Short answer
The built-in way is the Music app: choose Music › Settings, click Files, then Import Settings, and set Import Using to MP3 Encoder. Select the song in your library, then choose File › Convert › Create MP3 Version. Both the M4A and the new MP3 stay in your library.
Rather right-click the file in Finder, with no library involved? See how Ricly does it ↓
Three ways at a glance
| Method | Where | Bitrate | Where the MP3 goes | Many files | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music app | Music’s File menu | You choose, up to 320 kbps | Your Music library | Select several songs | Built in |
| Terminal | A command, after installing LAME or ffmpeg | You choose | Where you tell it | With a script | Free tools |
 Ricly | Right-click in Finder | 320 kbps, constant | Next to the original | Select them all, right-click once | Free, no monthly limit |
Convert M4A to MP3 with the Music app (built in)
- Choose Music › Settings, click Files, then click Import Settings.
- In the Import Using menu, choose MP3 Encoder and a quality setting, then click OK.
- If the M4A isn’t in your library yet, add it (File › Add to Library).
- Select it, then choose File › Convert › Create MP3 Version.
Steps from Apple’s guide: Convert music file formats in Music on Mac.
What it does. Music makes an MP3 at the setting you chose, up to 320 kbps. Apple says the song in its original format and the new one both appear in your library; to find the file, right-click the MP3 in Music and choose Show in Finder.
Good to know. Apple notes that converting between two compressed formats, such as AAC to MP3, may reduce sound quality, and that iTunes Store purchases convert only if they are iTunes Plus songs.
Convert M4A to MP3 in the Terminal
macOS includes a command-line audio converter, afconvert, but it doesn’t write MP3: we tried on macOS 15.7 and it refused. Command-line guides install an encoder first, such as ffmpeg or LAME (with Homebrew, for example). With ffmpeg installed, one file is:
ffmpeg -i input.m4a -b:a 320k output.mp3
It’s free and scriptable, if you’re comfortable in the Terminal.
The right-click way
Convert M4A to MP3 with Ricly
- Install Ricly and open it. Turn on the Finder extension when it asks (one setting), then create your free account and verify your email.
- In Finder, right-click the M4A and choose Ricly › Convert to MP3.
- The MP3 lands next to the original, with the same name.
- A constant 320 kbps, the maximum MP3 allows.
- The MP3 lands next to the original, with the same name. Your M4A is never modified, moved or deleted.
- It never overwrites an MP3 that’s already there: you get a numbered file instead.
- No library involved: nothing is added to Music.
- M4A, AAC, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, CAF and M4V all work.
- Everything happens on your Mac. Nothing is uploaded.
Where it falls short. It doesn’t copy tags or artwork, so an M4A from your music library loses its title, artist and cover in the MP3: tag the MP3 after converting if you need them. It needs macOS 13 or later.
Convert many M4A files to MP3 at once
In Ricly, open the folder, select the files (⌘A selects everything in the window) and right-click once: each file gets its own MP3 beside it, two at a time. In the Music app, select several songs in your library before choosing File › Convert › Create MP3 Version.
What about QuickTime Player and the Finder?
QuickTime Player’s File › Export As › Audio Only and the Finder’s Encode Selected Audio Files service both make M4A files, so they help when you need an M4A, the other way round.
Which one should you use?
Converting M4A to MP3 on a Mac: common questions
Can I convert M4A to MP3 without iTunes?
Yes. The Music app built into macOS does it with File › Convert › Create MP3 Version, and Ricly does it from the right-click menu in Finder.
Does converting M4A to MP3 lose quality?
A little: both are compressed formats, and Apple notes that converting between them may reduce sound quality. Ricly encodes at a constant 320 kbps, the most MP3 allows. Keep the M4A as your original.
Will my MP3 keep the song title and artwork?
Not with Ricly: it doesn’t copy tags or artwork. Add them to the MP3 after converting if you need them.
Can I convert a purchased iTunes song?
Apple says iTunes Store purchases convert only if they are iTunes Plus songs.
Can QuickTime convert M4A to MP3?
QuickTime Player’s audio export makes an M4A file. For MP3, use the Music app, the Terminal with an encoder installed, or Ricly.
Is there a free M4A to MP3 converter for Mac?
Yes: the Music app is built in, and Ricly’s Audio to MP3 is free with no monthly limit.
Does Ricly upload my files?
No. The conversion runs on your Mac, and nothing is uploaded.
Audio to MP3 in Ricly →Convert WAV to MP3 on a Mac →Send it as a link →
