M4A to MP3 Converter
Turn a voice memo or audio clip into an MP3 at your chosen bitrate.
Drop your file hereTap to choose a file
or click to browse, or paste from the clipboard
M4A
Max file size: 100 MiB
Six MP3 bitrates
Choose 64, 96, 128, 192, 256 or 320 kbps. The bitrate sets the file size directly: 192 kbps, the default, is about 1.4 MB per minute, and 96 kbps is half that.
All or part of a recording
Leave the duration blank to convert a recording of up to five minutes from start to finish, or enter a start time and a length in seconds to cut out one section.
A standard stereo MP3
The result is a 48 kHz stereo MP3, the format that car stereos, older players, editing apps and upload forms accept when they refuse M4A.
How to convert M4A to MP3
- 1
Choose an M4A audio file up to 100 MiB.
- 2
Set the start time and clip duration in seconds, or leave the duration blank for a recording of five minutes or less.
- 3
Choose the MP3 bitrate: 96 kbps suits speech and 192 kbps suits music.
- 4
Convert the file and download your MP3 within about ten minutes.
What people use this tool for
- Share a voice memo with someone whose phone, car or software does not play M4A.
- Turn an interview or lecture recording into an MP3 for a service that asks for that format.
- Cut a short audio sample from a longer recording for a slide deck or video edit.
- Convert a sound effect or song clip for a device that only reads MP3.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert an M4A file to MP3?
Choose the .m4a file, leave Start time at 0 and Clip duration blank, pick a bitrate and convert. When the MP3 is ready, use the download button to save it. A recording longer than five minutes needs a duration of 300 seconds or less, so it is converted one section at a time.
How do I convert an iPhone voice memo?
In the Voice Memos app, open the recording's menu, choose Share and save it to Files, which gives you an .m4a file. Open this page in Safari, choose that file and convert it. For speech, 64 or 96 kbps is enough and keeps the MP3 small.
What bitrate should I choose?
For voice recordings, lectures and podcasts, 64 or 96 kbps is fine. For music, use 192 kbps, the default, or 256 to 320 kbps if the file size does not matter. A higher bitrate cannot restore detail that the M4A never had: a 128 kbps original does not improve when saved at 320 kbps, it only gets larger.
Does converting M4A to MP3 lose quality?
Slightly. Most M4A files hold AAC audio, which is already compressed, and MP3 compresses it a second time. At 192 kbps and above the difference is hard to hear in normal listening. Keep the original M4A if you might edit the audio later.
How long and how large can the recording be?
The file can be up to 100 MiB and the recording up to 30 minutes long, and each conversion exports at most five minutes. For a longer recording, convert it in sections by moving the start time forward 300 seconds each time. Audio Joiner can then combine sections totalling up to ten minutes into one MP3.
Why was my M4A rejected?
The file must have the .m4a extension, contain a playable audio track and be complete. Copy-protected purchases, usually named .m4p, cannot be decoded. A video saved with an .m4a name is refused, though album artwork is fine. If two other media conversions are already running on the server, you are asked to try again shortly.
What happens to tags, artwork and extra tracks?
The MP3 contains the first audio track only, converted to stereo at 48 kHz. Title and artist tags, album artwork and chapter markers are not carried over, so add tags again in your music app if you need them. A mono voice memo becomes a two-channel file with the same sound on both sides.
Is my recording uploaded, and when is it deleted?
Yes. Conversion runs on Zutilium's server, so the M4A is uploaded when you convert. After a successful conversion the upload is scheduled for deletion after about one minute and the result after about ten minutes. Cleanup runs once a minute, so removal is not instant. Download the MP3 promptly.