What is M4A?
| Full name | MPEG-4 Audio Layer |
| Format type | Audio |
| Developed by | The International Organization for Standardization |
| Description | M4A is described in the MPEG-4 Part 14 standard created by the International Organization for Standardization. While MP4 files can contain audio and video, M4A is designed for audio only. This file type can be used to store music, podcasts, or audiobooks. Apple devices and programs support M4A natively, and it is the most common format in iTunes. On Windows, you might need to install an additional codec pack to open and play an M4A file. |
| File extension | .m4a |
| Technical details | In the M4A format specification, you might see one of two codecs: AAC or ALAC. ALAC provides lossless compression, so these files might be relatively large compared to those compressed with AAC, which offers lossy compression. If you’re wondering how to choose between these codecs when converting files to M4A, think about the audio playback. Lossless compression means better quality. |
| Associated programs | Windows Media Player 12 (older versions will require additional codecs), iTunes, QuickTime, and VLC |
Popular conversions
Convert from M4A
Convert to M4A
3G2 to M4A3GP to M4AAAC to M4AAC3 to M4AAIFC to M4AAIFF to M4AAIF to M4AAVI to M4ACAF to M4AFLAC to M4AFLV to M4AM4B to M4AM4R to M4AM4V to M4AMKV to M4AMOV to M4AMP3 to M4AMP4 to M4AMPEG to M4AMTS to M4AOGA to M4AOGG to M4AOpus to M4ASWF to M4ATS to M4AVOB to M4AWAV to M4AWebM to M4AWMA to M4AWMV to M4A