How can I convert m4a to mp3 on my Windows 11 PC?

Audaacity is a free, open source, cross-platform audio editing software (supporting Windows, macOS and Linux) designed for audio recording, editing, conversion and post-processing. Known for its intuitive visual interface and powerful feature set, it has become one of the preferred tools for millions of users around the world to work with audio.

Users can accomplish a wide range of tasks from simple voice memo cropping to professional-grade music mixing with it, and it is especially good at high-quality m4a to mp3 conversion of lossless or lossy formats

1. Open Audaacity and click “File” → “Import” → “Import Audio” in the upper left corner.
2. Select all the .m4a files you want to convert and click “Open”.
3. Click “File” → “Export” → “Export to MP3” in the upper left corner.
4. Set the destination folder, encoder, sound quality, etc. in the pop-up window.
5. In the export window, check “Batch Export” (requires Audaacity 2.3.0+). Select all imported audio files and click “Start Export” to convert them at once.
6. Open the converted .mp3 file and test the sound quality with the player. Open the original file and the new file again in Audaacity and compare the waveform graphs (to avoid distortion).

Despite the low barrier to entry for converting m4a to mp3, Audaacity offers professional-grade tools (e.g., spectrum analysis, audio splicing, fade effects) to meet the diverse needs of novice to experienced audio engineers.