How to Convert M4A to MP3 on Mac (and WAV)

What is the difference between M4A, WAV and MP3?

All three are audio files, but they store sound in different ways. M4A and MP3 are compressed, so they stay small. WAV is usually uncompressed, so it sounds exactly like the source but takes up much more space.

• M4A is an MPEG-4 audio file. Most M4A files use AAC, the format Apple uses for songs by default. Some use Apple Lossless instead.
• WAV is raw, uncompressed audio. Apple's own Music guide notes that WAV songs take up much more disk space than compressed ones.
• MP3 is the old, reliable format. It's compressed like M4A, and almost every player, car stereo, and upload form accepts it.

So converting to MP3 is really about one thing: making your audio play anywhere. That's worth a minute of setup.

How to convert M4A to MP3 on Mac with the Music app

The Music app can create an MP3 copy of any song in your library. You choose MP3 as your import format once, and after that every conversion is two clicks.

According to Apple's Music User Guide, here are the steps:

1. Open the Music app.
2. Choose Music → Settings, click Files, then click Import Settings.
3. In the Import Using menu, choose MP3 Encoder, then click OK.
4. If the M4A file isn't in your library yet, drag it from Finder into the Music window.
5. Select the song, then choose File → Convert → Create MP3 Version.

The new MP3 shows up in your library right next to the original. Nice and easy. Both versions stay, so nothing is lost.

Find the new MP3 file in Finder

This part trips people up, because the MP3 lives inside your music library. Apple's guide on where music files are stored says to click Songs in the sidebar, select the song, and choose File → Show in Finder. Both versions share a name, so look for the file that ends in .mp3.

Convert a whole folder at once

Apple's support article on converting songs to a different file format has a handy shortcut. Hold the Option key, choose File → Convert → Convert to MP3, and pick a folder or disk. Music imports the songs and converts them. Just know that both the originals and the MP3s get added to your library.

How to convert WAV to MP3 on Mac

You convert WAV to MP3 on a Mac with the exact same Music app steps. Set Import Using to MP3 Encoder, add the WAV file to your library, and choose File → Convert → Create MP3 Version.

WAV is actually the best starting point for an MP3. It's uncompressed, so the encoder gets the full sound to work with. The MP3 will also be far smaller than the WAV, which makes it much easier to email or upload.

One tip: if you recorded the WAV yourself, keep the original. It's your master copy. You can always make a new MP3 from it later at a different bit rate.

Which MP3 bit rate should you choose?

For most music, the Music app's default MP3 setting is fine. If you want to choose yourself, Apple says the most common bit rate for stereo MP3 files is 128 to 192 kbps (kilobits per second).

You'll find the presets in the Setting menu, right under Import Using. Apple's import settings guide explains them:

• Good Quality fits more songs on a small player.
• High Quality makes files of about 1 MB (1,024 KB) per minute of music, which Apple suggests for noisy places.
• Higher Quality is meant for burning your own CDs or listening on good speakers.
• Custom lets you set the exact kbps. A higher number means better sound and a bigger file.

Apple also notes that lower bit rates suit voice recordings, like audiobooks. For a voice memo or a lecture, you can save a lot of space without hearing much difference.

Will converting M4A to MP3 lower the sound quality?

It can, a little. M4A (AAC) and MP3 are both compressed formats, and Apple warns that converting between compressed formats may reduce sound quality.

Here's why. Each compressed format throws away some sound data to stay small. When you convert one to the other, the second encoder works from an already-trimmed copy. Apple puts it simply: data lost to compression can't be brought back.

A few habits keep your MP3s sounding their best:

• Start from the best source you have. A WAV or the original recording beats an M4A.
• Pick a bit rate at least as high as the M4A you're starting from.
• Convert once. Bouncing a file back and forth between formats adds up.

In everyday listening, a single M4A to MP3 conversion at a sensible bit rate usually sounds fine to me. Apple notes that, depending on the song and your speakers, you might not hear a difference between compressed and uncompressed versions at all.

A faster way: convert audio from Finder's right-click menu

If you convert audio often, the Music app gets slow. Every file has to go into your library first, and then you have to dig the MP3 back out. FinderBuddy skips all of that and works right in Finder.

1. Select one M4A or WAV file, or a whole batch of them, in Finder.
2. Right-click and choose FinderBuddy → Convert Audio.
3. Choose MP3 as the output format. The new files are saved next to the originals or in a FinderBuddy Output folder.

Convert Audio handles MP3, M4A, WAV, AIFF and FLAC, and it keeps titles, artists and cover art. Your files are processed locally on your Mac, so nothing gets uploaded, and your originals are never changed.

Got a video instead of an audio file? The video to MP3 guide shows how to save just the sound, at up to 320 kbps.

FinderBuddy needs macOS 14 or later on a Mac with Apple silicon. The free download includes a limited set of tools, and a one-time license unlocks everything, including Convert Audio. The setup guide gets you running in a minute or two.

What this means for you

The right method depends on how many files you have and how often you do this. Both are good choices.

• One or two songs, now and then: use the Music app. It's free, it's already on your Mac, and the steps become second nature after the first time.
• A folder of recordings or a regular task: a Finder tool like FinderBuddy saves the library round trip. You select, right-click, and you're done.
• Private audio: interviews, voice notes, and client recordings are better converted on your own Mac than on a website you don't know.

My honest take? Most people only need the Music app. The library step is a little clunky, but it works well. I'd only reach for something faster if you find yourself converting files every week.

Working with video too? You might like the guides on converting MOV to MP4 and compressing video on a Mac.

The takeaway

Converting M4A to MP3 on a Mac is simpler than it sounds. Set MP3 Encoder in the Music app's Import Settings, then use Create MP3 Version on any song. WAV files work the same way, and they make even better MP3s.

Pick a bit rate in the 128 to 192 kbps range for music, keep your originals, and convert once. You've got this. Once you've done it a single time, the whole thing takes seconds.