M4A
An audio-focused use of the MPEG-4 container, commonly carrying AAC or Apple Lossless audio and associated metadata.
General information
- Format name
- MPEG-4 Audio File
- Extension
.m4a- MIME type
audio/mp4- Category
- audio
- Data type
- Binary
Media properties
- Compression
- Varies
- Common codecs
- AAC, ALAC
Common uses
Music downloads
AAC audio
Apple Lossless music
Podcasts
Personal music libraries
Related formats
Technical resources
| Resource | Publisher | Link |
|---|---|---|
| MPEG-4 File Format Family | Library of Congress | Open resource ↗ |
| Media Types Registry | IANA | Open resource ↗ |
Record information
- Verified
- October 4, 2026
- Last updated
- October 4, 2026