Can You Convert To MP3 In QuickTime?

There are many occasions when it is advantageous to convert files to MP3. Most multimedia players allow users to make this conversion, but what about Apple’s QuickTime? Can you use QuickTime to convert a file to MP3?

You cannot convert to MP3 in QuickTime Player. QuickTime plays MP3 files but does not enable users to convert to this (or any other) audio format. It is possible, however, to export QuickTime audio files and convert them to MP3 using a media player like iTunes or VLC.

QuickTime Player is a user-friendly multimedia player but has a few practical limitations. One of these constraints is the inability to convert audio to MP3. Here is an overview of this limitation and some suggestions about exporting and converting QuickTime audio to MP3 using other software.

QuickTime Player Does Not Convert Files To MP3

Unfortunately, one cannot convert a file to MP3 using QuickTime Player.

Apple’s QuickTime Player is a software program for video playback and editing. QuickTime supports several audio formats – including MP3 – and has a native container called QuickTime File Format (QTFF).

The program does not have an option for converting files to different formats. You can export video and sound files from QuickTime Player. However, QuickTime Player does not have a function for converting to MP3 or any other format.

What do you do if have a QTFF audio file in QuickTime and wish to convert it to MP3? The only option is to export the audio and use a separate software program.

Perhaps the most convenient way is to convert the exported audio to MP3 with a media player such as iTunes or VLC. Media players have comprehensive and controllable file conversion capabilities and generally function more reliably, effectively, and safely than online file converter tools.

QuickTime Player

QuickTime Player is Apple’s program for watching, recording, and editing video files. This media player should not be confused with the company’s now-discontinued multimedia software framework that was called QuickTime. The focus of this description is QuickTime Player in particular.  

QuickTime Player was developed in 1991 and was a built-in feature for myriad webpages, video games, and apps throughout the nineties.

QuickTime is a standard feature with macOS. There was also a Windows-compatible version of QuickTime (integrated with iTunes), but this was discontinued in 2016.

The two most popular iterations of the program are QuickTime Player 7 and Player X (ten).

QuickTime Player 7 was the first iteration of the software and operates with the QuickTime framework. You can watch videos on Player 7 but must pay a Pro license fee to access the key that unlocks other features like editing (copying, pasting, cutting, track merging), and exporting files in various supported formats.

In 2009, the release of macOS Snow Leopard introduced a new version called QuickTime Player X (ten). Subsequent macOS releases incorporated Player X rather than Player 7 as the standard QuickTime version. Player 7 is still available for download from Apple’s online support service.

QuickTime Player X offers enhanced performance compared to its predecessor because it operates with the more advanced AVFoundation multimedia framework.

The first version of QuickTime Player X did not have editing functionalities, but later versions included these capabilities.

Compatible File Formats For QuickTime Player

As noted earlier, QuickTime Player has a native file format called QTFF (though the program is compatible with multiple file formats). QTFF is a container format that functions as a wrapper for multimedia data. The file extensions for QTFF are .mov and .qt.

This native QuickTime container format holds single or multiple tracks. Every track on a QTFF file consists of specific data, such as text, video, or audio. For this reason, people sometimes refer to QTFF video files and QTFF audio files.

QuickTime Player also supports several popular audio file formats, including:

  • MP3,
  • WAV,
  • AIFF,
  • M4A.

If you activate add-on components (or plug-ins) for QuickTime Player, you can also play file formats such as:

  • Ogg,
  • Flash Video,
  • DivX Media.

Exporting From QuickTime To Create MP3 Files

The main point to appreciate from the discussion so far is that one cannot convert files to MP3 (or any other format) in QuickTime Player. While the discontinued QuickTime multimedia framework did enable file conversions, the Player does not offer this function.

Fortunately, there are alternative ways to transfer audio from the program and convert it into MP3.

Export QTFF Audio To Convert Into MP3 Format

If you have a QTFF file and wish to convert the audio track it contains, you can export it from QuickTime Player as a MPEG-4 audio file. After exporting the audio, you can convert it to MP3 using a variety of options (see below).

The first step is to export the audio.  Here is the procedure if you are using QuickTime Player X:

  • click File on the menu bar in QuickTime Player,
  • click Export As,
  • select the Audio Only option,
  • name the new file,
  • select a destination folder,
  • click the Save button

After following these steps, QuickTime Player X will encode the audio with the AAC (Advanced Audio Codec) encoder and transfer it to a newly-created M4A container file (file extension .m4a). It was previously possible to export in other audio formats like WAV, AIFF, and AU when using QuickTime Player 7.

The second step is to convert the M4A file to MP3 by using a media player program or an online file converter application.

Converting QTFF To MP3 With A Media Players

Once the audio is exported from QuickTime as an M4A, you can convert the file to MP3 with a digital media player like iTunes, VLC Media Player.

These media players offer a simple and convenient means to convert files to other formats.

iTunes

If you are using iTunes, here is the procedure for converting the M4A file exported from QuickTime Player X. The same steps apply when converting AIFF, AU, and WAV files exported from QuickTime Player 7.

Firstly, you must adjust the import settings in iTunes:

  • go to Preferences,
  • select General,
  • select Import Settings,
  • go to Import Using,
  • choose the MP3 Encoder option.

Assuming you have already transferred the M4A file (exported from QuickTime Player) to iTunes, you can now convert it to MP3:

  • select the M4A file from the iTunes music list,
  • go to File,
  • choose Advanced (or click Create New Version if you are using iTunes v.11 or v.12),
  • click Create MP3 Version.

The new MP3 file appears in the iTunes music library, along with  the original M4A file that was sourced from QuickTime Player.

VLC Media Player

It is equally straightforward to use VLC Media Player to convert audio files exported from QuickTime Player into an MP3 format.

The steps for converting an M4A file to MP3 with VLC Media Player are as follows:

  • click Media,
  • select Add,
  • choose the desired file and click Open,
  • click Convert/Save,
  • specify the file destination by clicking Browse,
  • give the new file a name,
  • open the Profile drop-down menu and select Audio – MP3,
  • click Start.

Once again, the same procedure applies if you exported a WAV, AU, or AIFF file from QuickTime Player 7 (rather than an M4A from QuickTime Player X).

Conclusion

Apple’s QuickTime Player does not allow users to convert files to MP3. If you have a native QuickTime audio file (QTFF) and wish to convert it to MP3, you must first export it.

You can export the audio in the WAV, AU, or AIFF formats in QuickTime Player 7. If you use the more recent QuickTime Player X, the audio is exported in M4A. Once exported, you can use a media player like iTunes or VLC to convert the file to MP3.

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