How to Convert MP4 to MP3 on Mac with High Quality: 5 Ways

Lots of video files are stored in MP4 format attributing to:

• Contain video with rich visual elements: graphics, text, and animation layers...
• Transmit on a narrower bandwidth, not requiring that high on media bandwidth and Internet connection situation.
• Being highly compatible with various programs and devices.

But you may sometimes just want to focus all your time on the audio of these MP4 video resources? Then how? Convert MP4 to MP3 on Mac, of course, do this in a way delivering the original file quality. You will be offered 5 ways to complete the mission.

Convert MP4 to MP3 Mac with the Best Quality

To preserve the original quality of the MP4 resource, you may have to harness the power of a professional tool, let’s say, a Video Converter for Mac.

Cisdem Video Converter for Mac is an ideal assistant to convert MP4 to MP3 on Mac, with original audio, video quality retained. It can also allow users to perform the conversion between different media file formats and handle 4k videos with optimized GPU acceleration.

Vital features of Cisdem MP4 to MP3 converter Mac:

• Clear interface, only taking seconds to master
• Convert 1080p/4k/5k/8k videos to any format
• Turn MP4 into MP3, FLAC, ALAC, OGG, AIFF, WMV, MOV, etc
• Support roughly 200+ device optimization profiles
• Adjust the output MP3 audio quality, codec, sample rate, bitrate, etc.
• Customize videos with the built-in filters and effects
• Batch convert all videos in no more than 5 minutes
• Download videos/songs from all the popular websites
• Rip commercial or homemade DVDs to videos for backing up

Free Download   Free Download

How to convert MP4 to MP3 on Mac with Cisdem:

Step 1. Upload MP4 files into the program

Install and run Cisdem Video Converter, it will take you to the convert tab by default.

Add MP4 files into the interface by drag and drop. You can add single or multiple files for bulk conversion.

Step 2. Choose MP3 as the output format

Click on the format icon on the right, the output library will pop up. Choose "General Audio" menu > "MP3 Audio". Alternatively, select format from "Convert all tasks to" on the bottom.

There is a gear icon for opening the "Advanced Settings" dialog. You can adjust your MP3 audio parameters there.

Step 3. Start the conversion

Click the button to convert MP4 to MP3 on Mac. The conversion process will be very fast. Find the MP3 file in the output folder and play it - the audio file should be as clear as the original.

Free Download   Free Download

Tip: Edit MP4 videos

When you convert among video files, you can edit MP4 videos (apply the effect, add watermark, subtitles, etc.) before exporting them in any video format that your device supports.

Convert MP4 to MP3 Mac with iTunes

If you are a Mac user, you can absolutely make full use of Mac’s built-in tool – iTunes (or Apple Music app). Let’s go directly to this MP4 to MP3 trick.

1. Open MP4 in QuickTime and export it as audio. The conversion will change the extension of the MP4 file to .m4a.
   M4A means MPEG 4 audio, a file name extension to represent audio files, also the Apple lossless audio coding format developed by Apple Inc, which is obviously supported by iTunes and deemed as the most iTunes-friendly audio format.
2. Import M4A into iTunes by drag and drop.
3. Adjust the importing setting as following: iTunes "Preferences" > "General" > "Import Settings", and select "MP3 Encoder".
4. Highlight the M4A audio.
5. Go to "File" > "Convert" > "Create MP3 Version" to convert MP4 to MP3 in iTunes.
   The MP3 file will be saved on your Mac. Right-click the MP3 file in iTunes and choose "Show in Finder" to locate it.

Note: It is not recommended that you manually change the file extension of MP4 video into MP3. When importing MP3, iTunes may not report back that the MP3 file is already imported in iTunes Library or may not play.

Convert MP4 to MP3 Mac via VLC

VLC is a pinup media player capable of playing almost all file formats on Mac and Windows. You might not know that it supports the transcoding function as well, but only in very few output formats, like MP3, OGG, WebM, FLAC, etc. Despite of the plain, sleek interface and gun-gray icon, it still owns multifarious customization options and tweaking the toolbar, helping you to convert MP4 to MP3 on Mac in VLC.

1. Click "File" on the top toolbar, from the drop-down box, choose the "Convert/Stream" option.
2. Click on "Open media" > browse an MP4 file from location > click "Open" button. Or you can drop MP4 media to the fixed area straight.
3. Choose "Audio-MP3" as an output profile. Around it is a customize button, you can it to tweak the audio codec.
4. Click the "Save as File" button > Click on the "Brower" button, and finally save your file as xxx.mp3.

Turn MP4 into MP3 Online

Of course, if you don’t need to convert MP4 to MP3 very often, you can use the online free MP4 to MP3 converter for Mac. We pick 2 user-friendly converters for your choice: Zamzar.com and OnlineVideoConverter.com.

#1 Zamzar

Zamzar is a multi-purpose file conversion site that supports a significant number of formats. Apart from converting media files, it also allows you to convert files between documents, images, e-Books, CAD, and archived files.

1. Navigate to Zamzar website.
2. Add an MP4 file to the page.
3. Choose to convert to MP3.
4. Begin the uploading/conversion process.
5. Once the MP3 file is available, click the download link.

#2 Online Video Converter

As its name suggests, Online Video Converter is a free online media converter that offers an excellent selection of conversion formats (7 video formats, 7 audio formats). There are three function-options, respectively are Convert a video link, Convert a video file, and Record a video.

1. Head toward Online Video Converter in your web browser.
2. Enter the URL or drop the native MP4 video that you desire to convert.
3. Select MP3 from audio formats.
4. Click on “Start” to convert MP4 to MP3 Mac online.
5. Download file. Or scan the QR code that appears and get the MP3 on your mobile or tablet.

The defects of 99% online video converters:

• No batch processing option
• Lack of editing features
• Limited upload size
• Inundated with ads
• Not secure enough, might give away your privacy
• The Internet connection is pre-requisite

Convert MP4 to MP3 on Mac through FFmpeg

FFmpeg (full name "Fast Forward MPEG") is a collection of libraries and tools, making it possible to transcoding video to audio files. It supports all basic media codecs, such as H.264, H.265, AAC, Apple ProRes, Avid DNxHD, and so on.

1. Download and install FFmpeg software project to your Mac.
2. Open Terminal (command prompt).
3. Type the command.
   Convert single MP4 to MP3: ffmpeg –i test.mp4 test.mp3.Bulk create MP3 files from MP4: for i in *.mp4; do ffmpeg -i "$i" "${i%.*}.mp3"; done. Extract MP3 audio without re-encoding: ffmpeg -i test.mp4 -vn -c:a copy -ac 2 test.mp3.
4. Execute your command and wait for the output MP3.

FAQs

Can QuickTime Player directly convert MP4 files to MP3?

QuickTime X, available on Mac OS X Snow Leopard or above, lets you export videos to 4k/1080p/720p/480 video and audio only. But the output audio format will be an M4A file.

QuickTime 7 Pro can merely transcode MP4 to AIFF, AU, and WAVE audio formats.

Obviously, neither the new version nor the old version of QuickTime supports converting MP4 to MP3 on Mac.

Can Handbrake convert audio files?

Handbrake is a cross-platform, GPL-licensed, and free transcoder for digital video. It provides advanced users with numerous parameter settings to alter the video quality, file size, and adjust frame rate accordingly.

But unluckily, Handbrake doesn’t allow audio conversion. This also means you have no chance to extract audio from video, rip DVD audio, or convert MP4 to MP3 on Mac by using Handbrake.

Is MP3 the Same as M4A?

Quite often when converting MP4 to an audio format we will think of MP3, but for Mac users M4A is also an audio formats they are familiar with, as when they download songs from iTunes or Apple Music it will be in M4A format. So Is MP3 the same as M4A? While M4A and MP3 are both lossy audio formats, though M4A supposed to have a better-quality than MP3. But in terms of compatibility MP3 is more popular. So, If you only need to convert MP4 to an audio format for playing on Mac, then M4A is also a good choice.

Conclusion

Many users may first turn to the free solutions when running into such an MP4 to MP3 issue on Mac. However, if you are looking for an easy and high-quality conversion, I do recommend the Cisdem MP4 to MP3 Converter for Mac, which saves time and efforts without sacrificing the file quality.