Convert M4A to AAC
Pull the AAC audio out of an M4A file into a raw .aac stream, normally without re-encoding a single sample. It all happens in your browser, so nothing is uploaded.
Why convert M4A to AAC?
An M4A is a wrapper, and the audio inside is almost always AAC. Some broadcast tools, older players, and streaming or radio workflows want that audio as a plain .aac stream without the MP4 container around it. Convert when an ingest system or device rejects M4A but accepts AAC. If your player already opens M4A, there is no reason to switch, since M4A also keeps your tags and artwork.
Quality and file size
Because M4A and AAC usually share the same codec, this converter first tries a lossless remux: it copies the existing AAC audio into the new container without decoding or re-encoding, so the sound is bit-for-bit identical and the conversion is almost instant. If the M4A actually holds something else, such as Apple Lossless, the copy is not possible and it falls back to a fresh AAC encode at the quality you pick. Note that a raw .aac file cannot carry cover art and holds very little metadata.
M4A to AAC: common questions
Does converting M4A to AAC lose quality?
Usually not at all. When the M4A contains AAC audio, which is the normal case, the audio is copied across untouched. Only an Apple Lossless M4A has to be re-encoded, and then you control the bitrate.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser with FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly. Your file never leaves your device, and we never see it, store it, or train on it.
Why did my cover art disappear?
A raw .aac file is just the audio stream, with no container to hold artwork or rich tags. That is a limitation of the format itself. Keep the M4A if you want the art and metadata preserved.
Why would anyone want raw AAC instead of M4A?
Mostly for strict technical pipelines: broadcast ingest, some radio and streaming tools, and certain devices that accept an AAC stream but not the MP4 container. For everyday listening M4A is the better choice.
Who makes this?
We're the small team behind Xport Studio, a private, fully offline app for AI vocals, stems, and mastering. These free tools are side experiments we wanted to share. No upsell, but if you're curious about the bigger thing, take a look.