Convert MOV to M4A
Settings
No file yet
Settings appear after you choose a file.
Want the sound of a MOV clip for a music app or a folder of voice memos? Save it as an M4A, an audio file without the picture that iPhones, iPads, and Macs open.
MOV or M4A?
Keep MOV when
- You still need the picture. An M4A holds only the sound.
Pick M4A when
- You want only the sound of a video, as a small audio file.
- The sound goes to a player or app that takes M4A.
About MOV and M4A
MOV
Apple's QuickTime video format. What iPhones and Macs record and edit in; other devices often need it converted first.
M4A
AAC audio that plays in iTunes and Apple Music. Common for songs and voice recordings.
Questions
Does the sound change?
Not with the copy line, which keeps AAC sound as it is. The other lines and Audacity encode the sound again, and AAC to AAC loses a little.
What does the copy line do?
It puts the sound in an M4A without encoding it again, so nothing is lost. It works only when the sound in the MOV is AAC; ffprobe clip.mov shows the codec. For any other sound, use the lines that encode it.
Which bitrate should I pick?
The commands aim for 192 kbps, a common middle ground between size and sound. Change -b:a 192k to 128k for a smaller file or 256k for more detail; for afconvert, change -b 192000 to 128000 or 256000.
What happens to the video?
It is left out. The M4A holds only the sound of the MOV, and the Terminal lines drop the picture with -vn.
Do the title and artist stay?
With the FFmpeg lines, yes: FFmpeg carries tags such as the title across to the M4A. afconvert leaves them out.