M4A (MPEG-4 audio)

M4A is an MPEG-4 file that contains only audio; the extension simply tells players there is no video inside. The sound is usually compressed with AAC (lossy) or ALAC, Apple Lossless. It was popularised by iTunes and is the format of iTunes Store purchases, Apple voice memos and many audiobooks and podcasts.

Use M4A for music and recordings in the Apple ecosystem, where it offers better quality than MP3 at the same bitrate. If you need to play the file on older players or systems with limited support, MP3 remains the most compatible option.

Source formats: .m4a