MPEG to M4R Converter

What happens when you convert MPEG to M4R

• M4R holds sound only, so the picture is discarded and the soundtrack is encoded as AAC at 192 kbps, trimmed to the 40 second ringtone limit.
• If the MPEG has several audio tracks, the first one is used.
• iPhone ringtones are limited to 40 seconds, so the sound is cut at 40 seconds. Trim the video first if the part you want starts later.

How to convert MPEG to M4R online

1. Press "Choose MPEG 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 M4R". The first audio or video conversion downloads the converter engine, about 32 MB, which your browser then keeps for next time.
4. Save each M4R with its download button. Close the tab and every trace of the files is gone from memory.

Why convert MPEG to M4R?

MPEG files usually come from DVD-era video, Video CDs and older camcorders. People convert them to M4R because M4R is the only format an iPhone accepts as a custom ringtone.

In short, MPEG is good at what it was made for, and M4R is the more practical choice when the file has to play on another device or app. MPEG does not play in most browsers; plays in VLC and desktop players, while M4R plays in browsers that play M4A; iPhones use it as a ringtone.

How to convert MPEG to M4R on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android

On Windows

Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your MPEG files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each M4R is saved to your Downloads folder. If you prefer a desktop program, VLC can also convert MPEG to M4R: choose Media, then Convert / Save.

On a Mac

Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the MPEG files from Finder onto the drop zone and the M4R files land in Downloads.

On iPhone and iPad

Open the page in Safari and tap Choose MPEG files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted M4R appears in Files, in the Downloads folder.

On Android

Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose MPEG files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The M4R 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 MPEG to M4R

M4R 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 MPEG 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.

MPEG vs M4R: the differences

About MPEG and M4R files

What is an MPEG file?

MPEG-2 is the video format of DVDs and broadcast TV. It needs roughly twice the bitrate of H.264 for the same picture, so converting to MP4 usually shrinks the file a lot.

What is an M4R file?

M4R is an M4A file with a different extension that tells iPhone and Finder to treat it as a ringtone. Ringtones are limited to 40 seconds.

MPEG to M4R 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 M4R can store them, but cover art is not carried over.

Convert MPEG to M4R 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 M4R with the same kind of settings:

ffmpeg -i input.mpeg -vn -c:a aac -b:a 192k -t 40 -f ipod output.m4r

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