How to convert M4A to APE
- Add your .M4A file - drop it in the box above or click to browse.
- Convert it to .APE in a few seconds.
- Download your new .APE file.
What to expect
- If the M4A is lossy AAC, wrapping it in lossless APE preserves that quality but does not recover anything AAC removed.
- APE files are considerably larger than the lossy M4A they come from.
- Hardware and mobile player support for APE is limited; FLAC is more widely compatible for lossless needs.
Frequently asked questions
Does converting M4A to APE make the audio lossless?
Not in a meaningful sense. APE (Monkey's Audio) is a lossless codec, but the M4A source is usually already-lossy AAC, so the APE only preserves that lossy audio exactly. It cannot restore detail AAC discarded.
Why convert M4A to APE?
People choose APE to archive audio in a lossless container, or to fit into a foobar2000/library workflow that uses Monkey's Audio. It keeps whatever quality the M4A has without further loss from that point on.
Where will an APE file play?
foobar2000 on Windows and VLC on any platform open APE. Most hardware music players do not support it natively, so FLAC is often a more portable lossless choice.
Will the APE file be larger than the M4A?
Almost certainly. Lossless compression produces much bigger files than lossy AAC, so an APE made from an M4A is larger while holding the same audible content.
Programs that convert M4A: MediaMonkey · Aimersoft DRM Media Converter for Windows · Awave Studio · Free Mp3 Wma Converter · SUPER · Helium Music Manager · xrecode · Nero Recode
