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MP4 to M4A converter

Convert MP4 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
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Other ways to convert MP4

Convert other formats to M4A

Read more about the MP4 format and the M4A format, or see every video tool and all video conversions.

Should you convert MP4 to M4A?

You want the audio of a video in Apple’s AAC format — ideal for iPhones, iTunes, podcasts and voice notes.

Yes, when you only need the sound: a song from a music video, the audio of a lecture, or a voice recording to transcribe. The picture is left out and the soundtrack is saved as M4A.

MP4 is the video container that plays on everything, usually holding H.264 video and AAC audio; 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.

MP4 and M4A compared
Property MP4 M4A
What it is The video container that plays on everything, usually holding H.264 video and AAC audio AAC audio in an MP4 container, Apple’s everyday audio format
Audio inside H.264 or HEVC video with AAC audio 128–256 kbps AAC
Plays on Every phone, browser, TV, editor, chat app and upload form Apple devices, Android, browsers and most players; some older car stereos, Windows apps and forms refuse it
Best for Sharing video anywhere Good-sounding audio at small sizes

How to convert MP4 to M4A

  1. 01

    Add your MP4

    Drop your MP4 video 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 MP4 becomes M4A

Already AAC inside

MP4 soundtracks are usually AAC, so the M4A is that same kind of audio compressed a second time rather than copied out. Set the bitrate at or above the original, typically 128 to 192 kbps, and the second pass can’t be heard.

Video files without sound

Screen recordings and some exported clips have no audio track at all. The file is checked as soon as you add it, and you’ll be told before converting if there’s nothing to extract.

This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of MP4 and M4A, so every pairing states the same facts the same way. How these pages are made.

Why it doesn’t upload

Uploading a whole video to keep only its sound wastes time and data, and hands over the footage too. The audio track is read and saved right here, and the file never leaves your device.

How to check for yourself

Worth knowing

  • About the MP4. An MP4 that won’t play is rarely broken; it usually holds a newer codec such as HEVC or AV1 that the player doesn’t support.
  • About the M4A. An .m4a can also hold lossless ALAC audio, several times larger; the extension alone doesn’t tell you which.
  • AVI, WMV, FLV and other older formats use the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download.

Questions

Does extracting M4A from an MP4 lose quality?

The soundtrack is compressed again as M4A. At 192 kbps the difference from the original is inaudible for nearly everyone.

Can I get the audio from only part of the video?

Yes. Set a start and end time before converting, and only that section is saved as M4A.

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