Videos purchased from iTunes are typically in M4V format, which can be played on Apple devices such as the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. However, due to Apple's DRM protection, M4V videos cannot be transferred or played on non-Apple devices. If you wish to view M4V videos on VLC or your device's native media player, or share them with friends, you will need to remove the DRM from the M4V files or directly download videos that are free from DRM restrictions.

We recommend using StreamFab Video Downloader, which automatically eliminates DRM protection during the download process and saves the videos in a universal MP4 or MKV format.

What is M4V Files

In simple terms, M4V is a DRM-protected format developed by Apple for storing films, television shows, and music videos, which are sold on the iTunes Store. Due to its DRM protection, these iTunes M4V video files can only be decrypted by Apple products.

In essence, even if you purchase these iTunes M4V files, you cannot copy or convert them. It appears that only a select few endorse this policy. Many aspire to eliminate this DRM restriction and convert M4V files into universally compatible formats like MP4, enabling viewing on other media players.

How to Remove DRM from M4V Files

The primary reason we wish to remove the DRM protection from M4V files is to facilitate more versatile offline playback. Currently, the iTunes converter software available on the market is unreliable, often plagued by slow speeds and limited version support. Consequently, if you seek to obtain DRM-free videos, we recommend exploring the faster and more comprehensive lossless downloader: StreamFab.

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  • Download videos without DRM from 1000+ sites, including Apple TV+, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, etc.
  • Lossless quality in up to 1080p/4k resolution with EAC3 5.1 or AAC 2.0 audio track.
  • Download videos in batches to save your time.
  • Auto-download newly released video at a set time.

Operation Steps

Step1
Install StreamFab on your windows or mac device, and choose the streaming service you want to save videos from.

remove drm from m4v

Step2
Log into your streaming account, and find the video you want. 

remove drm from m4v 

Step3
Customize the output options. including resolution, audio, subtitles, etc. 

remove drm from m4v 

Step4
Click 'Download' now or add to the 'Queue' for later downloading.

remove drm from m4v

Final Thought

Regardless of whether you choose to attempt the traditional method of removing DRM from downloaded M4V files through format conversion, or if you prefer directly utilizing the recommended downloader in this article to eliminate the DRM during the downloading process, I hope you discover a preferred approach that suits you best.

Personally, I lean towards StreamFab, as the video content provided by iTunes is rather limited, and I utilize a greater variety of streaming platforms, whereas StreamFab comprehensively encompasses nearly all of my commonly used streaming services.