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CAF to M4A converter

Convert CAF to M4A in your browser. No upload and no account: the file never leaves your device, so the only size limit is your device’s memory.

I want M4A
Advanced 4
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Leave both at 0 for the whole file.

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Bytes of your files sent anywhere: 0 B

Related conversions

Other ways to convert CAF

Convert other formats to M4A

Read more about the CAF format and the M4A format, or see every audio tool and all audio conversions.

Should you convert CAF to M4A?

A lossless move: CAF and M4A both keep every sample, so the sound is identical and you can convert back at any time.

M4A also plays in more places: Apple devices, Android, browsers and most players; some older car stereos, Windows apps and forms refuse it.

CAF is Apple’s professional audio container; M4A is AAC audio in an MP4 container, Apple’s everyday audio format. Use M4A for music and recordings on Apple devices, or anywhere AAC is accepted and size matters.

CAF and M4A compared
Property CAF M4A
Compression Depends on the codec inside Lossy
Typical quality PCM, AAC or ALAC 128–256 kbps AAC
Support Mainly an Apple format Opens almost everywhere
Best for Audio inside Apple apps and iOS development Good-sounding audio at small sizes
Introduced 2005 2003

How to convert CAF to M4A

  1. 01

    Add your CAF

    Drop your CAF file onto the box, or click to choose it. It is read from your disk and stays there.

  2. 02

    Check the settings

    The output is already set to M4A. Change the bitrate if you want to; the defaults suit most files.

  3. 03

    Save the M4A

    Press convert and save the M4A. Several files come back together as a ZIP.

What changes when CAF becomes M4A

Identical sound

Both formats are lossless, so the audio isn’t changed at all. Only the file size and which apps open it differ.

A one-time engine download

CAF is decoded by FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly, a 31 MB download the first time. After that it is cached, and the conversion never leaves your device.

Expect a much smaller file

CAF: Depends on the codec inside. M4A: About 1 MB a minute at 128 kbps. Shrinking the file is often the main reason to make this conversion.

This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of CAF and M4A, so every pairing states the same facts the same way. How these pages are made.

Why it doesn’t upload

Recordings are often private: interviews, voice notes, unreleased music. Your browser can decode and encode audio itself, so there is no reason to send it anywhere.

How to check for yourself

Worth knowing

  • About the CAF. A CAF can hold uncompressed PCM, AAC or Apple Lossless, so two CAF files of the same length can differ tenfold in size.
  • About the M4A. An .m4a can also hold lossless ALAC audio, several times larger; the extension alone doesn’t tell you which.
  • MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, Opus and FLAC are converted by your browser directly. WMA, AMR, APE, AC3 and the other specialist formats use the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download.

Questions

Does converting CAF to M4A lose quality?

M4A is lossy, so a little is discarded, but at the default bitrate the difference is inaudible for nearly everyone.

Will an M4A play in my car or on my phone?

M4A opens almost everywhere: Apple devices, Android, browsers and most players; some older car stereos, Windows apps and forms refuse it.

Read more about this

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