Summary :
Convert the unprotected music to MP3. To create MP3 versions of the music that you re-downloaded, select a song, click the File menu item, select Convert in the drop-down menu, and click Create MP3 Version in the pop-out menu. If the Create MP3 Version option doesn't appear here, you can enable it by doing the following. M4p to mp3 converter for mac free download - MAC M4P Converter for iTunes, Tune4Mac M4P Converter, M4P to MP3 Converter, and many more programs. We gonna to provide the easiest method to convert M4P to MP3 on Window and Mac. Step 1: Click on “ Download ” above, own EelPhone Apple Music converter in your Window or Mac, after installing, launch it, just double click on it. From the home page, click on “ Load iTunes Library ” from the home page to import M4P from itunes.
If you have some audio files in M4P format and want to convert M4P to MP3, then you should read this post carefully. This post from MiniTool provides multiple useful M4P to MP3 converters for you. You can use them to convert M4P to MP3 for free.
Sidify Apple Music Converter is an easy-to-use but powerful M4P to MP3 converter, which can help you convert M4P to MP3 quickly and easily. You can use it to convert Apple Music songs to common audio formats, such as MP3, AAC, FLAC or WAV. You can run this tool on the Windows system and Mac system. Top 8 Best & Free FLAC to MP3 Converters. Free download your trial copy of the M4P to MP3 Converter for Mac. Convert AAX to MP3 on Mac Convert protected AAC to MP3 on Mac Convert iTunes DRM Video to MP3.
Quick Navigation :
Part 1. Top 9 M4P to MP3 Converters
1. Easy M4P Converter
Easy M4P Converter is a useful free M4P to MP3 converter that can easily remove DRM protection from iTunes M4P. So you can use it to convert M4P to MP3. It can extract audio tracks from any video in iTunes and convert almost all video formats into popular audio with 100% original audio quality and ID tags.
Main Features
- It allows you to convert M4P files to other unprotected audio formats like M4A, MP3, WAV, AAC, AC3, AU, MKA, M4R, AIFF, and vise versa.
- It is suitable for Windows (Windows XP or higher version) and Mac (macOS 10.8 – 10.5).
- It is the only legal way to remove DRM protection from M4P songs.
- It offers up to 16X faster conversion speed.
- It supports 7 languages.
Do you want to convert YouTube to WAV? This post shows 2 methods: YouTube to WAV desktop converters, and YouTube to WAV online converters.
2. Wondershare UniConverter
Wondershare UniConverter is an all-in-one video toolbox. It also allows you to perform converting M4P to MP3. Multiple M4P files on the system and device can be added for batch processing. The software interface also allows the converted files to be transferred to many devices. Therefore, for unlimited high-quality lossless quality conversion, Wondershare UniConverter is a good choice.
Main Features
- It can convert videos to 1000 formats at 30X faster speed without losing quality.
- It allows you to download, compress, edit, burn, transfer videos, add video metadata.
- It is suitable for Windows (Windows XP or higher version) and Mac (macOS 10.15/14/13/12/11/10/9).
- It allows you to compress video with no size limit and it can remove DRM.
- All unsupported formats will be intelligently converted to compatible ones when you transfer media files to other devices.
Related post - Convert YouTube to MP3 Free In Seconds (Jan 2020)
3. NoteBurner iTunes Audio Converter
How to convert M4P to MP3 free? NoteBurner iTunes Audio Converter is a good choice. You can convert all kinds of audio files using NoteBurner iTunes Audio Converter for playback on iPod, Zune, PSP, MP3 player, cellphones and other portable media players.
Main Features
- It can convert any audio to other formats at 20X faster speed without losing quality.
- It keeps ID tags information and doesn’t need extra hardware or virtual drive.
- It can record iTunes M4P music, audiobooks, and Apple music.
- It supports the Windows system and Mac system.
4. TuneClone M4P Converter
How to convert M4P to MP3 on Mac? TuneClone M4P Converter is not only used to convert M4P to MP3 on Mac, but it is also suitable for Windows 10/8/7. With this M4P to MP3 converter, just needing a few mouse clicks, then you can play all your M4P songs on any MP3 player devices.
Main Features
- It converts iTunes music through virtual CD burning.
- It keeps ID3 tags for artist, album, title and so on.
- Its virtual CD burning can use the maximum writing speed and it can convert your music files at a very high speed.
- It allows you to batch convert a large collection of music files.
5. Sidify Apple Music Converter
Sidify Apple Music Converter is an easy-to-use but powerful M4P to MP3 converter, which can help you convert M4P to MP3 quickly and easily. You can use it to convert Apple Music songs to common audio formats, such as MP3, AAC, FLAC or WAV. You can run this tool on the Windows system and Mac system.
Want to know which one is the best free FLAC to MP3 Converter or how to convert FLAC to MP3 through freeware? Now you are in the right place.
Main Features
- It is suitable for Apple Music, iTunes M4P music and audiobooks.
- It allows you to upload and share Apple music to OneDrive or Google Drive.
- It keeps original audio quality and ID3 tags after conversion.
- It can convert audio files to other formats at 10X faster speed on the Windows system, 20X faster speed on the Mac system.
Note: If you are using macOS 10.14 or higher version, then the conversion speed of this converter will be limited to 1X.
6. FreeConvert
With no need to download and install any software, FreeConvert enables you to convert M4P to MP3 online for free. It supports converting document, image, audio, video, and eBook from one format to another. In addition, it provides various advanced tools such as video compressor, PDF compressor, image compressor, etc.
Main Features
- The maximum file size that can be converted is 1GB.
- You can batch convert M4P to MP3 up to 20 files at a time.
- You can upload M4P files from your local computer or via URL.
7. FileZigZag
How to convert M4P to MP3 online? FileZigZag is a popular online program that allows you to convert M4P to MP3. Besides, you can convert a wide range of formats such as audio, video, image, document, eBook, and archive using this free online converter. If you don’t want to download and install any software, then FileZigZag is a better choice.
Main Features
- It is 100% safe and doesn’t contain malicious software.
- All uploaded files will be deleted after 30 minutes unless they are submitted as feedback and then deleted after 30 days.
- FileZigZag can recognize more than 180 file formats and can perform more than 3150 different conversions.
- You can perform up to 10 files conversion every day for free with files up to 50 MB.
- It supports converting more than one file at once.
8. MP3Cutter
MP3Cutter is another web-based program to convert M4P to MP3 online, which is pretty easy to use. This free online file converter is 100% web-based, so you don’t need to install any software to convert M4P to MP3. You can open this website on all major browsers and even mobile browsers.
Main Features
- The tool is hosted on Amazon Cloud and automatically deletes all files after 24 hours.
- It allows you to edit the target format’s audio quality, bit rate, and fade in/out options.
- You can convert M4P files no more than 20 MB in size.
- You can upload M4P files from your local computer or via URL.
9. Online-Convert
Online-Convert is also a free online file converter that supports converting M4P to MP3. You can use this online converter to convert M4P files with custom settings without installing software. What’s better, this online converter allows you to trim unwanted parts of the files you uploaded.
Main Features
- It allows you to import files from your local computer, URL, Dropbox and Google Drive.
- It allows you to change the bitrate, sampling rate, and channels, along with other additional settings.
- You can extract the audio track of a video by uploading a video file.
- It supports various formats such as video, audio, image, document, archive, and eBook.
- Bulk conversions are supported.
Recommended Video Converter – MiniTool Video Converter
If you want to perform other video or audion conversions, then it is recommended to use MiniTool Video Converter. It aslo allows you to download videos and so on from YouTube.
Main Features
- It supports more than 1000 output formats.
- It supports batch video conversion at once.
- It is only suitable for the Windows platform.
Part 2. M4P VS MP3
What Is M4P and How Do I Open It?
Files with the M4P file extension are iTunes audio files, sometimes referred to as iTunes Music Store audio files. It's just an AAC file, which was copied and protected using a proprietary DRM technology created by Apple.
When downloading music from iTunes Store, you can see M4P files. Similar to this format is M4A, which is also an iTunes audio file, but it is not copy protected. M4P files are used to store audio data, while MP4 files are used to store video.
Tip: You may be interested in this post - How to Convert M4A to MP3? 3 Free Ways You Can't Miss.
You can use Apple’s iTunes to open M4P files. Nevertheless, the computer using iTunes must be authorized to play M4P files, which is done by logging into iTunes using the same account that was used to download the audio file. You can also use QuickTime and PotPlayer to play M4P files.
What Is MP3 and How Do I Open It?
MP3 is one of the most common audio files used today. MP3 takes advantage of lossy data compression to encode data using inexact approximations and partial discarding of the data. Compared with uncompressed audio, this can greatly reduce the file size.
How to convert mp3 to mp4 for free? How can I upload audio file to YouTube? Now, read this post to learn how to convert mp3 to video quickly.
As we have mentioned above, MP3 is the most widely used audio file format, so almost all audio playback tools can open MP3. You can use Windows Media Player to play MP3s in Windows 10, and you can play MP3s using iTunes in Mac.
Tip: You may be interested in this post - 4 Methods to Fix Windows Media Player Not Working on Windows 10.
Differences Between M4P VS MP3
Compared with MP3 files, M4P files have better quality and smaller file size. Generally, you can only play M4P files using iTunes, and your computer must be authorized before playing files transferred from the iPod or burned files. However, MP3 can be played on almost any audio playback tool.
The End
The post has introduced 9 free and useful M4P to MP3 converters. So if you want to convert M4P to MP3, then you can try the converters mentioned above. Hope this post is helpful to you!
If you have any confusion or suggestions about M4P to MP3 converters, you can leave a comment below or send an email to [email protected].
M4P to MP3 FAQ
There are four powerful and useful converters that you can use to convert m4p to mp3 online, which are FreeConvert, FileZigZag, and MP3Cutter as well as Online Convert. You can just go to the website and then follow the instructions to convert m4p to mp3.
The M4P file is an encrypted music format developed by Apple Inc. Due to DRM protection and format incompatibility issues, M4P music can only be accessed through iTunes or authorized Apple devices.
However, if you want to play M4P files without iTunes or enjoy them on non-Apple devices, the only thing to do is to install a good M4P converter to convert M4P to pure MP3, AC3, etc.
There are several converters that you can use to convert m4p to mp3 for free:
- M4P Converter
- UniConverter
- NoteBurner iTunes Audio Converter
- TuneClone M4P Converter
- Apple Music Converter
- FreeConvert
- FileZigZag
- MP3Cutter
- Online-Convert
Programs that open CDA files for Windows:
- Apple iTunes
- Microsoft Windows Media Player
- Nullsoft Winamp
- RealNetworks RealPlayer Cloud
- VideoLAN VLC media player
- JRiver Media Center
- NCH WavePad
Programs that open CDA files for Mac:
- Apple iTunes
- RealNetworks RealPlayer Cloud
- VideoLAN VLC media player
- JRiver Media Center
iTunes Store used to be one of the largest music vendors in the world. Nowadays, not all of us still have the habit of buying songs from iTunes Store since it has been replaced by many alternative options that are providing better music streaming services. But if you have some older M4P songs purchased on iTunes dating back from 2003 through 2009 – when Apple encrypts songs in the iTunes Store using FairPlay DRM, you might currently have troubles in opening, editing, or moving these old protected iTunes M4P songs.
Luckily, there're multiple ways allowing you to remove DRM and re-download the non-protected version of these files legally and efficiently. For example, you can upgrade your music to iTunes Plus via iTunes Match; convert protected M4P to MP3 with dedicated conversion programs; or burn all purchased M4P tracks into a CD and re-import them as plain MP3 in iTunes.
In this guide, I will point you in the direction of converting protected audio files (.m4p extension) purchased from iTunes Store into MP3 format so that you can import these songs to a SD card, GarageBand or other media players.
1. What is M4P? How to Open a .m4p File?
Simply put, M4P is a protected MPEG-4 AAC audio files that were sold through the iTunes Store. M4P files can only be played via iTunes on a computer or devices such as iPhone, iPad or iPod. You must authorize your computer or devices using iTunes account in order to play, download, transfer or burn the files. Up to 10 devices and 5 computers can be authorized to the same Apple account.
In case you want to know more about M4P file type, you can read our previous article which explains what M4P file format is and how to open an .m4p file in simple words.
M4P, M4A, M4B, M4R, what is the Difference?
All iTunes audio files sold by Apple use MPEG-4 AAC format for audio encoding. But different filename extensions such as .m4p, .m4a, or .m4b are used to indicate various types of audio files. For example:
* M4P is a MPEG-4 container format that is commonly used to store audio streams encrypted by FairPlay Digital Rights Management. Older iTunes protected songs and Apple Music tracks are AAC files using .m4p file extension.
* M4A is the file name extension commonly used in iTunes Plus tracks which are unprotected iTunes purchased AAC audio files.
* M4B is a specific filename extension used for audiobook files because M4B can store metadata including chapter marker.
* iPhone ringtone uses the .m4r extension rather than .m4a extension.
Takeaway: For those who bought the music years ago with the Apple ID that is no longer active, it is almost impossible for you to unprotect or convert the file to other formats because you cannot authorize them.
If you have a bunch of older M4P tracks that are still playable in iTunes, and you attempt to convert them to MP3 to play in other location, you can choose the methods we introduce in the following parts.
If you have a bunch of older M4P tracks that are still playable in iTunes, and you attempt to convert them to MP3 to play in other location, you can choose the methods we introduce in the following parts.
2. How to Convert Protected M4P File to MP3 on Windows/Mac
Method 1. Using iTunes Match
The basic feature of the $24.99/year iTunes Match is to help you store all your music files in iCloud so that you can always access your iTunes library on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or on up to 5 computers. But it comes with an exclusive feature which enables you to get rid of DRM easily. It can upgrade songs from old DRM formats to 256 Kbps DRM-free AAC format, which is also known as iTunes Plus. Any of the songs you download from iTunes Match subscription are the DRM-free copies of the matched songs, and you can keep them on your device forever even if you cancel your subscription.
Now follow the steps below to convert iTunes M4P to MP3 with iTunes Match.
Step 1. Subscribe to iTunes Match
Open iTunes on your PC > go to the Store menu and scroll to the bottom of the screen, click 'iTunes Match'.
On the iTunes Match intro page, click 'Subscribe' button, then enter your Apple ID and password.
Confirm the billing info and click 'Subscribe' once again to confirm your subscription.
Step 2. Match or Upload Songs to iTunes Match
After you subscribe successfully, iTunes Match will scan your iTunes music library to see which songs in your library are currently available in the iTunes Store and which ones don't. If songs are in the iTunes Store, they will be added to iCloud automatically, while the other songs will be uploaded from your computer to iCloud. Once the uploading is done, you should see the songs described as 'Matched'.
Step 3. Download and Convert Music to MP3
Click the 'Download' icon to download the unprotected version of the past protected purchases, the songs will be saved as Matched AAC audio file (.m4a). Then you can convert them to MP3 audio file in iTunes with the following steps:
1.Open iTunes and click 'Edit' on the top menu. (Mac users open iTunes.)
2.Click 'Preferences' > 'Import Settings' and select 'MP3 Encoder' in the 'Import Using' tab, and click 'OK' to save the settings.
3.Select the songs you want to convert the MP3 format, you can press 'Ctrl + A' key to select all songs at once or hit 'Ctrl' and click your mouse to select random songs.
4.Go to 'File' > 'Convert' > 'Create MP3 Version', the songs will be converted to MP3 immediately.
5.When it's done, right click at the converted songs and select 'Show in Windows Explorer' or 'Show in Finder' to get access to your downloaded music.
Note: Some of you might get confused about Apple Music and iTunes Match which are two of Apple's subscription service. If that so, you can read a bit more about the differences between Apple Music and iTunes Match and choose the proper service when needed.
Method 2. Converting via TuneFab Apple Music Converter
There're many dedicate audio converters that can decode the FairPlay DRM and create MP3 versions of your files. Here I highly recommend that you use TuneFab Apple Music Converter, which has a solid reputation among millions of customers and 100+ authority sites. It's a paid app that cost $39.99 for a single lifetime license, but it offers you with 30 days free trial which allows you to convert iTunes songs, Apple Music songs, audiobook, etc. to MP3 for free.
The following are the directions of converting protected M4P to MP3 with TuneFab M4P Converter:
1.Launch TuneFab M4P Converter on your PC or Mac. And iTunes (Windows) or Music app (Mac) will be activated automatically. Make sure you've logged into iTunes or Music app with the Apple ID you used for purchasing the music.
2.Next, select the songs you want to convert the MP3 and go to the Output Settings to select the output format (MP3), output quality (256 Kbps, 44.1 kHz), etc.
3.Click the 'Convert' button and wait until the program completes the task. It might take a while if you have a large number of songs to convert to MP3. After conversion, you can move the music to any device you like or play with any media player that supports MP3 format.
Method 3. Burn M4Ps onto CD, then Rip MP3s from Burned CD in iTunes
The free workaround is to burn those songs from iTunes to an Audio CD (not an MP3 or Data CD) -> then import songs from CD to iTunes > finally convert the CD tracks to MP3 audio files using iTunes. This method won't cost you're a penny, but it's not as convenient as the options we mention above.
To complete the task, you will need:
1. iTunes (Apple's reliable CD ripping tool)
2. PC or Mac
3. A blank Audio CD (CD-RW)
4. A CD reader (If your computer doesn't have an optical drive)
Follow the directions below to convert DRM-ed M4P to MP3 via a burned CD:
1.Insert your CD to a CD reader or put the CD into your computer's optical drive.
2.Create a new playlist and drag and drop the M4P tracks into it.
3.Go to 'Preferences' in iTunes > click 'Import Settings > choose 'MP3 Encoder' in Import Setting.
4.Right click at the playlist, and choose 'Burn Playlist to Disc'.
5.Configure the Burn Settings: select Audio CD and click 'Burn'. It will take a while for iTunes to finish the process.
6.When completed, you can open the CD in iTunes and select the song of the CD.
7.Go to 'File' > 'Convert' > select 'Create MP3 Version' in the pop-up menu.
8.When you're done, you can eject the CD from iTunes and find all the MP3 tracks in your iTunes library.
Method 4. Using Audio Recorder
If you want to use your old protected M4P song as the background music of your video project, yet prefer not to pay for a service or tool to unlock the song, you can try to record the protected music and save as MP3 files with free, open-source sound recording program, such as Audacity.
But the downside of using audio recorder is that the quality of the audio will be decreased. If you want to keep the original sound quality of your tracks after converting, it's better using iTunes Match which can provide DRM-free songs with better quality or TuneFab Apple Music Converter which is capable of preserving the original sound quality of the song.
3. How to Convert M4P to MP3 Free Online
As I learned the free online M4P to MP3 converters cannot convert iTunes protected M4P files because of the encryption. It requires iTunes authorization to open or use these songs. However, if your have DRM-free M4P and want to make them available of other devices, you can try the online M4P converter like FileZigZag.
FileZigZag supports converting all sorts of file type, including documents, images, e-books, audios, videos, etc. You can convert up to 10 files daily for free. It supports more than more than 180 file formats and can perform more than 3150 different conversion.
Note: Most free audio converters that claim to remove DRM protection are nonfunctional. It is not worth downloading and trying these free converters if you attempt to convert protected audio files.
4. Does Converting M4P to MP3 Lose Quality?
It actually depends on what tool that you use to perform the conversion. The iTunes protected M4P is the old DRM-protected AAC format with a 128 Kbps bitrate.
* With iTunes Match, as we mentioned before, you can upgrade the songs from 128 Kbps AAC to 256 Kbps AAC format with no DRM restriction.
Is M4p To Mp3 Converter Safe
* While using TuneFab M4P converter, you can possibly maintain the best quality by manually setting the bitrate and sample rate from the output setting section. When the song is converted, you cannot notice any difference between the converted song and the original one.
* If using the free audio recorder, you can clearly hear the quality loss when listening back to your recording.
Free M4p Converter
5. Conclusion
The above are the easy methods available for converting iTunes protected M4P file to MP3 format. After conversion, you can import the MP3 files to SD card and play it in your car, or put them on non-Apple devices for offline playback on the go. If you have any questions regarding this topic, please leave a comment below, we'll love to hear the feedback from you!