Convert M4A to WAV for editing, transcription and DAWs
This M4A to WAV converter decodes .m4a files — iPhone Voice Memos, iTunes and Apple Music downloads you own, GarageBand exports, WhatsApp-style audio from some apps — into uncompressed PCM WAV. WAV is what audio editors, transcription services, samplers, broadcast systems and older software expect, and it can be edited and saved again and again without another round of compression.
Conversion happens in your browser: the AAC audio is decoded by your browser’s own decoder and written as a standard WAV file. Nothing is uploaded, which matters for interviews, meetings and voice notes. You can convert one file or a whole folder and download the results as a ZIP.
How to use the M4A to WAV Converter
- Drop the .m4a files on the upload area or click to choose them. Each one shows its codec, length, sample rate, channels and bitrate.
- Keep Bit depth on “Match the source” (16-bit for AAC), or choose 24-bit or 32-bit float if you will process the audio heavily.
- For video projects choose 48 kHz under Sample rate; for speech-to-text tools, Mono often suffices and halves the size.
- Choose a WAV tag format, then press Convert to WAV.
- Play the original and the WAV side by side and download the files one by one or as a ZIP.
M4A to WAV Converter features
AAC and ALAC
AAC-LC and HE-AAC .m4a files decode in current browsers; Apple Lossless (ALAC) .m4a files decode where the browser supports it, such as Safari.
Voice memos made easy
iPhone Voice Memos are AAC M4A files. Convert them to WAV — mono is enough for one voice — for transcription or editing in a few seconds.
Tags kept
Title, artist, album, track number and year move from the MP4 tags into the WAV’s INFO chunk, or into an ID3 chunk with the cover art.
Resample and remix
44.1 and 48 kHz, stereo or mono, with a windowed-sinc resampler.
Batch and ZIP
Convert a folder of recordings at once and save them together.
Getting M4A files off an iPhone
- In Voice Memos, tap a recording, then the three-dots menu, then Share, and choose Save to Files or AirDrop it to a computer.
- On a Mac, drag a memo out of the Voice Memos app; on Windows, open the shared file from iCloud Drive or email.
- Songs bought from the iTunes Store since 2009 are unprotected AAC .m4a files and convert normally. Older protected .m4p files and Apple Music streaming downloads are DRM-locked and cannot be converted by any honest tool.
WAV size and quality from M4A
AAC at 128–256 kbps is very efficient, so the WAV is much larger: about 10 MB per minute of 44.1 kHz 16-bit stereo, or 5 MB per minute in mono. A 30-minute voice memo becomes roughly 150 MB as a mono WAV.
Converting doesn’t add detail that the AAC encoder removed. The point of the WAV is compatibility and editing headroom: you can cut, process and save it repeatedly, then encode once at the end — for example with WAV to MP3.
| M4A source | Suggested WAV | Approx. per minute |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone voice memo (AAC) | 16-bit mono, 48 kHz | ≈ 5.8 MB |
| iTunes song (stereo, 44.1 kHz AAC 256 kbps) | 16-bit stereo, 44.1 kHz | ≈ 10.1 MB |
| Audio for a video project | 24-bit stereo, 48 kHz | ≈ 16.5 MB |
When something goes wrong
To turn the WAV into text, the Audio to Text tool transcribes it in the browser too.
- A file that says “not an M4A” is probably named .m4a but contains something else; it will still be converted if the browser can decode it.
- A short silence at the very start is AAC encoder priming. Trim it in the Audio Cutter if you need sample-accurate alignment.
- If an ALAC file won’t decode in your browser, try Safari, or use the Audio Converter in Safari to make FLAC.
M4A to WAV Converter FAQ
How do I convert M4A to WAV?
Drop the M4A files here and press Convert to WAV. You get 16-bit WAV files at the original sample rate, ready for any editor.
How do I convert an iPhone voice memo to WAV?
Share the memo to Files or to your computer, drop the .m4a file on this page and press Convert to WAV. Choose Mono to keep the file small.
Does M4A to WAV improve quality?
No. The WAV contains exactly what the AAC decoder produces. It is bigger and easier to edit, but it can’t restore detail lost when the M4A was encoded.
Can I convert Apple Music downloads?
No. Apple Music downloads are protected by DRM and can only be played in Apple’s apps. Purchased iTunes Store songs without DRM convert normally.
What is the difference between M4A and WAV?
M4A is an MP4 audio file, usually compressed with AAC to about a tenth of the size. WAV is uncompressed PCM — large, but accepted by almost every audio program.
Is it private?
Yes. The conversion runs on your device; recordings are never uploaded.