NoteBurner Apple Music Converter
An old iTunes purchase may now sit in your Mac's Music library, but moving it there doesn't remove its protection. To convert M4P to MP3 on Mac, check the file's Kind: "Protected AAC audio file" identifies a DRM-protected track, while DRM-free AAC songs can still be converted with the Music app.
Below, we explain what Apple's options can and can't do, then show how to make an MP3 copy of a protected M4P track with NoteBurner iTunes Audio Converter for Mac.
"M4P" stands for protected MPEG-4 audio. Songs sold by the iTunes Store until 2009 were mostly saved this way, as FairPlay-locked 128 kbps AAC; after that the store moved to DRM-free iTunes Plus files (.m4a). When macOS Catalina replaced iTunes with the Music app, those old purchases came along and kept their protection.
On your Mac, right-click a song in the Music app, choose Get Info > File, and read the Kind line. "Protected AAC audio file" is an M4P; "Purchased AAC audio file" or "AAC audio file" is DRM-free. Show in Finder shows the extension as well.
Songs downloaded with an Apple Music subscription are protected in a different way. For those, see how to convert Apple Music to MP3.
Partly. Here are the no-cost or Apple-provided options and what holds each one back:
| Option | Works on M4P | Cost | What Holds It Back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create MP3 Version (Music app) | ❌ | Free | DRM-free files only. On an M4P song the Music app shows "protected files cannot be converted to other formats". |
| iTunes Match | ~ Some songs | Paid subscription | Matched songs may download again as DRM-free 256 kbps AAC, but Apple decides which old purchases get matched. |
| Burn a CD and import it back | ✔ | Blank CDs | Needs a disc drive, which most current Macs don't have, and one CD for about every 20 songs. A playlist with protected songs can be burned only seven times. |
To use Create MP3 Version on DRM-free files: choose Music > Settings (Preferences on older macOS) > Files > Import Settings, set Import Using to MP3 Encoder, then select the songs and choose File > Convert > Create MP3 Version.
So the free routes cover DRM-free files and, with luck, part of your M4P collection. For the rest, a converter that reads straight from the Music app is the realistic option.
If your M4P songs are downloaded and play in the Music app, NoteBurner iTunes Audio Converter for Mac can load them from your library and convert selected tracks to MP3 in batches. It keeps the best audio quality and ID3 tags such as title, artist and artwork, and includes free extras like a CD burner, a format converter and an AI audio splitter that separates vocals from music.
Before you start: play one of the M4P songs in the Music app. If macOS asks you to authorize this Mac, choose Account > Authorizations > Authorize This Computer and sign in with the Apple ID that bought it (more on authorizing a Mac).
Open NoteBurner iTunes Audio Converter and select "Music App" as the download source. Your Music library, protected purchases included, becomes available to the program.
Click "+Add", select the songs or playlists to convert, and click OK.
In "Settings", choose MP3, an output quality and a folder. Re-encoding a 128 kbps M4P to MP3 always costs a little quality, and 256 or 320 kbps keeps that cost lowest. If you need smaller files for an old player, a lower setting is fine.
Click "Convert". Finished songs appear under "History" with their details intact, ready to copy to an Android phone, a USB stick, or a CD for the car.
Note: iTunes audiobooks go through the same four steps. With the free trial you get the first minute of each song, which is enough to judge the result.
Look at the Kind line in Get Info first. If it doesn't say "Protected", the Music app can convert the file itself. If it does, you need a tool that works through the Music app, like the one above.
That message means the song is an M4P with DRM. Create MP3 Version will never work on it; use iTunes Match or a converter instead.
They're probably stored in iCloud only. Download them to your Mac in the Music app and check that they play.
No. Web converters, VLC and Audacity have no way to unlock FairPlay, so they only work with DRM-free audio.
Rules differ by country and depend on your rights to the music. Check that you're allowed to copy the songs, and use the MP3 files only for your own listening.
Yes: how to convert iTunes M4P to MP3 on Windows.
Check the Kind of your songs first. DRM-free files convert for free in the Music app, and iTunes Match may rescue some old purchases. For everything still marked "Protected", NoteBurner iTunes Audio Converter for Mac handles the whole library in one batch. Try it on a single song first and hear the result before you decide.
What's next? Try NoteBurner iTunes Audio Converter for Mac free!
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