What is a FLAC file?
By Ajiri Ogba · Updated
FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is an open audio format that compresses sound without losing any of it: a FLAC file decodes to exactly the same audio as the original, typically at around half the size of an uncompressed WAV.
When FLAC makes sense
For everyday listening on phones and in cars, a lossy format like MP3 or AAC is far smaller and sounds the same to most people.
- Archiving music or recordings at full quality
- High-quality music libraries, including 24-bit recordings
- Storing masters you may convert to other formats later
Converting FLAC on this site
- FLAC to MP3: LAME high-quality VBR (around 190 kbit/s), a single lossy encode from a lossless source
- FLAC to WAV: lossless, but saved as 16-bit, so 24-bit FLAC files are reduced to 16-bit
- FLAC to AAC or M4A: 192 kbit/s AAC
- WAV to FLAC: lossless, smaller file