2 best ways to convert Apple Music to MP3

Apple Music is a streaming service that allows you to listen to over 100 million songs at $10.99 per month (with 1 month free trial for new users). Subscribers can download their favorite tracks and play them offline. However, the downloaded songs can only be played within iTunes and Apple Music app. Is there a method to convert Apple Music to MP3 in order to retain access to Apple Music indefinitely or to transfer the tracks to alternate devices, such as an MP3 player?

Absolutely yes. This tutorial will show you how to convert Apple Music songs to MP3 on Mac and Windows.

Contents

What kinds of Apple Music songs do you want to convert?
Part 1. Convert unprotected songs to MP3 with Music/iTunes
Part 2. Convert Protected Apple Music Songs to MP3 with Ondesoft Apple Music Converter

What kinds of Apple Music songs do you want to convert?

Your music library can include songs from Apple Music and iTunes Match (if you subscribe), your other devices, CDs, the iTunes Store, or other sources. If you subscribe to Apple Music or iTunes Match, you can access your entire music library on all your devices when you’re signed in with the same Apple ID and connected to the internet.

For DRM-free songs, such as songs you ripped from CD or purchased from iTunes Store, you can easily convert them to MP3 with Apple Music app on your Mac or iTunes for Windows on your PC.

However, Apple Music catalog songs are DRM protected and you can't convert them to MP3 with Music/iTunes app. To convert songs from Apple Music catalog to MP3, you will need the professional Apple Music Converter - Ondesoft Apple Music Converter. This way, you can save Apple Music songs as MP3 files on your Mac/Windows and get Apple Music for free.

How to find DRM-protected songs on Apple Music

To confirm whether the songs you want to convert are DRM protected, you can sort all songs by Kind.

Step 1. Open Music app on your Mac and click Songs under Library on the left side. Click View in the menu bar > Show View Options.

Apple Music kind

Step 2. Check "Kind" under File.

Apple Music kind

Step 3. Now you will see the format of all songs.

Apple Music AAC audio file means the song is from Apple Music catalog and DRM protected.
MPEG audio file is in MP3 format, DRM-free.
Purchased AAC audio file is purchased from iTunes Store in M4A format, DRM-free.
AAC audio file is in M4A format, DRM-free.

Apple Music kind

To convert DRM-free music to MP3, simply use the Music or iTunes app. If you've purchased a lot of music over the years from iTunes or imported from CDs, and those songs are DRM-free, you can easily convert them to MP3 using the app's built-in MP3 Encoder.

To convert DRM-protected Apple Music songs to MP3, you will need a professional Apple Music Converter.

Part 1. Convert unprotected songs to MP3 with Music/iTunes

Since macOS Catalina, your iTunes media library is divided across the Apple Music app, Apple TV app, Apple Books app, and Apple Podcasts app. The Apple Music app is your central hub for all music, including music you imported into iTunes, purchased from the iTunes Store, and playlists you created. With an Apple Music subscription, you can stream and download millions of songs and access your entire music library across all your devices. To convert unprotected songs to MP3, simply use the Music or iTunes app.

On your Mac

Open the Apple Music app.
In the menu bar, choose Music > Preferences.
Click the Files tab, then click Import Settings.

Click the menu next to Import Using, then choose MP3 Encoder.

Click OK.
Select the songs in your library that you want to convert.
Choose File > Convert, then Create MP3 Version. New song files appear in your library next to the original files.

On your PC

If you have a PC, you can continue to use iTunes for Windows to manage your media library.

Open iTunes for Windows.
In the menu bar, choose Edit > Preferences.
Click the General tab, then click Import Settings.
Click the menu next to Import Using, then choose MP3 Encoder.
Click OK.
Select the songs in your library that you want to convert.
Choose File > Convert, then Create MP3 Version.

Part 2. Convert Protected Apple Music Songs to MP3

However, the songs you download from Apple Music are protected by Digital Rights Management (DRM), which prevents you from converting them to MP3 format. This means you can only play them on the Apple Music app and can't transfer them to other devices or use them with other music players. Additionally, if your Apple Music subscription ends, you'll lose access to these songs, even if you've downloaded them. To ensure you can always enjoy your favorite Apple Music tracks, converting them to MP3 is an excellent solution. We'll explore two options and recommend Ondesoft Apple Music Converter.

Option 1. Soundloaders - Currently not work

Soundloaders Apple Music Downloader is a web application for Mac or Windows to download your favorite songs from Apple Music. It doesn't support downloading albums or playlists, you can only use it to download single songs. However, currently it doesn't work.

Apple Music Converter

Pros: Free

Cons: Only download Apple Music single songs.

Option 2. Ondesoft Apple Music Converter

What is Ondesoft Apple Music Converter

Ondesoft Apple Music Converter is a very helpful tool when it comes to downloading Apple Music songs, albums and playlists to MP3, M4A, etc. on computer with all ID3 tags. This app can help you to have the songs downloaded to your system forever. So you won't have to worry about when your Apple Music subscription will expire.

Ondesoft Apple Music Converter Features

• Work on both Windows and Mac, making it easy to download Apple Music songs regardless of your operating system.

• Download Apple Music songs to 256kbps M4A, 320kbps MP3 and lossless music quality in FLAC/WAV/AIFF. Ensure your downloaded music maintains exceptional audio quality.

• Easily rename downloaded songs using a combination of Title, Artist, Album, Track Number, and Playlist Index to match your preferences.

• Organize downloaded songs by Album, Artist, Album/Artist or Artist/Album.

• Features built-in Apple Music web player . No need to install the Music app to start downloading.

Steps to convert Apple Music to MP3

1. Download and Launch Apple Music Converter

Download, install and launch Ondesoft Apple Music Converter on your Mac or Windows.

2. Sign in your Apple Music account

Click the Sign in button and enter your Apple ID.

3. Change output format(optional)

The default output format is lossless M4A. Ondesoft Apple Music Converter also supports converting Apple Music to MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV and AIFF. You can also customize output file name with any combination of title, artist, album, playlist index and track ID.

4. Select Apple Music songs

Follow the on-screen instructions to choose the playlist or album you want to convert.

Click Add songs.

5. Start downloading Apple Music

By default, all songs in the playlist/album will be checked. If there are songs you don't want to convert, please uncheck the box. Then click Convert button to start downloading songs to the format you choose.

After conversion, click below folder icon to quickly locate the downloaded songs. Now you have downloaded Apple Music songs to MP3. You can play them anywhere you want even after cancelling Apple Music subscription.