Convert AAC to M4A

Free, in your browser, no signup: files delete themselves within an hour.

Drop your file here to upload

Free, no signup
No watermark, ever
Files auto-delete in 1 hour
Nothing to install

Converting AAC to M4A is free: drop your AAC above, hit convert, and download the M4A. Files delete themselves within an hour.

AAC and M4A are both lossy formats, so flipping AAC to M4A is really about compatibility: getting your audio into a shape the stubborn device or app will actually take. Where AAC struggles with older or stubborn hardware that only ever learned MP3, M4A earns its keep: it's built for sounding great anywhere in the Apple ecosystem.

FYI

Small print: AAC and M4A are both lossy, so every re-encode shaves off a little more. Convert once, from the best source you have: not repeatedly.

Why flip AAC to M4A

AAC is MP3's better-trained successor: cleaner sound from the same number of bits. It was born in 1997, an MPEG all-star team: Fraunhofer, Dolby, Sony, AT&T and Nokia, and its real weak spot is older or stubborn hardware that only ever learned MP3.

M4A is AAC in Apple's favorite outfit: the audio-only MP4 your iPhone speaks natively. An MP4 container holding only audio: usually AAC, occasionally Apple's lossless ALAC. That makes it the right destination when what you need is sounding great anywhere in the Apple ecosystem.

How to convert AAC to M4A

1
Drop your AAC file into the flipper above, or click to browse for it.
2
Check the output format: M4A is already selected for you.
3
Hit Convert, give it a moment, then download your new M4A.

AAC vs M4A, side by side

	AAC	M4A
Born	1997, an MPEG all-star team: Fraunhofer, Dolby, Sony, AT&T and Nokia	2003, popularized by Apple's iTunes Store
Type	audio · lossy	audio · lossy
Best for	streaming-grade sound at friendly file sizes	sounding great anywhere in the Apple ecosystem
Weak spot	older or stubborn hardware that only ever learned MP3	older Windows software and stubborn car stereos that expect a .mp3
Typical size	similar to MP3, but it sounds better at the same bitrate: or the same at about 25% smaller	like AAC: better-than-MP3 sound at about 1 MB per minute
Plays on	Apple everything, YouTube, Android, modern players; patchy on legacy gear.	iPhone, Mac and iTunes natively; most modern Android and Windows apps too.

Questions people ask

Will converting AAC to M4A lose quality?

A small amount: both formats are lossy, so re-encoding trims a little detail. Converting once at a decent bitrate keeps it inaudible for most ears.

Will the M4A file be bigger or smaller than my AAC?

In the same neighborhood: M4A runs like AAC: better-than-MP3 sound at about 1 MB per minute, and you control the bitrate.

Where will the M4A file play?

iPhone, Mac and iTunes natively; most modern Android and Windows apps too. That's the usual reason people leave AAC behind: M4A simply opens in more of the places that matter.

How long does AAC to M4A conversion take?

Seconds for most files: audio is light work. A long recording might take a minute; your file auto-deletes from our servers within an hour either way.

More ways to handle these formats

Convert AAC M4A conversion Shrink M4A Trim M4A Increase M4A volume M4A speed changer Make AAC louder