the same bit rate level. At the same time, for the same length of music, an M4A file is also smaller.
M4A is the file name for an audio file that is encoded with AAC or an advanced coding compression. Windows Media Player does not work with M4A by default. To view M4A files on Windows Media Player, you have to download the latest version of Windows Media Player. All of the most recent versions work perfectly with M4A files.