2 Free Ways to Convert iTunes Library to MP3 (Apple Music Included)

If you have a large iTunes library on your computer, it would be tiresome if you’re about to move your library to other devices. And that device should have the iTunes app installed to play these songs. To make all your songs from the iTunes library easier to be played on other players or devices, the best way is to convert them to MP3 format which supports most audio players and devices.

Originally all songs you buy from iTunes Store are in AAC format, which is not compatible with most media players you can reach out for. But if they’re all converted to MP3, then you can play them in almost every available player.

So in the following parts, I am going to show you how to convert iTunes Library to MP3 with two easy methods.

Part 1. AAC VS MP3: What You Should Know about DRM-free Music

People use MP3 as a generic name to refer to all digital music files, but Apple's AAC should be not excluded. While both Apple's AAC and MP3 are digital audio files, AAC is a next-generation format designed to provide better sound benefits and take up as much or less storage than the MP3. Both iTunes purchases and Apple Music downloads come in the AAC format.

AAC VS MP3: Which Is More Popular?

Speaking of why MP3 is so popular that almost everyone is playing music in MP3 format, one of the major reasons is that this format came out in the booming years of digital music. At a time people were crazy about sharing music in MP3 and then as MP3 players came out, MP3 obviously was the first choice for streaming music.

Another reason why MP3 keeps its popularity is that it’s basically “free” for everyone. MP3 used to ask for licensing fees from music brands, but due to messy management, they got nothing back most of the time. So music listeners and brands got to use MP3 more and more and the heat still keeps going up until now.

AAC VS MP3: Which Is Better?

AAC is designed to replace MP3. But even the audio quality in AAC is better than MP3, AAC is still not widely used among music listeners. Because most people won't switch to another player or device to merely play a format that is not as compatible as MP3, even though AAC format has been widely accepted in the digital audio industry.

If you're keen Apple fans and have various Apple products from iPhone, Apple Watch to Apple TV, AAC files work with most of those devices. However, if you wish to play your music on much-common devices, you'll required to bring your MP3 music collections. If you don't have any, there are a lot of audio programs that can perform this conversion. If you're on the market of AAC to MP3 converter, look no further! You can convert AAC to MP3 with iTunes' in-app audio converter or a 3-rd party called ViWizard Audio Converter.

iTunes' in-app audio converter VS ViWizard Audio Converter: Which is Better?

The iTunes' audio converter helps create MP3 version from the iTunes purchases from the beginning of 2009 only. If the contents stored in your iTunes Library are not from iTunes Store but the Apple Music catalog and your own music collections instead, iTunes' audio converter won't make a difference - you may won't access the "Create MP3 Version" option but others like "Create AAC Version". So, you'll need ViWizard Audio Converter.

If the iTunes's audio converter won't apply to you since you haven't purchase contents from iTunes, ViWizard Audio Converter can help convert the entire iTunes library to MP3. In addition to iTunes purchases, contents such as iTunes files you uploaded to the program, Apple Music, iTunes audiobooks and even Audible audiobooks can be made into MP3. From there you can try wither Windows or Mac version of ViWizard by clicking on the Download button. If you use iTunes for free without the Apple Music subscription, don't hesitate to head to Part 3 to get some free MP3 files with ViWizard.

Part 2. How to Create MP3 Version from iTunes Purchases

If your songs are not protected, you can use iTunes installed on your Windows or Apple Music on Mac to easily convert songs in iTunes Library to MP3:

How to Convert iTunes Library to MP3 on Windows

First, let’s see how to use iTunes on a Windows computer to convert songs in the iTunes library to MP3.

1. Open iTunes, go to Edit > Preferences > General > Import Settings. Set the Import Using choice as MP3 Encoder. You can also set the conversion quality down below.

2. Click OK and go back to iTunes Library. Click on a song that you want to convert to MP3 to highlight it. Then click File > Convert > Create MP3 Version (If you want to convert many songs at a time, select the first song, then hold the Shift key on your keyboard and select the last song you want to convert).

How to Convert iTunes Library to MP3 on Mac

If you have a Mac computer, you can use the Apple Music app to convert. See the instructions below:

1. Open the Apple Music app. From the menu bar, choose the Music > Preferences button.

2. Select the Files > Import Settings > MP3 Encoder button.

3. Choose the songs you want to convert and choose File > Convert > Create MP3 Version.

Part 3. How to Convert iTunes Library to MP3 Audio File

If your songs in iTunes Library are added through an Apple Music subscription, you don’t actually own the music. That means you can’t do anything to the downloaded songs. If you try to convert these songs to MP3, a prompt will pop up to tell you that you can not convert protected files.

But with the ViWizard Audio Converter, you can download all your iTunes Library to MP3 and save them to your computer. You can play these songs on any media player without iTunes or Apple Music.

Comes with an intuitive interface, the ViWizard Audio Converter is designed to convert all protected iTunes, Apple Music songs, iTunes audiobooks and common audios into MP3, M4A, AAC, FLAC, and other common formats.

The specially designed booster will keep the converting speed up to 30X faster with high output quality preserved. With this tool, you’ll be able to remove the protection of all the songs from your iTunes Library and play them anywhere you want. Just download this software for free and follow the usage guide below.

ViWizard Apple Music Converter Key Features

• Remove the playback restriction of Apple Music
• Convert Audible audiobook & iTunes audiobooks in lossless quality
• Convert Apple Music to MP3 and AAC, WAV, FLAC, M4A, M4B
• Retain and edit ID3 tags of audios

2,000,000+Downloads

Download Download

1. Launch ViWizard and Import iTunes Library Files

Launch this iTunes music to MP3 converter, and then click the music note "+" button to import songs from your iTunes Library. Or you can add the files from your iTunes Library folder.

2. Set Output Format and Parameters

Once completed loading input files, you can click the "Format" button in the bottom left and choose the output format among MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, M4A, and M4B. You can also click the "Output" button and choose the output location.

3. Convert iTunes Music to MP3

With format setting done, press the "Convert" button and ViWizard will start the conversion process. When it is done, you can find all your converted songs by clicking the "Converted" button.

Now you can enjoy all your downloaded songs from iTunes Library on any media player without iTunes and Apple Music. You can easily move these songs to any device and play them without any restrictions.

Summary

For the two methods to convert iTunes library to MP3, which one do you prefer? If your songs are not protected, you can use iTunes, Apple Music, or ViWizard Audio Converter to export songs from iTunes library to MP3. If your songs are protected, like iTunes songs bought before 2009 or Apple Music songs, you need to use ViWizard to convert iTunes library to MP3.

Adam Gorden is an experienced writer of ViWizard who is obsessed about tech, movie and software.