3GP to M4A Converter

What happens when you convert 3GP to M4A

• M4A holds sound only, so the picture is discarded and the soundtrack is encoded as AAC at 192 kbps in an M4A container.
• If the 3GP has several audio tracks, the first one is used.

How to convert 3GP to M4A online

1. Press "Choose 3GP files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. You can add files of any size your device can hold in memory.
2. Adjust the settings if you need to: the bitrate controls quality and size. The defaults suit most people.
3. Press "Convert to M4A". The first audio or video conversion downloads the converter engine, about 32 MB, which your browser then keeps for next time.
4. Save each M4A with its download button. Close the tab and every trace of the files is gone from memory.

Why convert 3GP to M4A?

3GP files usually come from videos from older feature phones and early smartphones. People convert them to M4A because M4A is the native audio format of the iPhone, iTunes and Apple Music.

In short, 3GP is good at what it was made for, and M4A is the more practical choice when the file has to play on another device or app. 3GP plays in some browsers and most phones, while M4A plays in all current browsers and every Apple device.

How to convert 3GP to M4A on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android

On Windows

Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your 3GP files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each M4A is saved to your Downloads folder. If you prefer a desktop program, VLC can also convert 3GP to M4A: choose Media, then Convert / Save.

On a Mac

Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the 3GP files from Finder onto the drop zone and the M4A files land in Downloads.

On iPhone and iPad

Open the page in Safari and tap Choose 3GP files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted M4A appears in Files, in the Downloads folder.

On Android

Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose 3GP files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The M4A is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it. Keep the screen on while a long video converts, because Android may pause a tab in the background.

Best settings for 3GP to M4A

M4A is a lossy format, so the bitrate decides both the sound quality and the file size. Size grows in a straight line with bitrate: double the bitrate and the file doubles.

The 3GP was already compressed, so pick a bitrate at least as high as the original. Going higher does not add quality back, it only makes the file bigger.

3GP vs M4A: the differences

About 3GP and M4A files

What is a 3GP file?

3GP was built for 3G phones with small screens and slow connections, so most files are 176 by 144 or 320 by 240 pixels. Converting to a modern format will not add detail that was never recorded.

What is an M4A file?

M4A is an MP4 file that only holds audio, which is why renaming one to .mp4 often works. Voice Memos on iPhone saves recordings as M4A.

3GP to M4A not working? Common problems

• The conversion is slow. Audio and container changes take seconds, but re-encoding video runs on your own processor. Lower the resolution to 720p, close other tabs, and keep the device plugged in.
• The tab stops or reloads on a very large file. Browsers limit how much memory one tab can use, around 2 GB and less on phones. Split long recordings or convert them on a computer.
• Song titles are missing. Tags such as title and artist are copied when M4A can store them, but cover art is not carried over.

Convert 3GP to M4A with ffmpeg

This converter runs ffmpeg inside your browser. If you would rather use the ffmpeg command line on your own computer, this command produces an equivalent M4A with the same kind of settings:

ffmpeg -i input.3gp -vn -c:a aac -b:a 192k output.m4a

Replace input.3gp with the name of your file. For a whole folder of 3GP files, run the command in a loop, or drop them all on the converter above, which processes them one after another.