How to Convert M4B to MP3 in Windows 10

Whenever we think about music or any sort of audio, .mp3 format is usually the first thing that pops up in our heads. Although, the advancements in technology, growing forms of audio content, and now the way we receive them have warranted different audio formats. One such unique format is .m4b (MPEG-4 Audio Book) and it is commonly used to store audiobooks (particularly by iTunes). However, not all multimedia applications support the .m4b format. Luckily, most audio formats can be converted to any other audio format and the same is the case with .m4b files. We bring to you a perfect guide to convert m4b to mp3 files online in Windows 10. So, continue reading!

How to Convert M4B to MP3 in Windows 10

How to Convert M4B to MP3 in Windows 10

Converting .m4b files to .mp3 files is a very simple process. Following are some advantages of .m4b files.

  • A specific advantage of .m4b audio files over other audio formats is that .m4b files can hold bookmarks/chapter marking (save your place in the file)
  • It can also hold a lot of metadata regarding the audiobook. For example, let’s say you are listening to an audiobook, you can pause at any point, close down the application/go about your workday and then resume listening from the same exact point later on. 

There are already a number of conversion applications present on the internet for this purpose. VLC Media Player, an application that can be found on almost every computer out there, can be used to convert .m4b files. One can convert .m4b files using the iTunes app too.

Method 1: Use VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player is much more than a simple media player and converting file formats is just one of the many features in a long ever-expanding list. (Did you know that you can Cut/trim videos using VLC?). Follow the below steps to convert your .m4b audiobook to .mp3 format using VLC (Note- Chapter information will not be retained by this method).

1. Press the Windows key, type vlc and click on Open.

open vlc media player. How to Convert M4B to MP3 in Windows 10

2. Next, click on Media in the top-left corner and select Convert / Save… from the menu. If you plan on using VLC to convert files regularly, memorizing the Ctrl + R shortcut will help speed things up.

click on convert or save option in vlc

3. Click on the + Add… button in the File tab and navigate to the M4B file in the ensuing explorer window. Select the file and then click on Open.

click on add option. How to Convert M4B to MP3 in Windows 10

4. Back in the Open Media dialog box, expand the Convert / Save drop-down menu and select Convert.

select convert option. How to Convert M4B to MP3 in Windows 10

5. In the following Convert dialog box, firstly, verify the Source to make sure you have selected the correct file. Under the Settings section, select the Convert option, expand the Profile menu and select the desired output format. In our case, we select “Audio – MP3”.

vlc convert setting. How to Convert M4B to MP3 in Windows 10

6. Click on the Browse button under Destination and pick where you would like to save the converted .MP3 file. Choose a suitable name for the file, add the .mp3 extension tag at the end and then click on Save.

click on save

7. Finally, cross-check all the settings and click on Start to convert the selected M4B file to MP3 format.

start to convert

The time VLC takes to finish the conversion will depend on the physical size, length of the file, and the system specs. A progress bar will be displayed to track the process. Hence, this is how you can convert m4b to mp3 using VLC media player.

Also Read: How to Convert WAV to MP3

Method 2: Use FFMPEG Command

FFMPEG is a tool favored by many Windows users for their file converting needs. FFMPEG is a command-line tool and the list of things you can do with it is endless. While installing FFMPEG isn’t the most straight-forward process, if you work with multimedia files often, we recommend installing it on your system. The tool is so powerful that it is at the core of popular programs such as VLC, iTunes, and platforms such as YouTube. (What is FFMPEG and a step-by-step guide on how to install it)

1. Press the Windows and E keys simultaneously to launch File Explorer and open the folder containing the M4B file.

2. Hold down the Shift key and right-click on any blank area. From the following context menu, select Open PowerShell window here.

Open powershell windows here. How to Convert M4B to MP3 in Windows 10

3. In the PowerShell window, carefully type the below code and then press enter to execute it. Change the C:\input_file_path\input.m4b parameter to hold the path of the M4B file to be converted and C:\output_file_path\output.mp3 to the output path and file output name.

ffmpeg -i "C:\input_file_path\input.m4b" -acodec libmp3lame -ar 22050 "C:\output_file_path\output.mp3"

use ffmpeg command to convert m4b to mp3 in windows powershell

The converted .mp3 file will be available in the output folder.

Method 3: Use iTunes App

The iTunes app itself can also be used to convert .m4b audiobooks to .mp3 format. The procedure, like others, is fairly simple too. So, follow these steps to convert m4b to mp3 using iTunes.

1. Launch iTunes on your Mac computer and click on Edit at the top of the window. Select Preferences from the list.

preferences

2. Click on the Import Settings button next.

import settings

3. In the following Import Settings window, expand the Import Using: drop-down menu and select MP3 Encoder. Feel free to change the Audio Quality settings as well. Save the new settings by clicking on OK.

select mp3 encoder. How to Convert M4B to MP3 in Windows 10

4. Click on OK in the General Preferences.

5. Now, select the file you would like to convert from the library (if you can’t find the file, simply drag and drop the required file in iTunes) and click on File > Convert. Choose the Create MP3 version option.

create mp3 version

Also Read: How to Convert MP4 to MP3 Using VLC, Windows Media Player, iTunes

Method 4: Use Third-party Tools

As mentioned earlier, there are a plethora of audio conversion programs available on the internet. The .m4b to .mp3 converter from ManiacTools preserves chapters (splits files into individual chapters) and can convert multiple files in a single run. Using the program is also very easy; drag the .m4b files into the program, set output format & location, and click on the Convert option. In this way you can convert m4b to mp3 online from third-party tool.

free mp4 to mp3 converter

MiniTool Video Converter, DVDVideoSoft’s Free Studio, Freemake Audio Converter are a couple of other similar applications that will help you convert .m4b files to .mp3 format online. If you do not wish to install any of these applications, online converters such as M4B to MP3 | CloudConvert and Zamzar Online File Conversion are also available. Although, there usually is a size limit for the files that can be converted online.

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We hope you were able to successfully convert m4b to mp3 format by employing the above methods without much of a hassle. We will keep a check on the comments section in case you need any more assistance.

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