The MP3 format does not offer the features available in M4B (chapters and bookmarks), but has a significant advantage: it is supported by virtually every reader and device. Therefore, you can convert your M4b audiobooks to MP3 to make them universally playable. Such MP3 audio books can be played by any portable player, smartphone, computer, etc.
You have several audiobooks which were purchased from iTunes and you would like to listen to them on your MP3 player, in your car or other more portable devices. But only to find that these m4b files can not be transferred from iTunes media to your MP3 player or USB storage device. So how can you make the audiobooks recognized by your players or devices?
M4B is a kind of file extension of a MPEG-4 audiobook file. This file container is often used by iTunes to store audio books. And M4B files support metadata for chapters and bookmarking on supporting players and most commonly uses AAC as audio codec.
You are allowed to rename the extension from .M4B to .M4A, thus you can play it on Windows Media Player, or you can use VLC or iTunes to convert M4B audiobooks to MP3, but these only work for non-DRM protected audiobooks. However, the M4B audiobook you purchased from iTunes is protected by DRM, which means that you can only play it by using the authorized computer software like iTunes, and Apple devices. In order to make your iTunes M4B audiobooks can be successfully recognized by other more devices or audio players, you need to convert these M4B audiobooks to ordinary audio format like MP3 by using an audiobook converter.
Here Sidify Apple Music Converter is a trusted audio converter which enables you to remove the DRM protection from iTunes/ Audible audiobooks and convert iTunes M4B/M4A or Audible AA/AAX audiobooks to MP3, WAV, and etc effortlessly. What’s more, it is a powerful Apple Music and iTunes M4P music converter.
Key Features of Sidify Apple Music Converter
Convert iTunes M4A, M4B/Audible AA, AAX audiobooks to M4A.
Convert Apple Music/iTunes M4P to MP3, M4A, FLAC or WAV.
Record the Apple Music songs losslessly at 10X faster speed.
Keep ID3 tags for better organizing music library.
Highly compatible with macOS High Sierra & Windows 10 & fully support iTunes.
Convert Apple Music/iTunes M4P to MP3, M4A, FLAC or WAV.
Record the Apple Music songs losslessly at 10X faster speed.
Keep ID3 tags for better organizing music library.
Highly compatible with macOS High Sierra & Windows 10 & fully support iTunes.
Now let’s take a look at the simple steps on how to convert iTunes M4B audiobooks to MP3 with Sidify Apple Music Converter.
Step 1: Launch Sidify Apple Music Converter
Download and install Sidify Apple Music Converter on your PC or Mac, then launch it.
Step 2: Add iTunes M4B Audiobooks
Click on '+' icon and an add window will pop up to show your iTunes music library. You can click 'Audiobooks' icon and then the M4B audibooks you purchased from iTunes will be shown on the list. You can select the audiobooks you want to convert from the list and click 'OK' to check.
Step 3: Choose MP3 as the Output Format
Click on the button on the top right corner of the interface, and a dialogue will be shown to indicate you choosing the output format as MP3, AAC, WAV or FLAC. And you can choose the audio quality to 320 kbps, 256kbps, 198kbps or 192kbps.
Tips: Sidify program supports saving the output audio into Artist, Album, Artist/Album or Album/Artist folder for meeting various users needs.
Step 4: Start Converting iTunes M4B to MP3
Now you can click on 'Convert' button to start converting iTunes M4B audiobooks to MP3 at fast speed.
After the conversion finished, you can click button to check the well converted audiobooks files.
With the few simple steps, you can easily convert iTunes M4B audiobooks to mp3 or other more audio formats. Now, you can transfer the converted iTunes audiobooks to MP3 player or other more devices for listening while exercising or driving!
Note: The trial version of Sidify Apple Music converter has 3-minute conversion limit. If you want to unlock the time restriction, you'll need to spend just $39.95.
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The M4A file format isn’t exactly a household name, coming in far behind the vastly more popular MP3. However, that doesn’t mean it’s irrelevant. Apple’s iTunes store — a dominant force in digital music distribution — offers DRM-free music as M4A files alongside AAC, and so it’s not impossible that you’ll one day find yourself with a M4A track that you’ll want to play somewhere other than iTunes.
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Follow these steps to convert your purchased M4A iTunes tracks to MP3s for universal use.
Step 1: Select your M4A file
There are a number of cloud conversion sites, but our favorite for this particular task is Cloud Convert. Head to its homepage and click the gray Select Files button, and then select the desired M4A file you wish to convert. Alternatively, click and drag the file you wish to convert from its saved location into the site’s conversion window. Clicking the Select Files button directly will open up a File Explorer view of your system, from which you can select your file. If you click the down button, you can select from a number of other sources, such as DropBox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, or a URL.
![M4b M4b](https://www.ondesoft.com/audiobook_converter/images/create-mp3.png)
One possible alternative online converter is Online Audio Converter. You can learn more about this method in our how to convert FLAC to MP3 guide.
Step 2: Customize your output settings
Once you’ve selected your file, you’ll be presented with the conversion options screen. Click on the file format arrow, and select the MP3 option from the list of audio formats. Unless specified, Cloud Convert will automatically convert your file into an MP3 at a variable bit rate of between 220kbps and 250kbps.
You can click the wrench icon next to the drop-down menu to adjust the file’s output settings. From there, you can change the number of audio channels, the sampling frequency, and more. Once you’re satisfied with your settings, click the blue Okay button in the bottom-right corner.
Step 3: Convert the file
Click the red Start Conversion button on the right-hand side. When the conversion process finishes — it should take about 10 seconds with most files — your file will be available for download.
Step 4: Download your new MP3
The green Download button indicates that your MP3 file is available. You can click directly on the button and your file will be saved in your default downloads folder. Options available from the drop-down arrow include creating a QR code for downloading to a mobile device. If you click on the Create archive button drop-down, you can include your files in a compressed file of a variety of types.
Alternative: iTunes
iTunes isn’t the only desktop app that shows you how to convert M4A files to MP3 but it remains one of the best (and most recognizable) choices out there for both Windows and MacOS. It’s easy to use and we can help you with computer authorization or making sure it’s up-to-date if necessary.
![M4b to mp3 online M4b to mp3 online](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125600816/987581431.gif)
To use it, open the Preferences menu and tweak your import settings to use MP3 Encoder. Then simply select the file you want to convert in your music library. Click File, then Convert, followed by Create MP3 Version. After that, iTunes will do all the heavy lifting for you.
If you want a dedicated device to play those newly created MP3s, check out our suggestions for the best modern MP3 players once you’re finished!