Convert ALAC to M4A

Tested on Windows 11, 24 October 2026

Convert ALAC audio to M4A in your browser or in the Filoshi app for Windows. M4A is lossy: Filoshi uses a high-quality setting, and you can choose the bitrate. Nothing is uploaded.

Get Filoshi · $29Many files at once, no size limit, on Windows.

How to convert ALAC to M4A in your browser

  1. 1
    Drop your ALAC file
    Drag it onto Filoshi above, or press Choose your ALAC file to pick it on your computer.
  2. 2
    Filoshi converts it
    M4A is chosen already. FFmpeg, compiled to WebAssembly, converts it inside this browser tab.
  3. 3
    Save your M4A file
    Download it when it is ready. Nothing was sent to a server.
Source format

What is ALAC?

Apple Lossless Audio Codec (.alac). ALAC is Apple's lossless codec: like FLAC it decodes to exactly the original audio, at roughly half the size of WAV. Apple released it as open source in 2011; iTunes, Apple Music and iPhones play it natively.

Common use: Lossless music on Apple devices

Output format

What is M4A?

MPEG-4 Audio (.m4a). M4A is an MP4 file that holds only audio, normally AAC (sometimes Apple Lossless). It is what iTunes, Apple Music downloads without DRM and iPhone voice memos use.

Common use: Apple Music and iTunes, voice memos, podcasts

Questions about ALAC to M4A

Is converting ALAC to M4A free?
Yes, one file at a time: the converter on this page runs in your browser, files up to 100 MB, no sign-up. The Filoshi desktop app ($29 once, for Windows) converts many files at once and has no size limit.
Does converting ALAC to M4A lose quality?
Yes, a little. M4A is a lossy format, so some detail is thrown away when the file is saved. Filoshi uses a high-quality setting by default, and you can choose the bitrate in the file viewer.
Is my ALAC file uploaded anywhere?
No. The converter on this page runs in your browser with FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly; your ALAC file is read and converted on your device and never sent to a server. The desktop app works the same way, offline.
Has ALAC to M4A been tested?
Yes. ALAC to M4A is one of the 1,841 conversions that passed Filoshi's automated test matrix on Windows 11.
Can I convert many ALAC files at once?
Yes, in the desktop app. Drop as many ALAC files as you like on the window, pick M4A once for all of them, and each file shows its own progress. The new files appear next to the originals, which are never changed.

Related conversions

Other ALAC conversions

ALAC to MP3ALAC to AACALAC to OGGALAC to FLACALAC to OPUSALAC to AIFFALAC to AC3ALAC to AU

Convert to M4A

MP3 to M4AWAV to M4AAAC to M4AOGG to M4AFLAC to M4AWMA to M4AOPUS to M4AAIFF to M4A

Need ALAC to M4A for many files?

The browser converter handles one file at a time. The Filoshi app for Windows converts as many as you drop, runs offline, and has 1,841 tested conversions.

Get Filoshi · $29