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Need help?How to Convert M4R to WAV Online
- Upload your M4R file: Drag the
.m4ronto the page or click the upload button. You can add several ringtones and convert them together with the same settings. - Pick the WAV encoding: Under Audio Codec choose PCM 16-bit, 24-bit or 32-bit Little Endian, PCM A-law, PCM mu-law, or MP3 inside WAV. Plain PCM is uncompressed and opens in every editor; File Compression controls appear only for MP3 inside WAV, where you can set a target file size.
- Set channels, sample rate and trim (optional): Audio Channel offers Original, Mono or Stereo, and Audio Sample Rate offers Original or 8000, 12000, 16000, 24000, 44100 or 48000 Hz, so the file can match your project. Trim takes a start time and a duration if you only need part of the tone.
- Convert and download: Click Convert. Files are uploaded over TLS, processed on xconvert's servers and deleted automatically after a few hours.
Why Convert M4R to WAV?
An M4R is an iPhone ringtone, stored as AAC audio in an MPEG-4 container. WAV is the common language of audio editing: plain PCM samples with no decoding step. People pull a ringtone into WAV to:
- Edit the tone in a DAW. Audacity, GarageBand, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Reaper and Pro Tools all open PCM WAV directly, while not every editor recognises the
.m4rextension even when it can decode AAC. - Remix or extend it. Working in uncompressed audio means cuts, fades and effects are not followed by another lossy encode until you export the finished version.
- Use it in a video project. Video editors import WAV without codec questions.
- Load it into a sampler or other hardware. Samplers, drum machines, PA systems and many embedded players take PCM WAV and little else.
- Make a phone-system prompt. PCM A-law and mu-law are the classic telephony encodings; combined with Mono and 8000 Hz they suit systems that ask for WAV in that form.
Be clear about what WAV does not do: it does not improve the sound. The AAC encode that created the ringtone already discarded some detail, and decoding to PCM keeps exactly what is left. The WAV sounds the same as the M4R and is roughly eleven times larger at 16-bit, 44.1 kHz stereo.
M4R vs WAV — Format Comparison
| Property | M4R | WAV (PCM) |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy (AAC-LC) | None |
| Container | MPEG-4 | RIFF/WAVE |
| 30 seconds, stereo | ~480 KB at 128 kbps | ~5.3 MB at 16-bit, 44.1 kHz |
| Editing | Needs decoding; some editors reject .m4r |
Opens directly in DAWs and video editors |
| Metadata | MPEG-4 tags | Limited (RIFF INFO chunks) |
| iPhone ringtone | Yes | No; convert back to M4R |
| Quality | The source | The same sound as the M4R, no better |
WAV Encoding Choices and 30-Second Sizes
PCM size is simple arithmetic: sample rate × bytes per sample × channels × seconds. Because the source is AAC, 16-bit PCM already holds everything the ringtone contains; 24-bit and 32-bit matter only when your project or tool expects them.
| Audio Codec option | What it is | 30 s at 44.1 kHz stereo | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCM 16-bit Little Endian | CD-style PCM | ~5.3 MB | General editing, widest compatibility |
| PCM 24-bit Little Endian | Higher bit-depth PCM | ~7.9 MB | DAW sessions that run at 24-bit |
| PCM 32-bit Little Endian | 32-bit integer PCM | ~10.6 MB | Tools that require 32-bit input |
| PCM A-law / PCM mu-law | 8-bit companded telephony codecs | Phone systems and IVR prompts | |
| MP3 inside WAV | MP3 audio in a WAV wrapper | Depends on the target size | Devices that need a .wav name with less storage |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does converting M4R to WAV improve the audio quality?
No. WAV stores the decoded ringtone without further loss, but it cannot restore what the AAC encode removed. What you gain is a file every editor opens and a lossless working copy, so later edits do not stack another lossy generation on top.
Why is the WAV so much bigger than the M4R?
AAC at 128 kbps stores 30 seconds in about 480 KB. Uncompressed 16-bit stereo PCM at 44.1 kHz needs 1,411 kbps, about 5.3 MB for the same 30 seconds. Switching to Mono halves the PCM size, and a lower sample rate shrinks it further.
Which bit depth and sample rate should I pick?
Match your project. For most editing, PCM 16-bit at 44100 or 48000 Hz is right, and Original keeps the ringtone's own sample rate. Pick 24-bit only if your DAW session runs at 24-bit, and A-law or mu-law only for telephony gear.
Why won't my editor open the M4R directly?
Many editors and import dialogs filter by extension and do not list .m4r, even though the AAC inside is a format they decode. Renaming the file to .m4a sometimes works; converting to WAV avoids the question entirely and gives the editor uncompressed audio.
Can I edit the WAV and turn it back into a ringtone?
Yes. When the edit is done, WAV to M4R encodes it back to AAC in an M4R and shows a note under Trim's Duration about Apple's 30-second ringtone length. Working in WAV in between means the finished tone has gone through only one extra lossy encode.
Should I use FLAC instead of WAV?
If you want a lossless archive, M4R to FLAC gives the same sound in a smaller file with proper tags. WAV is the better pick when a tool or device simply wants WAV. For every other output, the M4R converter lists all targets.
Can I convert only part of the ringtone?
Yes. Use Trim and enter a start time and a duration, in seconds or HH:MM:SS.sss; only that section is written to the WAV.
What happens to my files?
They are uploaded over TLS (HTTPS), processed on xconvert's servers and deleted automatically after a few hours. Free, no sign-up, no watermark.