How to convert Windows Media Audio to M4A (AAC/ALAC)
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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 Windows Media Audio to M4A (AAC/ALAC)
NexMedia converts Windows Media Audio to M4A (AAC/ALAC) 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 Windows Media Audio
Windows Media Audio (WMA) is Microsoft's family of audio codecs, stored in the ASF container, with lossy, lossless and voice variants.
Music bought or ripped with Windows Media Player in the 2000s.
WMA files can carry DRM, and many devices outside Windows do not play WMA.
Convert Windows Media Audio to M4A online free, no account required — M4A is an MPEG-4 audio file, usually holding AAC.
Change Windows Media Audio to M4A without losing quality — convert Windows Media Audio to M4A free in your browser.
Why does my Android phone refuse to play WMA files? Windows Media Audio never left the Microsoft world, so players elsewhere either skip it or need a conversion to a universal format.
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.
Why convert audio to M4A? It wraps efficient AAC audio with chapter marks and cover art in one small file that Apple, Android and Windows all play.
What changes when you convert Windows Media Audio to M4A
- The audio is decoded and re-encoded as M4A at the default settings, so the result is close to the Windows Media Audio but not bit-identical.
- Windows Media Audio files can carry DRM copy protection; protected files are detected and refused, because copy protection is never removed.
Settings you can change
Before you convert Windows Media Audio to M4A, 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 M4A file is kept for 2 hours, then deleted.
Windows Media Audio to M4A: questions and answers
Does converting Windows Media Audio to M4A reduce quality?
The audio is decoded and re-encoded as M4A at the default settings, so the result is close to the Windows Media Audio but not bit-identical.
What is the difference between Windows Media Audio and M4A?
Windows Media Audio is Microsoft's Windows Media audio format. M4A is an MPEG-4 audio file, usually holding AAC.
Can I change the settings when converting Windows Media Audio to M4A?
Before you convert Windows Media Audio to M4A, 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 Windows Media Audio to M4A?
No. You can convert Windows Media Audio to M4A without an account; signing in raises the file-size and daily limits.
How long is my converted M4A file kept?
The M4A file you convert from Windows Media Audio is kept for 2 hours, then deleted automatically.
What happens if my Windows Media Audio file is copy-protected?
Windows Media Audio files can carry DRM copy protection; protected files are detected and refused, because copy protection is never removed.
When I convert Windows Media Audio to M4A, is the audio re-encoded?
The audio is decoded and re-encoded as M4A at the default settings, so the result is close to the Windows Media Audio but not bit-identical.