---
title: "WAV to M4A Converter — Small AAC Files | Compress Pro"
description: "Convert WAV recordings to M4A (AAC) in your browser — roughly a tenth of the size with no audible difference. Pick a bitrate, keep it local. Free forever."
canonical: https://compress-pro.com/wav-to-m4a
---

# Convert WAV to M4A.

> Huge WAV masters become small M4A files — encoded locally.

Convert WAV recordings to M4A (AAC) right in your browser — **roughly a tenth of the size with no audible difference at sensible bitrates**, encoded on your device. The natural export for recordings headed to Apple devices and modern apps.

**No uploads · No ads · Free & open source.**

## How it works

1. Drop files anywhere on the page, click to browse, or paste with Ctrl/⌘ + V.
2. Pick a quality or preset — or set an exact target size and let the tool find it.
3. Compress, compare before/after, and download — individually or as a ZIP.

## A tenth of the size, none of the drama

WAV stores raw samples at about 10 MB per stereo minute; AAC keeps what the ear actually hears. At 192 kbps the difference is inaudible for nearly all material, and the files shrink by an order of magnitude. Archival masters belong in lossless [WAV to FLAC](https://compress-pro.com/wav-to-flac); maximum-compatibility sharing in [WAV to MP3](https://compress-pro.com/wav-to-mp3) — M4A sits between them: small, modern, Apple-native.

## Frequently asked questions

### M4A or MP3 for my WAVs?

Both are lossy and small. M4A/AAC sounds slightly better at the same bitrate and is native across Apple devices; MP3 opens on absolutely everything ever made. Pick by where the file is headed.

### Is M4A lossless?

No — AAC is lossy. For a mathematically perfect archive convert to FLAC instead; for listening and sharing, 192 kbps AAC is transparent for nearly all material.

### How much smaller will files get?

Around 10× at 192 kbps — an hour-long WAV of ~600 MB lands near 80 MB as M4A with no audible change.

### Is it private?

Yes. The audio is decoded and re-encoded entirely in your browser — recordings never leave your device, and the server does nothing but deliver this page. Voice memos, interviews, demos: none of it is uploaded anywhere. Want proof? Run one file through, switch your connection off, and run another — it still works.

## Related tools

- [Convert WAV to MP3](https://compress-pro.com/wav-to-mp3)
- [Convert WAV to FLAC](https://compress-pro.com/wav-to-flac)
- [Compress & Convert audio](https://compress-pro.com/compress-audio)

---

Part of [Compress Pro](https://compress-pro.com/) — every tool page has a markdown twin at `<page url>.md`. Full tool index: [llms.txt](https://compress-pro.com/llms.txt)