Free Online MP4 to AAC Converter
Extract AAC from MP4 — Get the Original Audio Without Re-Encoding
Here is something most people do not realize: the audio track inside your MP4 file is almost certainly already AAC. That means when you convert MP4 to AAC, you are not really converting anything — you are extracting the exact audio stream that was already there. No re-encoding, no quality loss, no waiting around for processing. The AAC file you download is the same audio data that was embedded in the video, just without the video wrapper. This MP4 to AAC converter pulls that stream directly when possible, giving you a bit-perfect copy of the original soundtrack. If you want to change MP4 to AAC for use on Apple devices, for ringtone creation, or simply to ditch the video and keep the sound, this is the fastest and cleanest way to do it.
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When You Should Extract AAC from MP4
AAC is already the default audio codec inside most MP4 files. Extracting it directly rather than converting to another format gives you the best possible result in several situations.
Building Your Apple Device Library
If you own an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV, AAC is your native audio format. Rather than converting MP4 to MP3 and taking a quality hit, extract the AAC stream that already exists inside the video. The resulting file drops right into Apple Music, syncs across iCloud, and plays on every Apple device without any compatibility headaches. Turn MP4 into AAC and you get exactly what Apple designed its ecosystem around.
Preserving Podcast and Interview Audio
Recorded a video podcast or interview and now you need just the audio? When you extract AAC from MP4, you get the original recording quality — not a degraded re-encode. The AAC output is compact enough for podcast distribution on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any hosting platform, and it sounds noticeably better than MP3 at the same file size. No generation loss means your voices sound exactly as they did in the recording.
Pulling Music from Concert and Performance Videos
Got a live performance recorded as MP4? The mp4 to aac extraction process strips the video track and hands you just the music. Since the audio was encoded as AAC when the video was originally created, you are getting the identical quality back. The file goes straight into iTunes or Apple Music with full metadata support, ready to sit alongside your purchased library.
What Makes This MP4 to AAC Converter Different
This is not a generic file converter that re-encodes everything. It is built to take advantage of how MP4 files actually store audio, which means the output quality is better than what most tools produce.
Passthrough Extraction — No Re-Encoding Needed
Most MP4 files already contain AAC audio internally. When you convert MP4 to AAC here, the tool detects that existing AAC stream and pulls it out directly — no decoding and re-encoding involved. The result is a true passthrough extraction. Your AAC file is bit-identical to the audio that was in the video. This is faster than re-encoding and preserves every detail of the original sound.
Same Quality as the Original Video Audio
Because the extraction avoids re-encoding when possible, there is zero generation loss. The AAC file you download has the exact same bitrate, the exact same frequency content, and the exact same audio quality as what you heard in the MP4 video. Change MP4 to AAC without worrying about degradation.
Native Playback on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV
AAC is the audio format Apple chose for its entire ecosystem. The extracted file plays natively on every iPhone, every iPad, every Mac, and every Apple TV without installing anything extra. Drag it into Apple Music, set it as an alarm, use it in iMovie — it just works because AAC is what Apple devices expect.
Smaller Files Than MP3 at the Same Quality
AAC achieves better compression efficiency than MP3. A 128 kbps AAC file sounds roughly as good as a 160-192 kbps MP3. That means the file you extract from your MP4 takes up less storage while delivering the same or better listening experience. If storage space matters to you, AAC is the smarter output format.
Perfect for iPhone Ringtone Creation
Want to turn a moment from a video into your iPhone ringtone? Extract the AAC audio from the MP4 first, then trim it down to the section you want. AAC is the base format for iPhone ringtones — you just need to rename the file extension from .aac to .m4r and import it through iTunes or Finder. This mp4 aac converter gives you the starting point for that workflow.
Preserves Chapter Markers When Available
Some MP4 files — especially those from audiobook rips, long-form podcasts, or structured recordings — contain chapter markers in their metadata. When you extract AAC from MP4, those chapter markers can carry over into the output file, keeping your content organized and navigable in players that support chapters.
How to Convert MP4 to AAC — Three Steps
Extracting AAC audio from an MP4 is one of the quickest conversions you can do, especially when the audio is already in AAC format inside the video.
Load Your MP4 File
Open videotoaudio.net in any browser. Drag your .mp4 file onto the page or tap to browse your files. You can load several MP4 files at once if you have a batch to process.
Pick AAC as the Output
Select AAC from the format list. If your MP4 already contains an AAC audio stream, the extraction can happen without re-encoding — you will get the original audio at its original bitrate. If you want a specific bitrate, you can set one: 128 kbps for spoken content, 192 kbps for general use, or 256 kbps for music.
Download Your AAC File
Tap convert and the AAC file appears within seconds. Save it to your device, add it to Apple Music, or use it as the starting point for a ringtone. For batch conversions, download everything as a ZIP.
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MP4 to AAC — Frequently Asked Questions
If the MP4 already has AAC audio inside, is the extraction truly lossless?
Yes. When an MP4 file stores its audio as AAC — which the vast majority do — this tool can pull that AAC stream out directly without decoding and re-encoding it. The extracted file is bit-identical to the audio that was in the video. No samples are modified, no quality is lost. It is a passthrough extraction, not a conversion in the traditional sense. This is the main reason to convert MP4 to AAC rather than to another format: you get the exact original audio.
MP4 to AAC vs MP4 to MP3 — which gives better quality?
MP4 to AAC wins on quality for two reasons. First, AAC is a more efficient codec than MP3 — it produces better-sounding audio at the same bitrate. A 128 kbps AAC file typically sounds comparable to a 160-192 kbps MP3. Second, and more importantly, since the MP4 almost certainly already contains AAC audio, extracting AAC means you can get the original stream without re-encoding. Converting to MP3 always requires re-encoding, which means decoding the AAC, then encoding to MP3 — and every re-encode introduces some quality loss.
Can I use the extracted AAC file as an iPhone ringtone?
Not directly, but it is close. iPhone ringtones use the .m4r format, which is essentially an AAC file in an M4A container with a different extension. After you extract AAC from MP4, you can rename the file extension to .m4r (or wrap it in an M4A container first), then import it through iTunes or Finder on macOS. The audio content is the same — the ringtone is just AAC audio with a special file extension so iOS recognizes it.
What is the difference between AAC and M4A output?
The audio codec is the same in both cases — AAC. The difference is the container. A raw .aac file is just the audio stream with minimal framing. An .m4a file wraps that same AAC audio in an MP4/M4A container, which can hold metadata like title, artist, album art, and chapter markers. For Apple device usage, M4A is often more convenient because Apple Music and iTunes handle metadata in M4A files better. For raw extraction where you want the smallest possible file, .aac works fine. Many people searching for mp4 to m4a are actually looking for mp4 to aac — same audio, different wrapper.
Will the AAC file play on Android and Windows, or just Apple devices?
AAC plays everywhere, not just on Apple devices. Android has supported AAC natively for years. Windows 10 and 11 play AAC files out of the box in Windows Media Player and the built-in media apps. Chrome, Firefox, and Edge all handle AAC in the browser. VLC plays AAC on any platform. While AAC is strongly associated with Apple because Apple adopted it early and uses it as a default, it is an open industry standard (part of the MPEG specification) and is universally supported.
My MP4 has AC3 or DTS audio instead of AAC — what happens during extraction?
If the audio track inside your MP4 is not AAC — for example, some ripped or professional videos use AC3 (Dolby Digital) or DTS — the tool will transcode that audio into AAC during the conversion. This involves decoding the original format and re-encoding to AAC, which is a standard lossy-to-lossy transcode. The result will still be a high-quality AAC file, but it will not be a passthrough extraction. You can choose a higher bitrate like 256 kbps to minimize any quality loss from the re-encode.
Is AAC output smaller than MP3 at the same quality?
Yes. Independent listening tests consistently show that AAC achieves equivalent perceived quality at lower bitrates than MP3. Roughly speaking, a 128 kbps AAC file sounds about as good as a 160-192 kbps MP3 file. That translates to about 20-30% smaller files when you target the same listening quality. If you are building an audio library and storage space matters, converting MP4 to AAC rather than MP4 to MP3 saves real space without any sacrifice in how the music sounds.
Can I import the AAC file into iTunes or Apple Music library?
Absolutely. AAC is the native format for iTunes and Apple Music. After you convert MP4 to AAC and download the file, just drag it into the Apple Music window (or use File > Import on older iTunes versions). The file will appear in your library, sync to your iPhone and iPad via iCloud Music Library, and behave exactly like any track you purchased from the iTunes Store. You can edit its metadata, add it to playlists, and stream it to HomePod or AirPlay speakers.
What bitrate will the extracted AAC file be?
If the MP4 already contains AAC audio and the tool performs a passthrough extraction, the output bitrate will be whatever the original video's audio was encoded at — commonly 128 kbps, 192 kbps, or 256 kbps depending on how the video was created. You do not get to choose in passthrough mode because the audio is copied as-is. If the tool needs to re-encode (because the source is not AAC, or you specifically request a different bitrate), then you can pick your target bitrate. Check the original MP4's audio properties if you want to know what bitrate to expect.
Should I pick AAC or MP3 if I mostly use Apple devices?
AAC, without question. Apple designed its entire audio ecosystem around AAC. It is the default codec for Apple Music, iTunes Store purchases, voice memos, and iPhone recordings. AAC sounds better than MP3 at equivalent bitrates, takes up less space, and plays natively on every Apple device. The only scenario where MP3 might make sense is if you need compatibility with an older device that does not support AAC — but those are increasingly rare. For Apple users, convert MP4 to AAC and you are using the format Apple intended.