what to know
- First, go to Edit > Preferences > General > Import Settings > MP3 Encoder .
- Then, select the song and go to File > Convert > Create MP3 Version .
- Apple Music files cannot be converted to MP3 due to DRM protection.
This article explains how to convert iTunes songs to MP3. Instructions apply to iTunes 12 for Windows and Mac, but the process should be similar in older versions.
Follow the steps below to convert iTunes songs to MP3 files for use on other types of MP3 players (they will still work on Apple devices).
The audio converter built into iTunes lets you control conversion settings, including the types of files you want to create and the audio quality you want them to have.
To change the settings for this task on your Mac, go to iTunes > Preferences > General > Import Settings > Select MP3 Encoder .
On Windows, go to Edit > Preferences > General > Import Settings and select MP3 Encoder at the top. Select OK and then select OK again to return to your library.
You can also use iTunes to create MP3 and AAC files.
Find the song or songs in iTunes that you want to convert to MP3 and click them.
You can highlight one song, a group of songs, or an album at a time (select the first song, hold down the Shift key, then select the last song), or even highlight non-consecutive songs (hold down the Command key on Mac , hold down the Control key on PC) and then click the song).
Converting songs may reduce audio quality. Before converting iTunes to MP3, be sure to understand that doing so will slightly reduce the sound quality of your music. This is because both AAC and MP3 are compressed versions of the original song files and therefore have lower quality. Converting from AAC to another compression format (such as MP3) means there will be more compression and quality loss.
When the song you want to convert is highlighted, go to File > Convert > Create MP3 Version . (In some older versions of iTunes, look for "Create New Version." The new MP3 file you just created will appear in iTunes next to the original AAC version.
Once you get the AAC and MP3 versions of a song in iTunes, it's hard to tell them apart; they look the same. To see which file is the MP3 version, right-click the file and select Song Information > File and look for the file extension at the end of the location path.
People use MP3 as a generic name to refer to all digital music files, but this is not entirely correct. MP3 actually refers to a specific type of music file. Songs purchased from iTunes and downloaded from Apple Music are in AAC format. While AAC and MP3 are both digital audio files, AAC is a next-generation format designed to provide better sound and take up the same or less storage space as MP3.
Since music in iTunes is in AAC format, many people think it is an Apple-proprietary format. It is not. Almost anyone can use AAC. AAC files also work with Apple products and products from many other companies. However, not every MP3 player supports them, so you need to convert iTunes songs to MP3 if you want to play music on these devices.
There are many programs that can convert songs from one format to another, including converting from iTunes to MP3. This is fine, but in most cases you don't need them. Don't spend money on audio conversion software unless you have very specific needs (like FLAC; if you don't know what that is, chances are you don't need it). Just use iTunes.
If you've converted iTunes to MP3, you probably don't want the AAC version of the song taking up space on your hard drive. If so, you can delete the song from iTunes. You can even delete duplicate songs in iTunes to make the cleaning process easier.
Since the iTunes version of the file is the original file, be sure to back it up before deleting it. You can also use iCloud to redownload iTunes purchases.
These instructions work for songs you purchase from the iTunes Store, but what about songs you get from Apple Music on your computer? Can it be converted to MP3?
Although Apple Music songs use AAC format, they are protected by a special type of DRM, so you cannot convert them to MP3. DRM will verify that you have a valid Apple Music subscription. Apple (or any streaming music company) doesn't want you to download a bunch of songs, convert them to MP3s, cancel your subscription and keep the music. Therefore, you cannot convert Apple Music to MP3 unless you can crack the DRM.
FAQTo add album art in iTunes, right-click the album and select Album Information . Go to Artwork > Add Artwork . Select the album cover you want to add and select OK .
To create a ringtone, use a tool like GarageBand to create sound clips from music of your choice. Once created, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtones . Select a ringtone created in GarageBand to set a custom ringtone.
