Convert M4P to M4A — Free Online Converter

M4P and M4A are nearly identical — both use the MPEG-4 container with AAC audio encoding. The only structural difference is that M4P carries Apple's FairPlay DRM protection metadata and uses the .m4p extension, while M4A is the unprotected version with a .m4a extension. For M4P files where DRM has already been removed (via iTunes Match or iTunes Plus upgrade), converting to M4A is essentially a container cleanup — stripping residual DRM metadata and changing the file extension.

This is one of the most common M4P conversions because M4A is the standard format for the Apple ecosystem. iTunes, Apple Music, iPhone, iPad, and Mac all treat M4A as their native audio format. Converting your old protected purchases to clean M4A files makes them indistinguishable from modern iTunes Plus downloads.

Even after DRM removal, M4P files carry residual metadata tags and the .m4p extension that cause problems. Some media players and library managers flag M4P files as DRM-protected regardless of whether the actual protection is present, displaying warning icons or refusing to process them. Converting to M4A creates a clean file that every player treats as standard unprotected audio.

Library organization is another motivation. Mixing M4P and M4A files in the same iTunes library creates inconsistency in how files are handled, displayed, and synced. Converting all M4P files to M4A normalizes your library, and the conversion can be done as a stream copy with zero quality loss since the underlying AAC audio is identical.

FFmpeg performs a stream copy (-c:a copy) from the M4P container to an M4A container. The AAC bitstream is copied without modification — this operation is instantaneous and lossless. The only changes are: (1) removal of FairPlay DRM metadata atoms, (2) rewriting the container as standard M4A, and (3) changing the file extension from .m4p to .m4a. All standard metadata (artist, album, track number, artwork) is preserved through the copy.