When it comes to MP3, the public will be very familiar with it. MP3 is the standard format for digital audio that can be played on any player and device. However, music files in the iTunes library are not in MP3, but in the proprietary AAC format. That’s to say, you can only play those iTunes music on iTunes and some limited common media players, unless you convert iTunes to MP3.
If you are an iTunes user who are seeking for the solution to export iTunes to MP3, just follow this post in which we’ll show you different ways to convert and save iTunes library to MP3 easily. Here we go!
Part 1. Why Do We Need to Export iTunes to MP3
Initially, music purchased by users in the iTunes Music Store was protected, and the terminology used to explain this was digital rights management. Then, Apple slowly received some suggestions and feedback from users, and it introduced some unprotected or even entire music catalogs in the iTunes Store. Now the music in the iTunes library is in AAC format without protection.
The AAC format does limit the types of devices you can use, as you can only play these iTunes files on some AAC-compatible media players. But if you transfer iTunes to MP3, a format that is compatible with most audio players, then you can play iTunes music on almost any available device.
Part 2. How to Convert iTunes to MP3 Officially
If you have those normal unprotected audio files in your iTunes library, you can easily convert iTunes music to MP3 on iTunes using the official method. But you need to note that you must make sure the audio in your iTunes is unprotected, and then you can follow the steps below.
Note: For unprotected music in iTunes, the official method is perfectly adequate, but the process is a bit complicated for novice users. Also, the official way does not work with protected or encrypted audio in iTunes. If you urgently need to convert all iTunes songs to MP3, both unprotected and protected, it is recommended that you skip directly to Part 3 to use a professional iTunes to MP3 converter for the purpose.
How to Convert iTunes Song to MP3 on Windows
Step 1. First launch iTunes on your Windows computer.
Step 2. Select the Edit option in the menu bar, then click Preferences. In the pop-up window, click the General tab, and then click Import Settings.
Step 3. Select "MP3 Encoder" in the "Import Using" drop down menu to set up the MP3 encoder for iTunes.
Step 4. Select Higher Quality In the Setting drop-down menu, click the OK button to save the above settings.
Step 5. Go back to the iTunes library and click on any iTunes song you want to convert to MP3, you can choose one or more songs.
Step 6. Click the File and Convert button, then select Create MP3 Version. Once this is done, you can successfully convert iTunes library to MP3.
How to Convert iTunes Library to MP3 on Mac
Step 1. Open the Apple Music app on your Mac.
Step 2. Select "Music" from the menu bar and click the "Preferences" button. Tap the General and Files tab in the list.
Step 3. On the new page, click Import Settings.
Step 4. Click the "Import Using" option in the side menu and select the "MP3 Encoder" from drop-down menu.
Step 5. Click the Setting option to select your preferred audio quality, such as Higher Quality.
Step 6. Select one or more iTunes songs that need to be converted to MP3.
Step 7. Click "File" > "Convert" > "Create MP3 Version", then, the songs in your iTunes library will be converted to MP3 format smoothly.
Part 3. Download from iTunes to MP3 with AudFree iTunes to MP3 Converter
If you want to convert protected iTunes Music to MP3, a professional iTunes to MP3 converter is definitely the best choice. For instance, AudFree Auditior - will surely meet all your needs. As an all-in-one audio converter, AudFree Audio Converter can convert songs from iTunes library, both protected and unprotected, to MP3 and other popular formats. Apart from converting iTunes library, it can also convert all types of audio, such as normal audio tracks, Apple Music, Audible books, etc. Isn’t it very versatile?
Of course, in the process of conversion, you can also customize the parameters related to the iTunes songs, such as audio channels, bit rate, sample rate and other common audio parameters. Converting iTunes songs at at 30X faster speed and supporting batch audio conversion are also its major advantages. With this extraordinary iTunes to MP3 converter, you can freely convert iTunes to MP3 and enjoy music on more devices and players.
Note: With AudFree iTunes to MP3 Converter, you can convert iTunes songs, Apple Music, Audible books, and common audio tracks to MP3, FLAC, WAV, M4A, AAC, etc. without any quality loss. However, its free version can only convert the first minute of each iTunes song. Please click on the Download button below to unlock its full version.
AudFree iTunes to MP3 Converter

- Remove built-in DRM protection from iTunes files
- Convert protected iTunes files to MP3 and other popular formats
- Convert iTunes music for playback on multiple devices and players
- Convert iTunes songs at 30 times faster speed
- Customize the audio format and related parameters of iTunes songs
How to Get iTunes MP3 Downloads via AudFree Auditior
- Step 1Download and Launch AudFree Auditior
- Download and launch AudFree Auditior on your windows or Mac computer. Click on the registration option in the menu bar and fill in your personal registration information, such as license key, etc. You need to be aware that you can use the full version of AudFree Auditior only if you are registered with AudFree Auditior.
- Step 2 Select and Import Songs from iTunes Library
- When you launch AudFree Auditior, the iTunes application on your window computer or the Apple Music application on your Mac computer will also be loaded at the same time. After that, you can directly drag and drop the iTunes songs you want to convert into AudFree Auditior's conversion interface. Or you can also choose to import iTunes files by clicking the first Add button at the bottom left corner of the page.
- Step 3Customize Output Format and Other Parameters of iTunes File
- When the import of iTunes files is finished, click the Format button, you can choose the output format of iTunes files as universal MP3 format. If you want to customize the parameters related to iTunes songs, you can also go to this page to set the codec, channel, sample rate, birr rate, etc. In addition, when you click the Edit icon, you can edit the ID3 tag of iTunes songs.
- Step 4Convert iTunes Library to MP3
- When all the above settings are done, click the Convert button and AudFree Auditior will automatically convert iTunes song to MP3. Then you can view iTunes music in MP3 format on your local files, and you are able to play and enjoy iTunes Music on multiple devices.
Part 4. FAQs of Converting iTunes to MP3
Q1: Is Converting iTunes to MP3 Legal?
Of course, you can use the two methods mentioned in this article to save iTunes song as MP3 legally and safely.
Q2: Does Converting iTunes Music to MP3 Reduce Quality?
Because AAC has better quality than MP3 at the same bitrate, the official method will inevitably lose quality. To convert iTunes song to MP3 without any loss of quality, you can use AudFree iTunes to MP3 Converter to adjust the audio bitrate.
Q3: Is It Possible to Add MP3 into iTunes Library?
Run the iTunes application and select File > Add File to Library option. Select the target MP3 file to add it to your iTunes library.
Q4: How to Convert Apple Music to MP3 in iTunes?
You can convert unprotected Apple Music to MP3 in iTunes directly by the official way. As for converting protected Apple Music to MP3, AudFree Apple Music Converter will be your best helper.
Part 5. Summary
This article describes 2 ways to convert iTunes to MP3 in detail. For those unprotected iTunes songs, you can convert them to MP3 directly in iTunes. But if you own some protected iTunes songs along with the common unprotected songs, AudFree Auditior will be a better choice because it can not only convert protected iTunes library, but also deal with the common audios. Try to export your entire iTunes library to MP3 and start your iTunes music journey from there on.
Feb 14, 2023 6:10 PM
Updated by James Blair to Apple Music Tips