How to convert M4A (AAC/ALAC) to AAC
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Upload your file
Drag and drop a file or click to select one. Keep this page open while the file uploads and converts.
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Convert M4A (AAC/ALAC) to AAC
NexMedia converts M4A (AAC/ALAC) to AAC on its own servers. Processing time depends on the file size and how busy the queue is.
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Download the converted file
When the conversion finishes, the download appears on this page. Your converted file is kept for 2 hours, then deleted.
About M4A (AAC/ALAC)
M4A is an MPEG-4 audio file: the MP4 container holding only audio, usually AAC and sometimes Apple Lossless (ALAC).
Music bought on iTunes, iPhone voice memos and many podcast downloads.
Whether an M4A is lossy or lossless depends on the codec inside, which the file extension does not show.
Convert M4A to AAC online free, no account required — AAC is the lossy audio codec that succeeded MP3.
Change M4A to AAC without losing quality — convert M4A to AAC free in your browser.
Why won't my car radio or old speaker play my M4A files? The MPEG-4 audio container is newer than MP3, and devices that only decode MP3 cannot read it until it is converted.
About AAC
AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) is the lossy audio codec standardised in MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 as the successor to MP3; at the same bitrate it generally sounds better than MP3.
It is the audio in most MP4 videos, in Apple Music and on YouTube; a .aac file is a bare AAC stream without a container.
A bare .aac stream has only limited room for tags and cover art, so music players usually expect AAC inside an M4A file.
Why convert music to AAC instead of MP3? At the same bitrate AAC sounds better, and every modern phone, computer and streaming service decodes it.
What changes when you convert M4A to AAC
- The audio is decoded and re-encoded as AAC at the default settings, so the result is close to the M4A but not bit-identical.
Settings you can change
Before you convert M4A to AAC, you can adjust: Audio codec, Rate control, Audio bitrate, Quality (VBR), Sample rate, Channels, Normalize loudness, Trim start, Trim duration, and Keep tags.
Limits
Each plan sets a maximum file size and a number of conversions per day, and video and audio files also have a maximum length. Guests can convert files up to 100 megabytes and 5 per day; a free account raises this to 500 megabytes and 25 per day; paid plans go up to 100 gigabytes.
Your converted AAC file is kept for 2 hours, then deleted.
M4A to AAC: questions and answers
Does converting M4A to AAC reduce quality?
The audio is decoded and re-encoded as AAC at the default settings, so the result is close to the M4A but not bit-identical.
What is the difference between M4A and AAC?
M4A is an MPEG-4 audio file, usually holding AAC. AAC is the lossy audio codec that succeeded MP3.
Can I change the settings when converting M4A to AAC?
Before you convert M4A to AAC, you can adjust: Audio codec, Rate control, Audio bitrate, Quality (VBR), Sample rate, Channels, Normalize loudness, Trim start, Trim duration, and Keep tags.
Do I need an account to convert M4A to AAC?
No. You can convert M4A to AAC without an account; signing in raises the file-size and daily limits.
How long is my converted AAC file kept?
The AAC file you convert from M4A is kept for 2 hours, then deleted automatically.
When I convert M4A to AAC, is the audio re-encoded?
The audio is decoded and re-encoded as AAC at the default settings, so the result is close to the M4A but not bit-identical.
Will converting M4A to AAC change my original file?
No. The conversion reads your M4A and writes a new AAC file, leaving your original M4A file untouched.