How to Convert Apple Music M4P to Unprotected AAC (M4A)

By James Blair Updated on 2024-05-14 / Update for Apple Music Tips

Apple Music is a paid music service for users to listen to lots of music and you can download music for offline playing. But it is noted that Apple Music downloads are encoded with advanced audio recording in M4P file extension. So, you can only play them within the Apple-authorized devices.

If you'd like to get rid of the bondage from Apple ecosystem, the best way is to convert Apple Music songs to other common audio formats. In this article, we will show you how to convert Apple Music M4P to AAC format. We know that AAC is a nice option as it could be recognized by almost all devices. Now, let's start.

convert apple music to aac

Part 1. Best Apple Music M4P to AAC Converter You'll Need

To avoid unauthorized sharing for protecting the benefit of digital media owner and publisher, Apple applies FairPlay DRM technology in its all media files, like Apple Music, audiobooks, TV shows, movies, etc. Whether you have subscribed its premium plan or purchased digital files legally, you have no rights to access to protected files on other devices not supported by Apple.

Since Apple Music streams feature FairPlay digital management rights, you can't use a common M4P to AAC converter to transfer Apple Music M4P songs to AAC. By contrast, you need a professional M4P converter for Apple Music that can not only unlock DRM technology but also convert Apple Music M4P to unprotected M4A format with ease.

Here, we highly recommend AudFree Apple Music to AAC Converter to help you make Apple Music available on any device. By adopting special DRM decryption technology, this full-feature AudFree DRM Audio Converter works well to convert Apple Music to AAC, M4A, MP3, etc. when removing DRM lock at the same time with zero quality loss. It can run at 30X faster speed with all ID3 tags preserved.

AudFree Apple Music to AAC Converter

audfree apple music to aac converter
  • Remove DRM protection from Apple Music losslessly
  • Losslessly convert Apple Music DRM M4P to AAC, etc.
  • Play Apple Music on any AAC-compatible device and media player
  • Work at up to 30X fast speed with all ID3 tags preserved

With this brilliant audio converter for Apple Music, you can encode Apple Music M4P to AAC in batch, which can save your lots of time. Even if you are a newbie in using such software, you can easily make it work perfectly. Just install the program on your Windows or Mac computer and let's see how it works.

Step 1Add Apple Music M4P files to AudFree Audio Converter
load apple music m4p audio files to audfree
Before loading Apple Music files to AudFree program, please make sure you have downloaded all audio tracks in iTunes. Then open AudFree Audio Converter from your desktop device. You can click the first 'Add Files' button to select music from iTunes library and load them to AudFree.
Step 2Set Apple Music output format as AAC for exporting
set output format as aac for apple music
When Apple Music tracks you'd like to convert to AAC are imported successfully, you can click the 'audio' icon to open the settings window. In the new window, you can direct set AAC as the output format for exporting Apple Music to AAC files. In addition, you can customize other audio parameters, like bit rate, sample rate, etc. as you like.
Step 3Remove DRM and Convert Apple Music to AAC
convert apple music to aac
The last step is to launch the converting process. To do this, you just need to simply press the 'Convert' button at the bottom-right corner. Then this smart tool will automatically bypass DRM limitation and convert added M4P Apple Music to AAC format. After the conversion, you can click the 'history' icon to locate all Apple Music AAC files on your computer. Then you can move them to any device or media player for offline listening.
View also: How to Listen to Apple Music Offline

Part 2. How to Convert M4P to AAC Free Online

The way above is professional but requires you to install an extra program on your device and it is not free. In this case, if you don't want to make it that way, you can look at the free online way in this part. Here we will introduce FreeConvert to you to convert M4P to AAC online for free.

FreeConvert is a file converter online. It supports to convert file formats like video, audio, image and so on. You can use it via almost web browsers on any of your device online. Also, it allows you to reset output file parameters. Now, check the steps below to use it to convert M4P to AAC files free online.

convert m4p to aac online via freeconvert

Step 1. Open the web browser on your mobile or desktop device.

Step 2. Enter FreeConvert official website and click on 'Audio Converter' from the Tools menu at the top.

Step 3. Scroll down the webpage and choose 'AAC Converter'.

Step 4. Then find and click on 'M4P to AAC' to enter the M4P to AAC Converter webpage.

Step 5. Tap the 'Choose Files' button on the screen to import your M4P files for converting. You can pick up files from your local device, or cloud services.

Step 6. After loading files, go to adjust output audio codec, volume, and else.

Step 7. Later, click on the 'Convert' button to start converting M4P to AAC.

Step 8. Once converted, hit on the 'Download AAC' button to keep the files on your device for use.

Part 3. FAQs about Apple Music M4P to AAC

Q1: What Is AAC, M4A and M4P?

A: AAC (well-known as Advanced Audio Coding) is the successor to the MP3 format. It is the audio coding standard for lossy digital audio compression according to Wikipedia. Similar with MP3 format, but it comes with better sound quality at the same bit rate.

Created by Apple, M4A is a file extension used in QuickTime audio files, which applies AAC audio coding without DRM protection. iTunes music purchased and downloaded after 2009 is encoded in M4A format, which could be playable on all devices without problem.

View also: How to Convert M4A to MP3

Being same with M4A, M4P is also a file extension owned by Apple for an audio file encoded in AAC. But it also features FairPlay DRM technology. As consequence, Apple Music files can't transfer to other portable devices for playback.

Q2: What Are the Differences between M4P vs M4A?

A: Audio files encoded in protected AAC could be called M4P file extension. While unprotected AAC audio tracks are M4A. You can enjoy M4A (non-DRM AAC) files on any music player and devices, such as iPod Nano, iPod Shuffle, etc. But M4P Apple Music streams can be played on selected platforms with Apple ID.

To listen to Apple Music anywhere without limit, it could be a nice choice to convert Apple Music DRM M4P files to unprotected AAC (M4A). So, just use the AudFree Apple Music Converter to break Apple Music lock now.

Part 4. In Conclusion

At last, you learn how to convert Apple Music M4P to AAC for playing offline anywhere and anytime via AudFree Apple Music Converter. With this tool, you can also convert Audible audiobooks, iTunes audio files and plain audio tracks to other audio formats. Besides, you can use FreeConvert to convert M4P files to AAC free online without installing any extra program on your device. Just follow the steps above to get and enjoy music you want.

James Blair

James Blair

Staff Editor

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James Blair is an experienced writer and music lover. Reviews and tips on using popular music, like Apple Music, can be found in his articles.