Using the online audio converter
How the audio converter works
The page loads a small conversion program into your browser. It reads the file on your device and writes a new MP3 next to it. Your computer or phone does the work, and nothing is uploaded.
That makes it an online audio converter in name only. Once the page is open, the file stays on your device the whole time.
How do I convert M4A to MP3?
Pick the M4A on this page, convert it and save the MP3. iPhone Voice Memos are M4A, so on an iPhone, first share the memo to Files, then pick it from there in your browser. To convert M4A to MP3 on a computer, drag the file onto the page.
How do I convert WAV to MP3?
The same way. A WAV file from a recorder holds uncompressed sound, so turning a WAV file to MP3 makes it far smaller while speech sounds the same. That helps when you want to send a recording by email or keep it on your phone.
Voice notes from chat apps
Voice messages saved from chat apps are often OGG or OPUS, which some players and editors refuse. Converting them to MP3 lets any device play them, and keeps the conversation on your own device while you do it.
Older formats from phones, recorders and Macs
Some recordings arrive in formats that few players open any more. The audio converter reads them and writes a file that a phone, a car stereo or a laptop plays without extra software.
- AMR comes from call recorders and voice notes on older Android phones and basic mobiles.
- WMA comes from older Windows recordings and some handheld dictation recorders.
- AIFF comes from GarageBand and other Mac audio programs.
- FLAC comes from lossless music rips and from stores that sell lossless downloads.
Quality and file size
Converting to MP3 or M4A compresses the sound. From WAV or FLAC, the file shrinks a lot and speech stays clear. From M4A, OGG or OPUS, which are already compressed, the new file keeps the quality of the source and adds none. Choosing WAV writes uncompressed sound, which some editors prefer, and the file grows much larger.
TipNeed the text of the recording? Upload the original file for transcription. Every common format uploads directly, and the first 5 minutes of your first file are free.
MP3, M4A or WAV for the job at hand
MP3 plays almost everywhere, from car stereos and old MP3 players to smart TVs and every browser. Choose it when you are not sure where the file will end up.
M4A is the format Apple uses for voice memos and music. Choose it when the file stays on an iPhone, iPad or Mac, or goes into GarageBand.
WAV suits editing. If you plan to cut a recording in an audio editor and export it again, start from WAV, so the sound is compressed only once, at the final export.
Where the converted file lands
On a computer, the file goes to your browser's downloads folder, unless the browser asks where to save it. On an iPhone, Safari puts it in Downloads in the Files app. On Android, look in Downloads in the Files app or your file manager.
Rename each file as soon as it lands, for example with the date and the person speaking. After a day, a stack of converted voice notes all looks the same.
When a file will not convert
A file in iCloud Drive or Google Drive that shows only a cloud icon is not on your device yet. Download it first, then pick it again on this page.
The converter takes files up to 1 GB. If a large file stalls or the page says it is too big for this device, close other tabs to give the browser more memory, or move the recording to a computer. The online audio converter works in your browser's memory, and a laptop has more of it than most phones.