How to Make a Book Markable for iTunes

Making a book markable in Apple iTunes refers to remembering an Audiobook's playback position when stopping or switching between an Audiobook and other tracks in your library. Since iTunes only supports marking books that are in the AA and M4B formats, you may need to change your audiobook's file extension manually after converting audio to M4A -- iTunes' standard audio format. After your Audiobook is correctly filed and organized, you can easily adjust your song's preferences so iTunes remembers your latest playback position when you change tracks.

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Apple iTunes

1. Converting to M4A Format

   • 1
     Open your Internet browser and visit www.apple.com/itunes. Click the "Free Download" button on the left side of the screen and wait for the latest version of iTunes to download to your computer. Double-click the EXE program file when the download has finished and follow the on-screen prompts to install iTunes to your computer. Agree to the terms of use and open iTunes. If prompted, choose to move all your previous library's contents into the latest version of iTunes and wait for the program to open.
   • 2
     Locate the desired Audiobook file in your iTunes library. Highlight its icon, press the "File" tab at the top of the screen and select "Show Song File." Check its file extension. If it reads something other than M4A or M4B -- like MP3 or Wav -- click "OK" to return to your iTunes library.
   • 3
     Convert your file to an M4A by clicking the "Edit" tab at the top of the screen and selecting "Preferences." Press the "Import Settings" button on the right side of the window. Press the "Import Using" drop-down menu and select "AAC Encoder." Click "OK" twice to save your changes and exit back to the iTunes library.

   Make Your Audiobook Markable

   • 1
     Minimize your iTunes library and click the "Start" button in the lower left corner of your main computer screen. Select "Control Panel" and click "Folder Options." Press the "View" tab and uncheck the "Hide Extensions For Known File Types" so the check mark disappears. Click "Apply" and "OK" to save your changes and exit the Folder Options window.
   • 2
     Navigate back to the newly created M4A file in your iTunes library and right-click its icon. Select the "View in Windows Explorer" option. Manually change the file extension in Windows Explorer from ".m4a" to ".m4b." When asked if you want to change the file extension, click "Yes."
   • 3
     Right-click your Audiobook's icon, select "Get Info" and click the "Options" tab. Press the "Media Kind" drop-down box and select "Audiobook."
   • 4
     Click the "Remember Playback Position" button near the bottom of the screen so a check mark appears. Press "OK" to save your changes and exit to your iTunes library.