M4A file format (.m4a)
AAC audio in an MP4 container. Apple default.
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What is an M4A file?
In short: An M4A file (.m4a) is an audio file in the M4A format. M4A is an MP4 container holding an AAC stream. It can be converted to MP3, WAV or FLAC for free in a web browser with iHateFiles, without uploading it.
The audio-only form of MP4, carrying AAC, standardised in 1997 and popularised by the iTunes Store.
M4A is an MP4 container holding an AAC stream. AAC was designed as the successor to MP3 and it delivers clearly better sound at the same bitrate, particularly below 128 kbps. It is the default for Apple Music, YouTube audio and most streaming services.
What M4A is good at
- Better than MP3 at every bitrate, markedly so at low ones
- Proper support for chapters and rich metadata
- Hardware decoding on phones, so playback is efficient
Where M4A falls short
- Very old hardware may not play it
- The .m4a extension confuses some software
- Encoding is licensed, though playback is free
When to use M4A
Use M4A when you want better quality per byte than MP3 and your listeners are on anything from the last fifteen years.
How to open a M4A file
iOS, macOS, Windows, Android, every browser and most players.
| Windows | Groove Music and VLC both play M4A. Files bought from iTunes before 2009 may be DRM-protected and will not. |
|---|---|
| macOS | Opens natively in Music and QuickTime. |
| Linux | VLC, Rhythmbox and mpv. |
| Phone | Native on iOS. Android plays AAC-in-M4A natively. |
| In a browser | Every browser plays M4A holding AAC. |
The thing that usually goes wrong
M4A, M4B, M4R and AAC are largely the same thing with different extensions. Renaming usually works, though it is not something to rely on.
Questions
What is a M4A file?
AAC audio in an MP4 container. Apple default. Files use the .m4a extension.
How do I open a M4A file?
Most audio software opens M4A directly. If yours does not, convert it here to something more common. It takes a few seconds and nothing is uploaded.
Can I convert M4A for free?
Yes. Every conversion here is free and unlimited, because your own device does the work rather than a server we have to pay for.
Is M4A lossless?
No. M4A is a lossy format, so saving discards some detail to save space.