12 Best M4A Players for Computer, Mobile, Online (2025 Updated)

M4A stands for MPEG 4 audio and is a file name extension used to represent audio files. However, it is coming in far behind the vastly more popular MP3. M4A was developed and released by Apple for Mac and iOS devices. iTunes, for example, is a dominant force in digital music distribution. It is able to convert music to M4A and transfer M4A files from computer to iPhone, iPad or iPod. Not all media players are compatible with M4A outside the Apple environment. This is why we identify and share the top 12 best M4A players for PC, Mac, Android, iOS, and online.

Part 1: What Is an M4A File
Part 2: Top 5 M4A Players for Windows and Mac
Part 3: Top 5 M4A Player Apps for Android and iPhone
Part 4: Top 2 M4A Players Online
Part 5: FAQs of M4A Player

AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player
iTunes
5KPlayer
MusicBee
Foobar2000
VLC for Android
MortPlayer Music
PowerAMP
Player dreams
Equalizer Music Player
Jumpshare M4V Player
FileHelper

Play M4A	Operating System	Other Supported Formats	Playback Quality
Free Download Free Download	Windows, Mac	M4A, AAC, FLAC, WMA, WAV, MP3, MP2, AC3, AIFF, AIFC, etc.	High-quality
Learn more >>	macOS, Windows	M4A, MP3, WAV, AIFF, Apple Lossless, etc.	High-quality
Learn more >>	Windows, macOS X	M4A, MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, WMA, and ALAC.	High-fidelity
Learn more >>	Windows	M4A, MP3, FLAC, WAV, WMA, Opus, APE, and more.	High-fidelity
Learn more >>	Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Android	M4A, MP1, MP2, MP3, AAC, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, and more.	High-fidelity
Learn more >>	Android	M4A, MP3, FLAC, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, Opus, WMA, and more.	Good
Learn more >>	Windows	M4A, MP3, FLAC, WAV, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, Opus, and more.	High-fidelity
Learn more >>	Android, iOS	M4A, MP3, MP4, ALAC, AAC, OGG, OPUS, WMA, FLAC, WAV, APE, and more.	High-resolution
Learn more >>	Android	M4A, MP3, OGG, 3GP, WAV, XMF, AAC, FLAC, MKV, etc.	High-fidelity
Learn more >>	Android	M4A, MP3, MIDI, WAV, FLAC, AAC, APE, etc.	High-fidelity
Learn more >>	Online	M4A, MP3, WAV, OGG, AAC, FLAC, MIDI, WMA, and more.	HD quality
Learn more >>	Online	M4A, MP3, AAC, and more.	Depending on the original M4A file

Part 1: What Is an M4A File

An M4A file is an audio file format that stands for MPEG-4 audio and is primarily used to store audio files such as songs, audiobooks, and podcasts. It is a standard audio format developed by Apple, and can be well supported on Apple devices. In addition, M4A files are highly efficient in compression and can often provide better audio quality than MP3 files in a smaller file size. All in all, M4A files are a high-quality audio file format with efficient compression and are widely used, especially in the Apple ecosystem.

While it may not be as widely supported on non-Apple devices like MP3, many devices now support it. Some of them are listed below for your reference:

• iOS: iPhone, iPad, iPod, iPod Touch, etc.
• Android: Most Android devices have built-in support for M4A files.
• Smart devices and streaming: Smart speakers, smart TVs, music streaming services, etc.
• Car entertainment systems: Modern car infotainment systems often support playback from USB drives or connected devices that contain M4A files.

Part 2: Top 5 M4A Players for Windows and Mac

1 AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player

AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player is the No. 1 M4A player software for Windows and Mac computers. This is the best M4A player that supports many popular audio formats, including M4A, with excellent sound quality. In addition, it offers intuitive playback controls that allow you to navigate through M4A audio files easily. It is best for those beginners who want to listen to M4A music with all the basic controls.

Pros

Play M4A music on computer with the original quality.
Support almost all audio formats, including MP3, M4A, etc.
Completely control the music playback with the built-in menu bar.
Adjust audio quality and other parameters with the custom options.
Available to Windows 11/10/8/7/ and Mac OS 13/12/11, and earlier.

Cons

This M4A player is a paid media player, so you need to purchase it after the free-trial.

Free Download For Windows

Secure Download

Free Download For macOS

Secure Download

How to play M4A on PC and Mac:

1.Import M4A into the best M4A player.

Download and install AnyMP4 Blu-ray Player on your PC. There is another version for Mac. Then launch the media player and click the Open File button to import the M4A music you want to listen to.

2.Control the playback.

After loading, you will be presented the playback controllers at bottom of the window, including Stop, Pause, Play, and more. Click and expand the Audio menu on top ribbon and you will get all custom options related to audio.

2 iTunes

iTunes is a built-in tool for Apple devices that combines data synchronization and a media player. M4A file format is the standard audio format used by Apple in iTunes Store, so of course, it can play M4A audio files on your Apple devices. It is best for those who own an Apple device. But while iTunes can usually handle M4A files, some users have occasionally reported that it has some problems.

Pros

Play M4A on Windows and Mac simply.
Sync music between iOS device and computer through USB cable or Wi-Fi network.
Convert MP3 to M4A for playback on iPhone.
Free of charge without ads, virus or malware.
Edit music files on iTunes directly.

Cons

The M4A player takes up more and more space with every update.
It will not play copy-protected music and video files.

3 5KPlayer

5KPlayer is a versatile M4A music player for Windows and Mac computers. It supports a wide range of audio and video formats, such as M4A, allowing you to easily play M4A files on your computer and cell phone without needing additional codecs or plug-ins. Moreover, it has built-in AirPlay and DLNA to transfer M4A files between your computer and other devices. This M4A file player is best for those who need a free and functional media player.

Pros

Play any audio files with M4A file extension for free.
No require extra audio codecs or software.
Integrate a concise interface with several playback controllers.
Support Dolbys, RStereo, DTS multi-channel surround sound.
Control the playback with hotkeys simply.

Cons

This free M4A player lis not easy to use for the beginners.
It has buiilt-in other features that are hard to use.

4 MusicBee

MusicBee is an all-in-one M4A music player and manager compatible with Windows 7 and higher. It can play M4A files with the built-in Windows AAC decoder without additional codecs. It is best for those users who have thousands of M4A songs to manage.

Pros

Import music libraries from iTunes, Windows Media Player and more.
Organize M4A music collection in the simple way.
Search and fill the missing metadata of M4A audio tracks.
Support numerous plugins to enhance the M4A playback.

Cons

The M4A player uses quite a lot of CPU and slows down your PC.
Podcasts handling is limited and only offers a few custom options.

5 Foobar2000

Foobar2000 is a free M4A audio player on Windows. It has built-in support for the AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) codec, which is the audio codec used by most M4A files, so it can easily play M4A files. As an old-branded music player, it offers all the basic features you need. It is best for those who have a nostalgic feeling about the music player.

Pros

Lightweight and integrate a clean minimalistic interface.
Play the majority of popular audio formats, including M4A, OGG, WMA, WAV, FLAC, etc.
Grab the missing meta-data from the internet automatically.
Let you organize music library and audio tracks by genres, time, and more.

Cons

Advanced features in this M4A player are a bit difficult for beginners.
The add-ons need to installation.

Part 3: Top 5 M4A Player Apps for Android and iPhone

1 VLC for Android

VLC for Android is a free, open-source, and cross-platform media player for Android, iPhone, Windows, Mac, Linux, and more. It is free without fees, subscriptions, or ads. It supports a wide range of audio and video formats, including M4A. It is best for those who do not need any advanced features but only listen to M4A files.

Pros

Play M4A and other music files on Android phone and tablet.
Support almost all audio formats, like M4A, MP3, WMA, etc.
Sync music files with iCloud, iTunes, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, One Drive, and more.
Download and share multimedia files via a Wi-Fi network.

Cons

This M4A player for Android needs extensive permissions, like read USB storage, full network access and more.
It is not stable on Android devices.

2 MortPlayer Music

MortPlayer Music is a lightweight and user-friendly M4A player for Android phones. It is known for its easy navigation, which allows you to find the files you want to play quickly. It provides users with a powerful and personalized listening experience and is best for those who want to categorize thousands of songs by tags.

Pros

Support for playlist, folder-based navigation and customizable interface.
Control M4A playback by swipe gestures simply.
Flexibly play, stop or pause at any spot or switch to repeat modes
Completely free to download from Play Store.

Cons

The interface looks old and the layout is not reasonable.
The icons are not straightforward at all.

3 PowerAMP

PowerAMP is a powerful M4A player for Android and iOS. It is known for its excellent audio quality and offers features such as an equalizer, bass, and treble adjustments. It also has library management, tag support, seamless playback, and other playback-related features to fulfill users' needs. It is best suited for those who need more customization options.

Pros

Offer both a free and a paid version for listening to music on mobile.
Support M4A and other popular audio formats.
Search for and display music art automatically.
Control the audio playback with gestures.

Cons

The advanced features in this M4A player is only available to paid version.

4 Player dreams

Player dreams is another free M4A audio player for Android that supports a wide range of audio formats, including M4A, MP3, etc. It is designed to meet your diverse playback needs and enhance your music listening experience. It comes with a tag editor, search feature, and more for those who need a lot of widgets.

Pros

Listen to M4A and other music on Android devices for free.
Create playlists to enjoy music smoothly.
Manage music by artist, album, folder and more.
Control audio playback with gestures.

Cons

The interface is not intuitive.
This M4A player for Android is difficult to handle for beginners.

5 Equalizer Music Player

Equalizer Music Player is a trendy design M4A player for Android. It supports almost all music and audio formats with good compatibility and can also play videos. It is best for those who are looking for a music player with a high-quality equalizer, bass booster, and 3D virtualizer.

Pros

Let you enjoy video and music on Android devices.
Support M4A, MP3, MP4, and other popular multimedia formats.
Create, edit and modify playlists quickly.
Free to download from Play Store and use on Android phone.

Cons

The M4A player lacks some features, such as music library management.
The audio quality is not as good as other best music players.

Part 4: Top 2 M4A Players Online

1 Jumpshare M4V Player

Jumpshare M4V Player is a convenient and reliable option for playing M4V files online for free without installing software. Jumpshare encrypts and protects your uploaded M4A files and deletes them automatically after a day. Besides, it also offers the option to share your M4A files via link or email. However, there is a limit to the file size and the number of uploads per day (3 per day for free users) that you can use it for.

PROS

Easy sharing of M4A audio files via links with others.
M4A files will be deleted after 1 day, which is secure for users.
The ability to adjust playback speed is helpful for quickly viewing M4A.

CONS

100MB M4A file size limit for free users.
The number of uploads is limited per day for free users.
Limited and basic advanced audio control features for some users.

2 FileHelper

FileHelper is a website that allows you to play M4A files online so that you can view M4A files directly in your web browser. It supports many browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and other modern browsers. In addition to playing audio, it provides file information such as file properties and metadata.

PROS

Its M4A playback functionality is offered for free.
Straightforward feature focuses on playing the audio.
Quick access for information about the M4A file format.

CONS

Occasional issues with stability or compatibility.
Quick basic playback features lack advanced controls.
Potential security risks, such as malware and data theft.

Part 5: FAQs of M4A Player

I cannot play M4A files on iTunes, but QuickTime, how to fix it?

1. The M4A file is corrupted. You have to download or get a complete M4A file.
2. Change the file extension from .m4a to .mp4.2.2.Change the file extension from .m4a to .mp4.

Is M4A the same as MP4?

No. M4A is usually audio only whereas MP4 is the container that holds both video and audio streams.

Can M4A play on MP3 players?

No. M4A is not compatible with all MP3 players. To play M4A files on an MP3 player, you have to convert M4A to MP3.

Conclusion

Based on our reviews above, you should master at least 12 M4A players available to Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android, and online. When testing these media players, we focused on the number of features, the quality of M4A playback, the operation and other measurements. After reading the article carefully, you can pick the most appropriate media player for your device. Now, you should understand that listening to M4A is easier than you thought if you have the right media player. More questions related to play M4A? Please feel free to leave your messages below.