How to Convert Audio on Mac (M4A, FLAC, WAV, and More)

You’ve got an audio file in the wrong format. Maybe it’s an M4A that a device won’t play, a FLAC your car stereo rejects, a WAV that’s too big to email, or a track you want as an MP3 that works absolutely everywhere.

MP3 is still the universal audio format, but “convert audio on a Mac” covers a lot of ground. Here’s how to handle the common cases, with four tools from the free apps on your Mac to a batch converter built for it.

Quick answer: To convert audio on a Mac, the built-in Music app converts common formats to MP3 or AAC for free (set the encoder in Settings, then File → Convert). For FLAC, batches, or formats Music won’t open, Picmal converts a whole folder at once on your Mac with no upload. The methods below cover both.

The conversions people actually need

Lossy vs lossless (read this first)

One rule saves you from bad conversions:

• Lossy formats (MP3, AAC, M4A, OGG) throw away data to save space. Converting one lossy format to another re-compresses and loses a little more each time.
• Lossless formats (FLAC, WAV, ALAC) keep everything. Converting lossless to a high-bitrate MP3 sounds transparent, and that’s the normal path when you want smaller files.
• You can’t recover quality. Converting an MP3 up to FLAC just makes a bigger file, not a better one.

So: keep lossless originals if you have them, and convert copies to MP3 for everyday use.

Method 1: Picmal (batch, and every format)

Picmal is a native Mac app that converts audio (and video, images, PDFs) in batches, entirely offline.

Steps:

1. Download Picmal from picmal.app
2. Drag in your audio files, or a whole folder
3. Choose the output format (MP3, WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AAC)
4. Set a bitrate if you want to control size
5. Click Convert

Why people reach for it:

• Handles formats the Music app won’t open, including FLAC and OGG
• Batches a whole library in one pass
• Runs entirely on your Mac, nothing uploaded
• Bitrate control, no file size limit, no watermark

Best for:

Converting a music library, or any batch the built-in tools choke on.

Method 2: the Music app (free, built in)

Apple’s Music app (formerly iTunes) converts common formats without a download.

Steps:

1. Open Music → Settings → Files → Import Settings
2. Set Import Using to MP3 Encoder (or AAC)
3. Close settings, select the track(s) in your library
4. File → Convert → Create MP3 Version

The catch:

It won’t import FLAC or OGG, and it converts within your library, so you have to add files first. Fine for tracks already in Music, awkward for loose files or unsupported formats.

Method 3: VLC (free, opens anything)

VLC plays and converts nearly every audio format.

Steps:

1. Open VLC → File → Convert / Stream
2. Drop in your audio file
3. Choose an audio profile (for example Audio - MP3)
4. Save as File, pick a destination, Save

The catch:

One file at a time, and the interface is utilitarian. Handy when a format won’t open anywhere else.

Method 4: FFmpeg (command line)

For scripting or bulk jobs:

brew install ffmpeg

Convert one file to MP3 at 320 kbps:

ffmpeg -i input.m4a -b:a 320k output.mp3

Every FLAC in a folder to MP3:

for f in *.flac; do ffmpeg -i "$f" -b:a 320k "${f%.*}.mp3"; done

Free, and precise about bitrate down to the number. Not the move if the command line isn’t for you.

Side-by-side comparison

Tips

• Use 320 kbps for MP3 when quality matters, 192 to 256 kbps to save space.
• Keep lossless originals and convert copies. You can’t get quality back later.
• Batch it if you’re doing a whole album or library, so you set the format once.

The short version

• A track already in Music: File → Convert
• FLAC, a folder, or an odd format: Picmal
• One stubborn file: VLC
• Scripting it: FFmpeg

Related guides

• Want a dedicated audio tool? See the audio converter for Mac.
• Pulling audio out of a video? How to Convert HEVC to MP4 and the video converter cover the video side.
• One app for everything? The best media converter for Mac roundup covers audio, video, and images.