.M4A File Extension
- Developer by: Apple
- Category: Audio Files
- Format: Binary
What are .M4A files and how to open them?
Can't open .M4A file? Are you wondering what it contains? On our site we will explain to you what this file is, what it is used for and what software opens the .M4A file.
What is a .M4A file extension?
.M4A file extension is created by Apple. .M4A has been classified as Audio Files. The format of .M4A file is Binary.
.M4A is MPEG-4 Audio File
An M4A file is an audio file created in the MPEG-4 format, a multimedia container format used to store compressed audio and video data. It contains audio encoded with either the Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) codec or the Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC).
M4A files are similar to .MP4 video files since both file types use the MPEG-4 container format. However, M4A files only contain audio data. The use of the ".m4a" extension arose due to the confusion between MPEG-4 video files and MPEG-4 audio-only files.
The iTunes Store provides songs in the M4A format. These songs are encoded using AAC compression, which significantly reduces the size of each file. Songs that include copyright protection have an .M4P extension.
NOTE: Windows Media Player 11 requires the K-Lite Codec Pack in order to play M4A files. Windows Media Player 12 (included with Windows 7) provides native support for the M4A format.
List of all softwares that can open the MPEG-4 Audio File
| Windows | | File Viewer Plus |
| Apple iTunes |
| Microsoft Windows Media Player |
| Nullsoft Winamp |
| Media Player Classic |
| VideoLAN VLC media player |
|
| Mac | | Apple iTunes |
| Apple QuickTime Player |
| VideoLAN VLC media player |
| Eltima Elmedia Player |
|
| Linux | | VideoLAN VLC media player |
|
| Android | | File Viewer for Android |
| Videolabs VLC for Android | |