Skip to main content
FormatDrop
Home›Audio›AVI to M4A
AVI
→
M4A

AVI to M4A Converter — Free, Online, No Upload

Pull the soundtrack from a legacy AVI and drop it straight into your Apple Music library as M4A.

Free · no signup2 free files a day100% in-browser · no upload

Tap to select AVI files

or click to browse

2 free files per day (2 left today) · Up to 10 MB each · Upgrade for more

✓ Files never uploaded✓ 100% browser-based✓ No account required

How to convert AVI to M4A online

  1. 1

    Drop your AVI file

    Drag your Audio Video Interleave file onto the box above, or click it to pick a file.

  2. 2

    Wait a few seconds

    Conversion starts on its own and runs on your device, not on a server.

  3. 3

    Download your M4A

    Click Download to save the MPEG-4 Audio file.

AVI vs M4A: format overview

AVI

Audio Video Interleave

Microsoft · 1992

Compression
lossy
Transparency
No
  • ✓ Universal Windows compatibility
  • ✓ Simple container format — widely supported
  • ✗ Large file sizes (minimal compression)
M4A

MPEG-4 Audio

Apple / MPEG Group · 2001

Compression
lossy
Transparency
No
  • ✓ Better quality than MP3 at same bitrate (AAC codec)
  • ✓ Native Apple ecosystem support

AVI magic bytes: 52 49 46 46 xx xx xx xx 41 56 49 20

M4A magic bytes: 00 00 00 xx 66 74 79 70 4D 34 41

Why convert AVI to M4A?

Old AVI files from home cameras, DVD rippers, and legacy capture hardware do not belong in Apple's ecosystem. iTunes ignores them, iOS cannot play them, and the Apple Music app has no way to index them. Yet some of the most valuable recordings people want to preserve — recitals, family videos, interview audio — are locked inside AVI containers from years past.

M4A is the native audio format for every Apple product. It is AAC audio inside an MPEG-4 container, exactly the format that iTunes uses for purchased music and Apple Music uses for streaming. It supports metadata, cover art, and chapter markers in the way Apple devices expect. AirPlay, HomePod, CarPlay, and the Apple TV app all treat M4A as a first-class format.

This converter extracts the audio from your AVI file and packages it as M4A, ready to import directly into iTunes or Apple Music. The audio is encoded at quality suitable for music and voice, and the file size is compact — typically 4–8 MB per minute. Once converted, your old recordings can live permanently in your Apple library, sync to your iPhone, and play on any Apple device without any additional steps.

Quality & file size: AVI to M4A

Typical sizes: AVI 200–600 MB (1 minute 1080p); M4A 3–6 MB (3-minute song).

M4A output is encoded at 192 kbps.

Re-encoding one lossy format into another adds a second round of compression.

Frequently asked questions

Will the M4A from an AVI play on my iPhone without issues?
Yes — M4A is Apple's native audio format and plays on every Apple device. The extracted audio is re-encoded to AAC and wrapped in an M4A container.
Can I choose the quality of the M4A output?
No. The M4A gets 192 kbps AAC, which is high quality for music and more than voice needs. If the AVI's sound is already AAC, it is copied without re-encoding.

Your AVI file never leaves this tab — FormatDrop has no endpoint that receives file data. How it works