Convert MOV to M4A — Free Online Converter

MOV files from iPhones and Macs contain audio tracks (typically AAC-LC or ALAC) alongside video within Apple's QuickTime container. M4A is Apple's audio-only MPEG-4 container — essentially an MP4 file with a .m4a extension that signals audio-only content. M4A supports AAC, ALAC, and Apple Lossless, and it is the native format for iTunes purchases, Apple Music downloads, and Voice Memos.

Extracting MOV audio to M4A produces the most Apple-native audio file possible. M4A files integrate perfectly with Apple Music libraries, support chapter markers (in M4B variant), and preserve all iTunes-compatible metadata including album art, lyrics, and gapless playback flags.

Unlike extracting to standalone AAC, M4A provides a proper MPEG-4 container that supports seeking, metadata, and reliable duration reporting across all Apple devices and media software.

FFmpeg extracts the audio from MOV and wraps it in an M4A (MPEG-4 audio) container. When the source is AAC, the audio bitstream is copied directly — zero transcoding. For ALAC sources, the lossless stream is also copied without re-encoding. PCM sources are encoded to AAC-LC or ALAC depending on the desired output. The M4A container supports full MP4-based metadata (title, artist, album, album art, chapters).