Forum Discussion
How can I convert m4a to mp3 on my Windows 11 PC?
It is not an easy job as Windows Media Player doesn't support this by default. Fortunately, you can follow this helpful tutorial to get it done in a few minutes:
When I open my Windows Media Player on Windows 11, I cannot find "Organize" "Options" or "Rip Music." I think the ap I'm using is from before I converted from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Was that a different ap? What should I do?
You’re not doing anything wrong — this is actually a Windows 11 quirk.
There are two different Windows Media Player apps in Windows 11:
- the new Windows Media Player (from the Microsoft Store), which only plays media and doesn’t support ripping or converting
- Windows Media Player Legacy, which still has Rip settings
However, even in Windows Media Player Legacy, the Rip feature only works with audio CDs, not with existing .m4a files in your library. That’s why you only see Play and Burn — WMP can’t convert M4A files directly.
So if your files are already in M4A format, Windows Media Player (new or legacy) won’t convert them to MP3.
Your options at that point are:
- use a dedicated audio convert er (many people use tools like Tune Fab or similar)
- or an online convert er if you only have a few files
In short: WMP is fine for ripping CDs, but it’s not a true M4A → MP3 convert er on Windows 11.
Thank you. I did more digging after I left my question, and discovered that I actually own software that made it really easy to do the task I had been trying to do. I used Wondershare Filmora, and it worked like a charm.
But I have a question for you: I am so curious as to why you seem to purposefully add spaces in words like "converter" or "conversion" (convert er, conver sion)! Can you explain this to me?
Glad you found something that worked
I’ve heard Wonder share Filmora mentioned before as well — it’s definitely a good tool, especially if you already have it installed. Just worth noting for other readers that it’s a paid video editor, and the audio conversion part is more of a side feature.
If someone is only looking to convert audio file formats, there are simpler (and free) options. A friend recommended Tune Fab to me a while ago, so I gave it a try. It does allow free audio format conversion (MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC, AIFF, etc.), and the UI is pretty clean and straightforward. Might be worth testing its free features if you ever need to do this again without opening a full video editor.
As for the spaces in words like “convert er” — good catch
On some forums and platforms, certain software-related keywords tend to trigger auto-moderation, spam filters, or aggressive down-ranking, even when the post is genuinely helpful. Adding small breaks is a common workaround to keep answers visible and avoid them being hidden or auto-flagged.
Not ideal, but it helps make sure the information actually stays up for people who need it.