# Cannot write tags on m4a files from the same source
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cannot-write-tags-on-m4a-files-from-the-same-source/53898
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [July 29, 2021, 7:09am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cannot-write-tags-on-m4a-files-from-the-same-source/53898 "2021-07-29T07:09:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@robertotru](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/robertotru)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2021, 7:09am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cannot-write-tags-on-m4a-files-from-the-same-source/53898/1 "2021-07-29T07:09:40Z")
Hello,
I have got some m4a files from the same source. Some are editable, some are not.
I think the error message is way too generic. Something like "_Cannot write tags to file "Foo.m4a" in folder "bar"_".
I think it doesn't help to resolve the issue and as a trial is not so promising.
If you have logs, why don't you put a reference to them so that one may try to find a solution?
Best
R
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2021, 7:34am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cannot-write-tags-on-m4a-files-from-the-same-source/53898/2 "2021-07-29T07:34:24Z")
> [@robertotru](#):
>
> I have got some m4a files from the same source. Some are editable, some are not.
What has happend on the way between the source and your target?
There are a number of threads that deal with write problems to m4a files.
Perhaps you find indicators that help you to overcome your problem. Just as examples:
> [@cant read m4a file / cant open file for writing](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cant-read-m4a-file-cant-open-file-for-writing/10451):
>
> I had (i think id3v1) tags in my files, i then used itunes to download cover art and embed it using scripts. the cover art worked in itunes and nokia music player, but not on my 5800 symbian 60v5 So i tried to use mp3tag to see if i could fix the tags. a couple of problems: cant read the tag on m4a file cant open file for writing when i try to edit tags I've already fixed it using mediamonkey, which could read the tags, and saving it with mm fixed the problem I'm posting here in case it i…
> [@Write error on m4a and a feature request](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/write-error-on-m4a-and-a-feature-request/16466):
>
> Hello, All my files are writable, can be deleted and have no permission issues, nor are they locked. Tagging is working fine for all files except mp4 (m4a). Every time I try and tag one of these I get fail to open for writing error. There isn't anything wrong with the files, other than being m4a, all other formats are fine. Any idea? Also, I've just clicked close by mistake thinking it was my browser after doing a preview and it's now going to take another hour or so to go through all my song…
> [@m4a from nero encoder probelm](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/m4a-from-nero-encoder-probelm/4966):
>
> I created some m4a (aac) files using the latest version of the nero aac encoder. I'm able to play the files within Winamp. However, when I try tagging the files with mp3tag (latest version) using the convert filename to tag button, I receive the following error message: "File xxx.m4a cannot be opened for writing" As a quick test, I created the m4a file using FAAC and it worked fine. Is there a bug with a Nero encoded file? -David
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### Author:  [@robertotru](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/robertotru)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2021, 7:46am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cannot-write-tags-on-m4a-files-from-the-same-source/53898/3 "2021-07-29T07:46:26Z")
I, those were already provided in the suggestions list while writing the new topic. No solution was found.
My point is that maybe a log can help. A generic message is not helping at all.
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2021, 7:52am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cannot-write-tags-on-m4a-files-from-the-same-source/53898/4 "2021-07-29T07:52:56Z")
> [@robertotru](#):
>
> My point is that maybe a log can help
So this is a feature request for a log and you do not need any further assistance to overcome the acute problem?
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2021, 9:53am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cannot-write-tags-on-m4a-files-from-the-same-source/53898/5 "2021-07-29T09:53:23Z")
Can you maybe provide one file as an example? I can then try to analyze it and see if I can improve the error message in those cases. There is no log for that at the moment.
However, most of the time it's a stream written by a faulty encoder, where even a error message would be of much help because of the very technical nature of the issue.
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### Author:  [@robertotru](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/robertotru)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2021, 12:37pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cannot-write-tags-on-m4a-files-from-the-same-source/53898/6 "2021-07-29T12:37:23Z")
@Florian sure I can. But I can't upload one, there is a restriction on the maximum upload file size. So I had to created a dropbox link [Dropbox - mp3tag - Simplify your life](https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4kzxcrg4gxh63ze/AABhuccR6n_hprHEoLhSE9pka?dl=0)
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2021, 12:46pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cannot-write-tags-on-m4a-files-from-the-same-source/53898/7 "2021-07-29T12:46:18Z")
> [@Florian](#):
>
> most of the time it's a stream written by a faulty encoder
Foobar says about the file with the name "notWorking.m4a": Unable to open item for playback (Unsupported format or corrupted file (invalid or incomplete data)). So that file does not even play.
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### Author:  [@robertotru](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/robertotru)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2021, 1:52pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cannot-write-tags-on-m4a-files-from-the-same-source/53898/8 "2021-07-29T13:52:03Z")
@ohrenkino oh curious, I can play it (e.g. with vlc). I can also use an online converter to change it to mp3 or aac
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2021, 2:28pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cannot-write-tags-on-m4a-files-from-the-same-source/53898/9 "2021-07-29T14:28:56Z")
Thanks for the example file. One indication that something might be a little bit off with that file is, that there are no information fields displayed (e.g., length or bitrate).
I've had a look at the file and it's a WebM file (not an M4A file). The fact that it's working with a different program/service means, that they have either less strict analysis of the file's content (which would result in garbage output) or use format-detection not based on the file extension but on the file's contents.
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### Author:  [@robertotru](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/robertotru)
#### Post date: [July 29, 2021, 7:29pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cannot-write-tags-on-m4a-files-from-the-same-source/53898/10 "2021-07-29T19:29:01Z")
Ok. Got it. As I mentioned before, they are both generated using the same tool, not sure why they ended up having different content. But you are right, Apache Tika reports one as a video/webm file (the one not working) and the other as video/mp4.
Thanks for supporting.
Not sure which language you used to implement the tool, but in Java I would have used Apache Tika to provide some media type detection and provide some user feedback. E.g. "\*Cannot write tags to file _"Foo.m4a" in folder "bar": the media type is WebM while file extension is M4A, WebM files are not supported_.
Then maybe one would have the option to find a converter (or you could think about adding one in your software).
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2021, 8:46am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cannot-write-tags-on-m4a-files-from-the-same-source/53898/11 "2021-07-30T08:46:27Z")
Which tool were you using for that? Producing WebM with a M4A file extension is clearly an issue worth noting.
I'm using C++ for Mp3tag, so no Apache Tika for me. I'm also a little hesitant to implement workarounds for bugs in other software (except for Windows Explorer and iTunes — those are beyond hope). I prefer fixing the original issues, that's I'm asking about the the tool you've used.
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### Author:  [@robertotru](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/robertotru)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2021, 5:48pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cannot-write-tags-on-m4a-files-from-the-same-source/53898/12 "2021-07-30T17:48:41Z")
@Florian sorry for the late answer. It's an online tool, I actually don't know it by heart, but it could be [https://www.clickmp3.com/](https://www.clickmp3.com/), so not worth investing more on it.
Don't go for workarounds. For sure providing a better message may help a little bit, but if there are unbearable technical issues then it is not worth it.
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### Author:  [@bmeacham](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/bmeacham)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2022, 4:39pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cannot-write-tags-on-m4a-files-from-the-same-source/53898/13 "2022-02-11T16:39:30Z")
I had the same problem. I found that file was read-only (right-clicked it and selected Properties). I made it writable, and now MP3Tag works fine.
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2022, 5:11pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cannot-write-tags-on-m4a-files-from-the-same-source/53898/14 "2022-02-11T17:11:37Z")