AIF to WAV Converter

An .aif file and a .wav file usually hold the same plain PCM samples. Only the wrapper and the byte order differ, and that is enough for some Windows software, broadcast systems and hardware players to refuse the Mac file.

or drop MP3, WAV, M4A … files here ·

Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes

Output

Convert to

Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.

How to use this tool

1
Add the .aif or .aiff files
Drop up to 20 files, each up to 95 MB. Bounces from Logic Pro, GarageBand exports and sample packs made on a Mac all work, as do compressed .aifc files.
2
Check the bit depth
Bit depth is preset to 24-bit so studio bounces stay intact. Switch to 16-bit only when the source is a CD rip or the destination asks for CD-quality WAV.
3
Convert to WAV
Press Convert to WAV. Sample rate and channels match the original unless you change them, and the files are deleted from the server after 30 minutes.

Answer

How do I turn an AIF into a WAV without losing quality?

Upload the .aif file and press Convert to WAV with Bit depth at 24-bit, or 16-bit for a CD rip. Both are uncompressed PCM, so the result is sample-for-sample identical.

AIF and WAV: same sound, different byte order

Apple published the Audio Interchange File Format in 1988, building on the IFF container that Electronic Arts had introduced three years earlier for the Amiga. Microsoft and IBM followed with WAV in 1991, built on their own RIFF container. Both wrap raw PCM audio, but they were designed for different processors: AIFF writes each sample big-endian, the way the Motorola 68000 in early Macs stored numbers, while WAV writes little-endian, the way Intel chips do.

That is why a converter can move between them without touching the sound. It flips the byte order of each sample and swaps the header chunks; nothing is re-encoded. The .aif extension itself is just the three-letter version of .aiff, a leftover from systems that limited extensions to three characters.

AIFF-CAIFC · compressed AIFF: The 1991 extension of AIFF that allows compressed audio inside the same structure. Files ending in .aifc may hold ordinary PCM, little-endian PCM (the sowt type macOS uses) or a lossy codec such as IMA ADPCM; the converter decodes whichever it finds to plain PCM WAV.

AIF to WAV converter: where each file works

	WAV from this page	Original AIF	AIFF-C (.aifc)
Uncompressed PCM samples	yes	yes	Sometimes
Byte order	Little-endian	Big-endian	Either
Basis for Broadcast WAV (EBU BWF)	yes	no	no
Standard ID3 tag chunk	Rarely read	yes	Varies
Expected by Windows-first audio tools	yes	Often	Seldom

The European Broadcasting Union based its Broadcast Wave Format on WAV in 1997, which is why radio playout systems, field recorders and post-production houses ask for WAV deliveries. Game engines, Windows sound tools and hardware samplers also tend to list WAV first. Sending a Logic bounce to any of these is the usual reason to convert.

Tags are the main thing that does not translate well. Apple's Music app writes titles and artwork into AIFF files, but most players ignore metadata inside WAV, so Keep tags and cover art copies what it can and the rest is best kept in file names. If the WAV is only a stop on the way to a smaller file, AIFF to MP3 skips the intermediate step.

AIF and WAV format facts

AIFF

Audio Interchange File Format

AIFF is an uncompressed audio format developed by Apple in 1988, based on Electronic Arts' IFF. It stores PCM audio at the same quality as WAV and supports richer metadata, which makes it common in Mac music production and Logic Pro. Files are large, about 10 MB per minute of CD-quality stereo. Most editors and players read AIFF, though some web tools and Android apps do not.

Compression: Lossless
Transparency: –
Animation: –
Introduced: 1988 · Apple

AIFF converter

WAV

Waveform Audio File

WAV is an audio container created by Microsoft and IBM in 1991, usually holding uncompressed PCM audio. It preserves full quality, which makes it standard for recording, editing, sound effects and mastering. A minute of CD-quality stereo takes about 10 MB, so files are large. Every operating system, editor and most players open WAV, though metadata support is limited.

Compression: Lossless
Transparency: –
Animation: –
Introduced: 1991 · Microsoft and IBM

WAV converter

AIF files come out of Mac studios, GarageBand projects and Apple CD rips, but Windows-centric editors, broadcast playout and some hardware players are built around WAV, so the same PCM samples are rewrapped little-endian in a RIFF header that every platform reads.

AIF to WAV: answers before you convert

Is converting AIF to WAV lossless?

Yes, as long as the bit depth matches the source. Both formats store uncompressed PCM, so the converter only reorders the bytes and rewrites the header; every sample value is the same. Choosing 16-bit for a 24-bit bounce is the one setting that throws information away.

How do I know whether my AIF file is 16-bit or 24-bit?

On a Mac, select the file in Finder and press Command-I; the More Info section lists the sample size. Logic Pro and GarageBand on recent versions record at 24-bit, while AIFF tracks ripped from a CD with the Music app are 16-bit, 44.1 kHz.

Will the WAV be the same size as the AIF?

Almost exactly, because both carry the same uncompressed samples: about 10 MB per minute for 16-bit 44.1 kHz stereo and about 15 MB for 24-bit. A compressed .aifc source is the exception, since its WAV comes out larger once it is decoded to PCM.

Can a WAV file be as long as an AIF?

Up to a point. A standard WAV header stores its size in 32 bits, so a file tops out at 4 GB, roughly 6 hours 45 minutes of 16-bit 44.1 kHz stereo. Uploads here are capped at 95 MB per file, far below that, so the limit only matters for long multitrack recordings.

What happens to markers and loop points saved in the AIF?

AIFF stores markers and instrument loop data in its own chunks, which WAV structures differently, so do not rely on them carrying over. Re-create loop points in your sampler or DAW after importing the WAV, or keep the AIF alongside it for that purpose.

Should I make a FLAC instead of a WAV?

If the goal is storage rather than compatibility, yes: FLAC keeps the same samples in roughly half the space and tags them properly. For a Windows editor, a broadcaster or a CD tool that wants plain PCM, WAV is the safer target; see WAV to FLAC for the archive route.