3 Easy Ways to Burn MP3s to a CD

Learn how to burn audio files to a CD in just a few steps

Co-authored by Mitch Harris and Travis Boylls

Last Updated: March 4, 2026 Fact Checked

Using iTunes or Apple Music

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Using Windows Media Player

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Using RealPlayer

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Video

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Expert Interview

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Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

If you are feeling nostalgic and want to listen to some of your favorite digital tunes on your stereo system, you can easily do so by burning your MP3 files to a CD. You can also use CDs to store digital files and transfer them to another computer. This wikiHow article teaches you how to burn MP3s to CDs.

Burning MP3s to a CD: Quick Steps

Insert a blank CD into your CD burner drive.
Open iTunes on Windows or Apple Music on Mac.
Organize the songs you want to burn into a playlist.
Select the playlist and click File > Burn Playlist to disc.
Select Audio CD, MP3 CD, or Data CD.
Click Burn.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using iTunes or Apple Music

1
Insert a blank CD-R or CD-RW disc into the optical disc drive in your computer.^{[1]
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- CD-R discs can only be written to once. CD-RW discs can be rewritten multiple times.
- If your computer doesn’t have a built-in CD-R Rom drive, you can purchase an external USB CD burner.
2
Launch iTunes or Apple Music. Apple Music comes pre-installed on Mac computers. iTunes is available to download on Windows computers. Both have an icon that resembles two music notes. Click the iTunes icon in your Windows Start menu, or the Apple Music icon in the Applications folder on your Mac.
- iTunes is available for free from the Microsoft Store on Windows.
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3
Create a playlist of the songs you want to burn. To do so, hold Ctrl on Windows or Command on Mac and select the songs you want to burn. Then drag them into the sidebar to the left.^{[2]
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- Alternatively, you can click File or New > New Playlist and type a name for the playlist. Then, drag the songs into the playlist in the menu to the left.
- To change the name of a playlist, double-click the playlist in the menu to the left. Then enter a new name for the playlist.
4
Open the Burn Settings menu. Use the following steps to do so:^{[3]
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- Click the playlist you want to burn on the left.
- Click File in the menu bar at the top.
- Click Burn Playlist to Disc.
5
Select your preferred speed. Use the drop-down menu under “Preferred Speed” to select the speed you want to burn the disk at. Leaving it at “Maximum Possible” will burn the disk at the fastest speed your CD burner is capable of handling. Select a slower speed, which will take longer to burn, but has better integrity and reduces the risk of errors.^{[4]
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Select a CD format. You can select one of three formats to burn your CD in. They are as follows:
- Audio CD: Audio CDs are only used for listening to audio. They are universally compatible with all CD players, including older players. However, they are limited to about 80 minutes' worth of music or audio.
- MP3 CD: MP3 CDs store audio in MP3 format. They can hold more music than an audio CD. They can store about 700 MB of MP3, which can amount to several hours of music. However, you need a CD player capable of reading an MP3 CD to play them. Not all CD players can read MP3 CDs. Furthermore, all the songs in your playlist need to be in MP3 format.
- Data CD: This stores the MP3s or audio tracks as data files on the CD. Data CDs are primarily used to transfer files from one computer to another. They can only be read by a disc drive on a computer.
7
Click Burn. This will start burning your playlist to a CD. This may take several minutes.
- If you are using a CD-R, do not cancel the burning process while it is in the middle of burning. This will ruin the disk, so it can’t be used again.
- If you are trying to burn more MP3s than can fit on a CD, you may need to insert another CD to finish the process.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Windows Media Player

1
Insert a blank CD-R or CD-RW disc into the optical disc drive. CD-R discs can only be written to once. CD-RW discs can be rewritten multiple times.^{[5]
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Research source}
- If your computer doesn’t have a built-in CD-R Rom drive, you can purchase an external USB CD burner. Connect it to your computer using a USB cable
Windows Media Player Legacy still comes pre-installed on most Windows computers. You can open it in the Windows Start menu. Make sure you open Windows Media Player Legacy, instead of the newer Media Player app.^{[6]
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Trustworthy Source

Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

Go to source}
3
Click Burn. It’s the button in the upper-right corner.
4
Drag and drop songs and playlists into the burn list on the right. The songs must be added to the burn list in the order in which you want them listed on the CD.
- Most audio CDs are only capable of storing about 80 minutes' worth of music.
It’s in the upper-right corner. It’s the icon that resembles a checklist. It’s next to an icon with a triangle pointing down.^{[7]
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Trustworthy Source

Microsoft Support
Technical support and product information from Microsoft.

Go to source}
6
Select “Audio CD.” It’s one of the options in the drop-down menu.
- Alternatively, you can select Data CD or DVD. This will burn the songs to the CD as MP3 files, which can be read on other computers. Data CDs are primarily used to transfer files from one computer to another.
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Click Start burn. It’s in the upper-right corner. This will start burning the MP3 files to your CD. The process will take up to several minutes, and Windows Media Player will eject the CD when burning is complete.
- If you are using a CD-R, do not eject or cancel the burn process until it is finished. Doing so will ruin the CD so that it can’t be reused.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using RealPlayer

1
Download and install RealPlayer. RealPlayer is an old-school media player for Windows. You can download it www.real.com/realplayer. Open the installation file in your Downloads folder and follow the prompts to complete the installation process.
- Be careful during the installation process. It may try to get you to install a couple of extra programs you don’t want. You can decline those programs.
It’s in the menu bar to the left.
3
Click Select CD Type. It’s the first option below “Tasks” in the upper-left corner.
4
Select the type of CD you want to burn. Click the radio option next to the CD type you want to burn. The CD types you can burn are as follows:
- Audio CD: Audio CDs are only used for playing audio in an analogue format. They are universally compatible with all CD players, including older players. However, they are limited to about 80 minutes' worth of music or audio.
- MP3 CD: MP3 CDs store audio in MP3 format. They can hold more music than an audio CD. They can store about 700 MB of MP3, which can amount to several hours of music. However, you need a CD player capable of reading an MP3 CD to play them. Not all CD players can read MP3 CDs. Furthermore, all the songs in your playlist need to be in MP3 format. RealPlayer requires you to purchase the premium version, which costs $39.99 to burn an MP3 CD.
- Data CD: This stores the MP3s or audio tracks as data files on the CD. Data CDs are primarily used to transfer files from one computer to another. They can only be read by a disc drive on a computer.
It’s the second option below “Task” in the upper-left corner.
6
Add tracks to your CD. To do so, click Music and then click All Music. Click the track(s) you want to add to the CD and click Add selected to CD at the bottom.
- Alternatively, you can organize your music by artists, title, or genre.
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Click Edit Options. It’s the third option below “Tasks” at the bottom of the menu on the left.
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Select your CD options and click Ok. The CD options are as follows:
- Drive options: This allows you to select the speed at which the drive will burn your CD. By default, it will burn the disk at the fastest speed your CD burner is capable of handling. Selecting a slower speed will take longer to burn, but have better integrity and reduce the risk of errors.
- CD Text: This allows you to select if you want to include CD text, such as the artist and song title on the CD.
- Transitions: This allows you to select if you want to add a 2-second pause between songs or a crossfade.
- Audio Filters: Checking this option will ensure the volume remains consistent across all songs.
9
Click Burn your CD. The process will take several minutes to complete, and notify you when the CD has been burned successfully.^{[8]
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- If you are using a CD-R, do not eject or cancel the burn process until it is finished. Doing so will ruin the CD so that it can’t be reused.

Community Q&A

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Question

I burned an audio CD that will now play on my computer, but will not play on an older boombox. Why?

Community Answer

The specialized CDs you buy in-store are specified to play on computers and modern CD players, but anything older doesn't work, probably because the pits and coding within the CD are not compatible with older hardware.

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Question

Can I burn an MP3 file that is around 90 minutes long onto a CD? Also, is there a certain type of CD that allows people to listen to it on a cd player (not on the computer)?

Torpi

Top Answerer

90 minutes is borderline - you can try, but you might need to shorten it somehow. If you are burning an mp3 file there is no one CD that will work on every CD player. If the CD player does not support mp3 CDs, you are out of luck, unfortunately, no matter which kind of CD you use. Equally, if the player does support mp3 CDs you have nothing to worry about.

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Tips

When selecting a disc format, opt for “MP3 CD” if you want hundreds of songs burned to CD versus an average of 20 songs to CD. MP3 files can be compressed more efficiently than other file types, which allows for hundreds of audio tracks to be burned to a single disc.

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Warnings

If you are burning an MP3 CD, your songs need to be in MP3 format. If they are in another audio format (such as FLAC, AAC, ALAC, or songs purchased from the iTunes or Apple Store), they will need to be converted to MP3 format before they can be burned to an MP3 CD.

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If you are burning to a CD-R, always allow the process to complete. Make sure your computer has enough battery power. If you cancel or your computer crashes during the burning process, it’ll ruin the CD so that it can’t be used again.

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