Free online M4A to WMA converter
Convert M4A audio to WMA for legacy Windows software, players, and car stereos.
Convert M4A to WMA online - free
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How it works
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Upload your .m4a file
Click to browse to select your file you want to convert or simply drag & drop your file into selected area.
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Perform .m4a to .wma conversion
After successful file upload, click to convert when you are ready.
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How to convert m4a to wma file
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Some older Windows applications, portable players, car stereos, and media systems accept WMA but reject M4A files. Conversion is also needed when an editing or device-management workflow specifically requires a .wma file.
What the M4A format is
M4A is an audio-only filename extension normally associated with the MPEG-4 container. Most M4A files contain lossy AAC audio, while some contain lossless ALAC audio. Apple devices and applications, Android recording apps, music software, and audio editors commonly create or export M4A files.
The extension does not identify the audio codec by itself. A converter must inspect the file's stream and decode it before encoding the output. AAC-based M4A is generally better supported by current phones, browsers, and media players than WMA; ALAC support is more limited.
What the WMA format is
WMA is Microsoft's Windows Media Audio codec family. A typical .wma file uses an ASF-based container and the lossy WMA Audio codec, commonly identified as wmav2. WMA Pro, WMA Lossless, and WMA Voice are separate variants with different encoding and playback requirements.
WMA's main practical advantage is compatibility with legacy Windows software, older portable players, car stereos, and device-management systems designed for Windows Media. Its compression does not provide inherently better quality than AAC; the target device and its accepted codec matter more.
Convert with 101convert
- Open the M4A-to-WMA converter on 101convert.com.
- Select or drag the source
.m4afile into the upload area. - Choose WMA as the output format and start the conversion.
- Download the resulting
.wmafile and test it in the intended program or device.
This method is free and requires no software installation. Do not upload confidential recordings unless the service's current privacy terms are suitable for the files.
Convert with FFmpeg
FFmpeg runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux and exposes the codec and bitrate settings directly. After installing FFmpeg, open a terminal in the folder containing the source file and run:
ffmpeg -i input.m4a -c:a wmav2 -b:a 192k output.wma
Quote filenames that contain spaces:
ffmpeg -i "recording from phone.m4a" -c:a wmav2 -b:a 192k "recording from phone.wma"
Use 128k for a smaller file or 256k when the destination supports it. A bitrate around 192k is a practical general-purpose setting, but some older hardware accepts only specific bitrates, sample rates, or channel configurations. FFmpeg normally preserves the input sample rate and channel layout unless you specify other values.
Quality and compatibility limits
Converting AAC M4A to lossy WMA performs a second lossy encode. It cannot restore information removed by the original AAC encoder, and repeated conversions can add audible artifacts. If the source contains ALAC, it is lossless before conversion, but ordinary WMA output becomes lossy; use the highest bitrate accepted by the destination.
Metadata transfer is not guaranteed. Artist, album, artwork, chapter, gapless-playback, and other tag data may be missing or altered, so inspect the converted file before adding it to a library or device. DRM-protected M4A files may not decode, and changing .m4a to .wma in the filename does not convert the audio.
M4A vs WMA: format comparison
How the M4A and WMA formats compare on the properties that matter most for this conversion.
| Property | .M4A MPEG-4 Audio | .WMA Windows Media Audio |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Both | Lossy |
| Audio quality | — | Medium |
| Audio channels | — | Up to stereo |
| Metadata support | Extensive | Basic |
| Streaming | Yes | Yes |
| DRM protection | Optional | Optional |
| Opens in a web browser | Yes, natively | No |
| Typical file size | Small | Small |
| Open standard | Yes | No |
| Best used for | Music | Music |
| Introduced | 2001 | 1999 |
| Developer | MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) / ISO/IEC | Microsoft |
| MIME type | audio/mp4 | audio/x-ms-wma |
Suggested software and links: m4a to wma converters
Frequently asked questions
Is the M4A to WMA converter free?
Yes, converting M4A to WMA on 101convert.com is completely free. No registration, email address or installation is required. If you need a higher file size limit or want to convert more files at once, see our plans.
How large can my M4A file be?
You can upload M4A files up to 1000 MB and convert up to 100 files at once in a single batch.
What happens to my uploaded files?
Files are processed automatically and deleted from our servers within a few minutes after conversion. We never view or share your files.
Do I need to install any software to convert M4A to WMA?
No. The M4A to WMA conversion runs entirely online in your browser and works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone.
Did the conversion fail?
In most cases, the cause is an incorrect file format. Please upload a valid M4A file for this M4A to WMA conversion. Occasionally, the issue may be on our side. We analyze recurring conversion failures and disable or fix the converter if we detect a defect.
Additional formats for
m4a file conversion
- m4a to m3u
- m4a to mp3
- m4a to pls
- m4a to cda
- m4a to mp4
- m4a to wav
- m4a to vox
- m4a to flac
- m4a to mp2
- m4a to pdf
- m4a to 3ga
- m4a to 3gp
- m4a to aac
- m4a to ac3
- m4a to afc
- m4a to aiff
- m4a to alac
- m4a to amr
- m4a to ape
- m4a to au
- m4a to bnk
- m4a to bwf
- m4a to caf
- m4a to caff
- m4a to gsm
- m4a to m4b
- m4a to m4p
- m4a to m4r
- m4a to mid
- m4a to midi
- m4a to mka
- m4a to mpc
- m4a to nbs
- m4a to oga
- m4a to ogg
- m4a to opus
- m4a to rtttl
- m4a to snd
- m4a to spx
- m4a to tta
- m4a to w64
- m4a to wave
- m4a to wv
Reverse conversion
Convert to wma from
other formats
- wpp to wma
- cda to wma
- tta to wma
- mp3 to wma
- wav to wma
- xspf to wma
- nrc to wma
- wave to wma
- flac to wma
- bonk to wma
- 3ga to wma
- aac to wma
- aax to wma
- ac3 to wma
- afc to wma
- aif to wma
- aifc to wma
- aiff to wma
- alac to wma
- amr to wma
- ape to wma
- au to wma
- br25 to wma
- br27 to wma
- br29 to wma
- br4 to wma
- br5 to wma
- bwf to wma
- caff to wma
- cpa to wma
- dpg to wma
- dsf to wma
- dvf to wma
- fla to wma
- fli to wma
- flv to wma
- h264 to wma
- jpeg to wma
- m2a to wma
- m2p to wma
- m3u to wma
- m4b to wma
- m4r to wma
- m4v to wma
- midi to wma
- mka to wma
- mkv to wma
- mov to wma
- mp1 to wma
- mp2 to wma
- mp4 to wma
- mpa to wma
- mpc to wma
- mpg to wma
- mpl to wma
- msdvd to wma
- npf to wma
- nvc to wma
- oga to wma
- ogg to wma
- opus to wma
- pls to wma
- rax to wma
- shn to wma
- snd to wma
- tak to wma
- vob to wma
- w64 to wma
- wlmp to wma
- wpl to wma
- wv to wma
- wve to wma
- xkr to wma
- zvr to wma