Apple Music Converter

How to convert protected M4P to MP3

"I have .m4p files I have PURCHASED on iTunes between 2004 and 2007 and would like to create an .mp3 version. I know I used to be able to do this on iTunes. But now when I go to create an .mp3 version, iTunes states protected files cannot be converted to other formats."

A file with the .m4p extension comes from iTunes Music Store or Apple Music. It is really just an AAC file that is copy-protected using proprietary DRM technology created by Apple. M4P files are seen when downloading music from Apple Music library and songs purchased from iTunes Store before 2009 . FairPlay is a digital rights management (DRM) technology developed by Apple Inc. It is built into the MP4 multimedia file format as an encrypted AAC audio layer, and was used until April 2009 by the company to protect copyrighted works sold through iTunes Store, allowing only authorized devices to play the content.

M4P files can be opened with Apple's iTunes. However, the computer you're using iTunes on must be authorized in order to play the M4P file, which is done by logging into iTunes under the same account that was used to download the audio file. How to break this limitation and convert the M4P songs anywhere you want? You need to convert protected M4P to MP3 .

protected m4p

How to convert iTunes M4P songs to MP3?

It should be noted that Apple ceased using DRM protection for songs from the iTunes Store in 2009. All songs offered by the iTunes Store come without Digital Rights Management (DRM) protection. These DRM-free songs, called iTunes Plus, have no usage restrictions and feature high-quality, 256 kbps AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) encoding. This means that if you purchased music from the store before this time and they are still available for download, you should be able to access the DRM-free version of the songs directly from the iTunes Store.

To convert previously protected songs, it is recommended that you first create a backup of the files you wish to convert, and then remove them from your iTunes library. Attempt to download the DRM-free versions of the songs from the iTunes Store, beginning with one as a test to ensure the process works effectively.

Additionally, iTunes Match is another option that removes DRM protection from songs that can be matched with the iTunes Store catalog. However, if a song cannot be matched, it will not be converted. It is possible to subscribe to iTunes Match to convert your songs and cancel the subscription once all songs have been converted.

How to convert Apple Music M4P songs to MP3?

With a music library of over 100 million songs and 30,000 playlists, Apple Music has attracted more and more users. However, not all devices support the Apple Music app or recognize the Apple Music format (.m4p). In order to make Apple Music songs playable on all your music devices and take full advantage of Apple Music subscription, you may need a professional music converter.

If you want to convert Apple Music M4P songs to mp3 so you can play them anywhere you want, the best tool is Pazu Apple Music Converter . It is a specialized Apple Music to MP3 converter that assists you to convert Apple Music M4P songs to lossless M4A, MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV and AIFF. After a quick conversion process, you can listen to any Apple music tracks on portable devices such as iPod Shuffle, iPod Nano, MP3 players, Sandisk, AGPTEK, Zune players and various different non-Apple devices. Keeps tracks forever even when the subscription expires or songs suddenly greyed out on Apple Music library.

Pazu Apple Music Converter comes with a built-in intelligent recording engine that allows you to record Apple Music songs in the background without losing any quality. It also offers highly customizable codec settings and a useful ID3 tag editor to better manage your music files. You can also easily burn Apple music to CD when the conversion process is finished.

Step By Step Process to use Pazu Apple Music Converter

Apple Music Converter

Pazu Apple Music Converter

  • Download Apple Music to MP3, M4A, etc.
  • Preserve 100% original quality.
  • Keep all ID3 tags.
  • Fast download speed.

Step 1 Launch Pazu Apple Music Converter

Download, install and run Pazu Apple Music Converter on your Mac or Windows.

Apple Music Converter

Click the key icon to activate the full version if you have purchased a license, otherwise you can only use the trial version.

Apple Music Converter

Step 2 Log in your Apple Music account

Follow the on-screen instructions to sign in with your Apple ID.

sign in Apple Music account

Step 3 Choose output format

The default format is M4A in 256kbps. Apple Music Converter also supports MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV and AIFF. Click icon if you want to change output format or output folder. Use the drop-down menu to select the quality of the audio output.

Apple Music song format

Here you can also customize song name format with any combination of Playlist Index, Track Number, Title, Artist and Album.

file name format

Or set Pazu Apple Music Converter to archive output song with Artist, Album, Artist/Album or Album/Artist.

organize songs

Step 4 Choose a playlist, artist or album you want to download

Follow the instructions to choose a playlist, artist, or album that you want to download.

open a playlist

Step 5 Add songs

Click the Add button to select songs for converting.

add songs

All songs in the playlist or album are selected by default. Uncheck the songs you don't want to download if there are any, then click Convert button.

open a playlist

If you are using the trial version, you will get below pop-up window indicating trial version limitations, just click Try if you haven't purchased a license.

trial version

The songs you selected will be downloaded to the format you want.

convert Apple Music songs

After conversion, click to quickly locate the DRM-free Apple Music songs. You are now able to play Apple Music on iPod nano, iPod classic, iPod shuffle, MP3 player , Zune, PSP, PS4 , Xbox one , Xbox Series X/S without limitations. You can also enjoy Apple Music on multiple devices at the same time even without a family plan.

convert Apple Music songs

Click to view all downloaded songs. You can check them by converted date, artist or album.

convert Apple Music songs

How to convert M4P songs purchaed from iTunes Store to MP3

The iTunes Store no longer uses DRM copy protection for songs and albums you purchase. However, you may still have DRM-protected songs in your digital music library if you bought them in 2009 or earlier. If you have m4p songs purchased from iTunes store before 2009 and want to convert them to MP3, you will need Ondesoft iTunes Converter , which is a professional iTunes audio DRM removal tool that allows you to remove DRM from iTunes music, audiobook, Audible audiobooks and Apple Music and convert them to DRM-free MP3, AAC, AC3, AIFF, AU, FLAC, M4A, M4R, and MKA.

1. Select iTunes music

Run Ondesoft iTunes Converter and iTunes will be launched automatically. All your iTunes Library and playlists will be shown on the interface. Click Music or playlist on the left side and select songs you want to convert on the main interface. You can choose more than one.

select iTunes music

Also you can easily find any song you want using the Search function in the upper right corner. Or sort all songs by Name, Artist, Album, Type, etc.

search iTunes music

2. Select Output Format

After selecting songs you want to convert, choose output format in the bottom of the interface. Ondesoft iTunes Converter supports 9 output formats: MP3, M4A, AC3, AAC, AIFF, AU, FLAC, M4R, MKA. Choose pre-designed profile settings or set bitrate, sample rate as you like.

set output format

If you want to customize and save a profile that you use often, click Options - Advanced to set the parameters and then save it with a unique name. Also you may remove it.

Original ID tags and metadata information will be saved to the output MP3 and M4A audio files. You can also edit them.

4. Customize output filename (optional)

You may also customize the converted song filename format as you like. Click Options on the toolbar to open below window. Song filename may contain Title, Artist, Album, TrackID and DiskID. You can change the amount and order to combine them freely.

iTunes song filename format

5. Start Conversion

After all the settings, click "Convert" and begin to convert iTunes music on Mac. When the conversion finished, you can play your converted iTunes music on any MP3/MP4 player or mobile phone music player.

convert iTunes music