How to Convert AAX to M4A File Format

Part 1. What's the Difference Between AAX and M4A

AAX files are encrypted M4B files where the audio will be encoded in AAC format of varying quality. Moreover, the AAX file extension is a data file format associated with Audible. They are multimedia digital audiobooks and are also considered to be an enhanced format for AA files. More importantly, AAX format files are not compatible with most media players. It means that you can only play AAX audiobooks on Audible-supported devices.

In contrast, M4A stands for an audio file extension of MPEG 4, which is usually encoded with lossy compression of AAC codec. The presence of the M4A file extension brings significant advantages and people enjoy it as the preferred format for audiobooks since it is compressed while offering lossless quality. Besides, M4A audio files can be successfully accessed on well-known Windows and macOS media players.

So, how to convert Audible AAX to M4A file format for use on other devices and media players? Please keep reading. We will show you ways how to make it below.

Part 2. How to Convert AAX to M4A on Windows/Mac - Best Way

Here is an excellent tool to assist you in converting Audible AAX audiobooks to M4A format. That's AudFree Audible Converter. It not only converts Audible AAX files to M4A or other widely used formats but also works with Apple Music, iTunes songs and common audio tracks.

Surprisingly, this converter is available for both Windows and Mac users. Also, you are permitted to cut large audiobooks into smaller segments by chapter or time period. Of course, Audible audiobooks' ID3 tags and chapter information will be well preserved in the M4A file, including title, artist, author, date, etc. With such an easy-to-use tool, you can always play Audible audiobooks on various M4A-compatible devices, such as iPhone, iPad, Sony Walkman, etc.

How to Convert AAX to M4A on Mac/Windows via AudFree Audible Converter

Now, it's time to learn how to use AudFree Audible Audiobooks Converter to convert AAX to M4A format. To do that, you need to download and install this AudFree program on your computer first. Please touch the 'Download' button above to head to install it on your device. After that, follow the tutorial below and start.

Step 1Import AAX Audiobooks to AudFree Auditior

Start by launching AudFree Auditior on your PC/Mac. After that, you can click on the second 'add files' button on AudFree to find the AAX audio file on your computer's hard drive. Then you can add it to the conversion window of AudFree Auditior. Alternatively, you can use the first Add button to import the files from iTunes library. But you need to add your downloaded Audible audiobooks to iTunes first. Since this AAX to M4A converter also supports batch conversion, you can add multiple files at once for conversion.

View also: How to Add Audiobooks to iTunes

Step 2Customize Audible Audiobook Output Format as M4A

Just click the "Format" button and select the audiobooks output format to M4A. Meanwhile, you can also choose to define other audio properties such as codec, channel, sample rate, etc. By clicking the "Edit" icon, you will be directed to a new window where you can divide large audiobooks into small segments by chapters or fixed time intervals. Finally, if you want to save the output audiobooks in lossless quality, just check the "Keep lossless quality" option.

View also: How to Split Audible Audiobooks by Chapter

Step 3Convert AAX Audiobooks to M4A

Now, click the "Convert" button at the bottom right of the interface to let AudFree Auditior start saving Audible AAX to M4A files. Once the conversion is done, you can get the converted M4A audiobooks from your computer locally. Thus, you can freely transfer them to anywhere you like and listen to Audible offline without any restrictions.

Part 3. How to Convert Audible AAX Files to M4A - AudKit Audible AAX Converter

Besides this relatively superior converter above, AudKit Audible AAX Converter is also becoming the leading Audible audiobook converter that deserves your attention. It is dedicated to converting Audible AAX audiobooks to M4A, MP3, AAC, etc. at up to 100X speed, which is indeed very convenient and fast.

It is worth mentioning that it combines many powerful and professional features, including a built-in audiobook splitter, ID3 tag editor, lossless output quality, and much more. With such a great assistant, you have the privilege of having full control over Audible audiobooks. After the conversion of Audible books to M4A, you can transfer them directly to your favorite portable devices and players for unlimited playback.

Step 1. Download and install AudKit Audible AAX Converter on your computer. There are two ways to import Audible AAX audiobooks into AudKit Audible Converter for conversion. The simple way is to drag and drop audiobook files directly from your computer to the program's conversion window. Or click the Add File button to select the AAX file you want to load.

Step 2. Once all Audible AAX books have been uploaded to AudKit Audible Converter, press the 'Format' button in the lower-left corner to launch the setup window. At this point, you can define the output format as M4A according to your needs. In this step, you can also customize other Audible parameters such as bit rate, sample rate, audio channels, etc.

Step 3. Click the Edit button and you will obviously find three sections. The Tags section allows you to customize ID3 tags with information such as year, title, etc. The Split section is for splitting large audiobooks into smaller segments, and in the Effects section, you can adjust the volume, speed and pitch of the audiobook playback.

Step 4. Before starting the conversion process, please click the top menu bar and click Preferences > Convert to change the output pitch. After that, just press the Convert button at the bottom-right corner. This intelligent converter will download and convert AAX audiobooks to M4A files at up to 100X faster speed.

Part 4. How to Convert AAX to M4A Online via AConvert

The tools above require an installation on your computer. If you don't want to download and install extra programs, then you can try the online way. Here we would like to introduce AConvert to you. It is an online free tool that can help convert audio files to other audio formats. In this case, you can use it to convert AAX to M4A format online. But it is noted that it can't convert DRM-protected AAX audio files. Now, let's see how it works.

Step 1. Search for AConvert on Google or other web browsers. Then go to its official website from the search result.

Step 2. Click on the 'Audio' section from the left panel.

Step 3. Touch the 'Choose Files' button to select your AAX files from your computer. Or, you can hit the 'URL' button to pick up online files from Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.

Step 4. Press the 'Target format' section to select the output format as M4A. You can also reset the audio bitrate and sample rate.

Step 5. After that, touch the 'Convert Now!' button to start converting AAX to M4A files.

Step 6. Once done, you can find the converted files in the 'Conversion Results' section. Then you can hit on the 'download' icon to show the QR code or keep files to Google Drive or Dropbox.

View also: How to Save Audible Audiobooks to Google Drive

Part 5. FAQs About audible AAX and M4A

Q1: What Is Audible AAX?

A: The full spelling of AAX is Audible Enhanced Audiobook, which is a file extension designed by Audible. These files contain images, links, videos and timelines for digital audiobooks. At the same time, AAX files can be played by iTunes, Apple iPod, Microsoft Zune and Creative Zen. This implies that you can also open AAX format files with Apple iTunes in Microsoft Windows and Mac-based operating systems.

Q2: What's the Advantage of the M4A Format?

A: In fact, M4A files are compressed in lossless quality, which means you can get smaller files and original quality. Besides, you can set M4A audio as iPhone ringtone directly by just renaming the file extension from M4A to M4R. Since M4A is an audio file without digital rights management protection, it makes the editing and transfer process much smoother. Also, M4A format is supported by many popular programs like QuickTime, Windows Media Player, iTunes, etc.

Q3: Is It Legal to Convert AAX to M4A?

A: As long as your conversion of these AAX audiobooks to M4A is for personal use only, such as transferring them to your media player for personal enjoyment, or burning them to CD for playback in your car, these practices are reasonable and legal.

View also: How to Burn Audible Audiobooks to CD

Part 6. In Conclusion

All in all, this article presents three AAX to M4A converters to convert AAX files to M4A in specific instructions. For the first two tools - AudFree Audible Converter and AudKit Audible AAX Converter, you need to install them on your Windows or Mac computer for use. But they support high conversion speed, high output quality, and multiple functions. If you just want a free and online way, then you can choose AConvert. But it can't convert DRM-protected AAX files. So, don't hesitate to pick up the way you like and take action. Then enjoy AAX audiobooks to M4A files offline on all devices that can recognize M4A files without any hassle.