Summary
iTunes M4P songs are not compatible with all devices. This post will guide you how to convert DRM-protected iTunes M4P songs, DRM-free iTunes purchased songs, Apple Music M4P songs to MP3 in 4 different ways. Thus, you can listen to iTunes music and Apple Music offline on your smartphone and MP3 players anytime!

“Can I convert iTunes M4P files to MP3 for using on my iPod nano?”

“How do I convert m4p to mp3 without iTunes? Please help!”

iTunes M4P is an encoded audio file that can only be played on Apple authorized devices. To listen to iTunes M4P songs on a smart phone or portable device like MP3 player, you always need to convert iTunes M4P to MP3. If you have downloaded Apple Music tracks to iTunes library and want to convert iTunes M4P songs to MP3, then you can’t miss this post! Here you can find multiple methods to convert M4P audio files into MP3 format on Windows/Mac.

CONTENTS

Apple Music now has 100 million songs. Subscribers can stream Apple Music songs on an authorized computer with iTunes application or Apple Music app. Since Apple Music songs are protected by Apple’s Fairplay DRM and you can only allowed play Apple Music songs on limited authorized devices with iTunes or Apple Music app. When you add Apple Music songs to iTunes library, you will find the kind of the songs is Apple Music AAC audio file. When you download Apple Music songs to iTunes library for offline listening, you may found the downloaded songs come in M4P format, you cannot share, copy or sync those downloaded M4P files.

How to View the Downloaded iTunes M4P Songs on PC?
After downloading Apple Music songs to iTunes library, you will find the downloaded M4P songs are saved in Music – iTunes – iTunes Media – Apple Music. This part teach you how to find those downloaded Apple Music M4P songs on Windows PC.

Step 1. Download a Apple Music tracks to iTunes library and Right click “Song Info”, the iTunes will pop up a new windows about all information of this song.

song info

Step 2. Click “File” menu, at the bottom of the window you will see “Location”, which is the path where iTunes M4P songs are stored.

C:\Users\[your computer’s name]\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\Apple Music

Step 3. Now, you have knew the storage path of iTunes M4P songs, you can now open the corresponding folder along this path.

Check the songs and you will find they are in .m4p format, which is DRM protected and can only be played with authorized iTunes. Worse, you cannot copy those iTunes M4P songs to MP3 player or other USB drives, you need to convert M4P to MP3 firstly. In order to converting iTunes M4P songs to MP3, please keep reading below guide.

Part 1. Convert DRM-free M4P to MP3 with iTunes

If you have purchased M4P music through iTunes in the past, you can delete it and re-download the unprotected version again through iTunes Match. By subscribing to iTunes Match ($24.99 per year), you can not only access all the music on all of your devices, but you can also convert protected M4P to MP3 using iTunes on your Mac or Windows. Follow the steps below to convert M4P audio files into MP3 format using iTunes.

Step 1. First of all, download the latest iTunes version on your Windows or Mac computer. Then install and launch it.

Step 2. On Mac, go to “iTunes” > “Preferences” > “General” > “Import Settings” > choose “MP3 Encoder”.

On Windows, tab “Edit” > “Preferences” > “General” > “Import Settings” > select “MP3 Encoder”, select “OK” and then tab “OK” again.

go to preferences on itunes

Step 3. Find the songs in your library and single click them, then click on “File” menu in iTunes. Click “Create New Version” > “Create MP3 Version”.

convert m4p to mp3 on itunes

Step 4. Wait patiently for the conversion process to complete. After that, you will find MP3 songs in the iTunes library.

Part 2. Convert iTunes M4P & Apple Music to MP3 ?

However, not all iTunes M4P songs can be converted to MP3 format by iTunes Match. If you purchased music on iTunes between 2003 and 2009, it is very likely that the songs you downloaded are still DRM encrypted. So how to convert DRM protected M4P songs to MP3 files? Well, to convert iTunes music to MP3, you can use a M4P to MP3 converter to kill the DRM in your old iTunes music.

The older version of TunesBank Apple Music Converter is an easy-to-use iTunes Music Converter, which not only can convert iTunes M4P music to MP3, but also can convert Apple Music, iTunes audiobooks and Audible files to MP3, so that you can play iTunes music on any MP3 player. In addition, the latet version of TunesBank Apple Music Converter can download Apple Music to MP3, then you can keep Apple Music forever and play Apple Music on any devices.

Related guide: How to download Apple Music to MP3

Advantages of TunesBank iTunes Music Converter Older Version:

  • Remove DRM from iTunes Music, Apple Music, iTunes Audiobook, Audible Audiobook.
  • Convert iTunes M4P / Apple music to MP3, M4A, AAC, AC3, FLAC, WAV losslessly.
  • Preserve original quality, all ID3 tags and metadata in output MP3 files.
  • Extract MP3 audios from iTunes videos with high quality for personal use.
  • Enjoy iTunes Music on iPhone, Android, MP3 player, iPod nano, etc.
  • Burn iTunes MP3 songs to a CD or upload to iTunes, Google drive, etc.
DownloadDownload
DownloadDownload

Step-by-Step to Convert iTunes M4P Music to MP3

Step 1. Launch TunesBank Apple Music Converter
Free download and install the TunesBank Apple Music Converter on your Windows or Mac system. When you launch it, and meantime iTunes or Apple Music app(macOS 10.15 and later) will load automatically.

launch apple music converter

Step 2. Select iTunes M4P Songs
As you can see, TunesBank has a user-friendly interface. Better yet, it will automatically load your iTunes library and playlists. Just click the “Playlist” on the left panel, and then select the songs you want to convert in the right panel.

select itunes songs

Step 3. Select MP3 as Output Format
Now go to the bottom of the main interface, here you can customize output settings for your preference, like Output Format, Output Quality, Bit rate, Sample rate and Channels. Please select MP3 format for your songs.

choose mp3 format

Step 4. Convert iTunes M4P to MP3 without iTunes
If everything is ready, simply press on “Convert” button to start converting iTunes M4P songs to DRM-free MP3 with keeping original quality. Moreover, this smart M4P to MP3 converter tool supports to return back to “Library” and add more songs into the “Converting” list.

convert itunes m4p to mp3

10X conversion speed lets you get MP3 songs from iTunes in a few minutes. Now you can go to “Finished” section to view all the converted MP3 songs, and hit on “View Output File” button to open the output folder.

view output itunes music files

Download Apple Music Converter for Mac and Windows:

DownloadDownload
DownloadDownload

Part 3. Convert Apple Music M4P to MP3 EasilyNEW!

TunesBank Apple Music Converter has been updated to V3.0.0. Compared to the older version, the new TunesBank Apple Music Converter V3.0.0 improved the user interface and app performance. These updates give you more advanced and more straightforward Apple Music download experience.

Download TunesBank Apple Music Converter V3.0.0 for Mac, PC:

DownloadDownload
DownloadDownload

New Update 1: Built-in Apple Music Web Player
Unlike the older version needs to load your iTunes library, TunesBank Apple Music Converter V3.0.0 makes it much easier to add your needed content. With the Apple Music web player embedded, music searching, playing, adding and conversion tasks can be fulfilled all at one-stop.

apple music web player

New Update 2: Add Apple Music Songs in One Click
TunesBank Apple Music Converter V3.0.0 has features a built-in Apple Music web player on its interface for you to easily add songs. Search, open any song/playlist/album/podcast, and you can batch convert it by clicking “+” icon or a drag & drop move.

add apple music songs

How to Convert Apple Music M4P to MP3 with TunesBank New Version?

Step 1. Launch TunesBank Apple Music Converter
Fire up the new version of TunesBank Apple Music Converter, then log into Apple Music Web Player using your Apple ID and password.

launch the converter and sign in Apple ID

Step 2. Select Apple Music Tracks/Playlist
Browse and select any song, playlist, artist or album in the left side. Click the “+” or drag it directly.

add Apple Music playlist

Then it will list all songs in the converting window. Check and select the songs that you want to convert to MP3. Or simply click the “Select All:” at the bottom.

Select Apple Music Songs

Step 3. Set MP3 as Output Format
The default output format is MP3. You can change to other formats from the “Convert all files to:” option at the upper right corner.

Select MP3 Output Formats

For more settings, please go to Menu bar > “Preference” to open the setting window. From where you are able to change the bitrate, sample rate, output folder, output format, etc.

output settings

Step 4. Start Converting Apple Music M4P to MP3
Now click the “Convert All” button and start to convert Apple Music from M4P to MP3 format while keeping the original music quality.

Convert Apple Music to MP3

When finished, tap “Finished” tab to check the output songs. Click the “View Output File” button to locate the output folder where stores the DRM-free Apple Music MP3 files.

get Apple Music MP3 files

Part 4. Convert Non-DRM M4P to MP3 Free Online

How to convert M4P to MP3 online? FileZigZag.com is a free online converter that can handle the conversion of M4P to MP3 without installing any software. But it has limited file size for conversion(50 MB), you can perform up to 10 files conversion every day for free. Besides, it also requires a strong Internet connection. If you have no requirements on the quality of iTunes music, you can refer to simple steps to free convert M4P to MP3 online.

Step 1. Go to the main interface of FileZigZag.com, drag and drop your iTunes M4P files or tap “Browse for Files” to add M4P songs.

Step 2. Click on “Convert” button to start the conversion.

Part 5. Some Differences between M4P and MP3

M4P is a popular audio format used by Apple in iTunes, sometimes called iTunes Music Store audio files. Therefore, all music downloaded from the iTunes Store is encoded by the company using MPEG-4 format and AAC-protected files. So far, iTunes M4P music can only be played through iTunes or authorized Apple devices like iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, Apple TV, Mac, PC, etc.

MP3 is the most widely used audio file format(up to 320kbps bit rate) that is supported by most music players and device, such as smart phones, MP3 players, iPod nano, Windows Media Player, etc. As a result, people prefer the universal MP3 format. So it’s a wise choice to convert iTunes protected M4P files to MP3!

Conclusion

The above are 4 easy ways to convert iTunes protected M4P files to MP3 format and some differences between M4P and MP3. In my opinion, TunesBank Apple Music Converter is the best iTunes M4P to MP3 Converter. With using this reliable and safe tool, you can easily convert iTunes purchased M4P music, Apple Music tracks, and Audible Audiobooks to MP3 and other common format without losing quality. So that you can easily enjoy your favourite iTunes music, Apple music, iTunes audiobook and Audible audiobooks on any device in offline mode. Why not have a try?

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Christina has always had great enthusiasm for writing, programming and web development. He likes writing about software and technology, his works are featured on some tech blogs or forums like Tom's Hardware, CNET, etc.