How to Convert M4A to WAV on Windows 11/10/8/7

Despite having been designed to be the equivalent of MP4 for audio only, M4A does not enjoy the same popularity as its video “cousin.” For this reason, you will likely have problems playing back M4A files on your device. Converting these files into a more readily accessible format like WAV will make life easier. In this article, you’ll learn how to convert M4A files to WAV, what the difference is between M4A and WAV, and also we’ll answer some frequently asked questions. 

Movavi Video Converter is one of the fastest and most efficient ways to change the format of your audio files from M4A to WAV. The app supports many other audio, video, and image formats. With Movavi Video Converter, you can also trim your audio files.

Audacity is a free and open-source audio editor and recorder, but you can use it to convert files as well. Audacity doesn’t have a native support for M4A files, so you’ll need to install the optional FFmpeg library in order to open M4A audio in this program.

Here’s how to use the Audacity freeware to turn M4A into WAV.

1. Download and run the app.
   Download Audacity

2. Drag and drop your audio into the program.

3. Click File, pick Export, and select Export as WAV. Then specify the folder for export and hit Save. 

VLC is a cross-platform media player. Apart from playing files, the app lets you do many other things, including conversion. With VLC, you can convert M4A to WAV on Windows 10 or older, macOS, and Linux. The program supports a great variety of audio and video formats. The interface might seem confusing at first, so we’ll provide brief instructions on working in this program. 

The interface on Windows and macOS is slightly different. Here, we’ll show you how to convert M4A to WAV on Windows.

1. Download the app from the official website. Run VLC.
   Go to the VLC website

2. Open the Media menu and hit Convert / Save. 

3. Hit the Add button and select the audio for conversion. Click Convert / Save.

4. Open the list of formats next to Profile and pick WAV.

5. Hit Browse and choose the folder where you want to save the file. Make sure the name of the file ends with “.wav”. Hit Save. 

6.  Click Start. 

One more way you can convert M4A to WAV is to use an online converter. Zamzar lets you convert files online in a couple of clicks. The free plan allows you to convert files under 50 MB, which is normally enough for audio files. If you need unlimited conversions and high-speed downloads, consider one of the paid plans.

Here’s how to change M4A to WAV online using Zamzar.

1. Go to the converter’s website.
   Go to Zamzar

2. Click Choose Files and import your M4A audio. 

3. In the Convert To list of formats, select wav. 

4. Hit Convert Now. 

5. Once the file is converted, click Download. 

When comparing WAV vs. M4A, pay particular attention to audio quality, file size, and devices supported. For example, Apple users might find M4A more useful because it is Apple’s native format. And professionals (singers or even lawyers) might prefer WAV because of its high quality and no data loss. Check the table below to learn about the main differences between the formats.