FLAC to ALAC Converter
Apple's Music app will not add FLAC files to a library, but it handles Apple Lossless natively. Convert your FLAC albums to ALAC here and keep every sample while gaining a format your Mac and iPhone accept.
Audio Converter
or drop MP3, WAV, M4A … files here ·
Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes
Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.
Constant bitrate (CBR) gives a predictable size and works on every player. Variable bitrate (VBR) spends bits where the music needs them and is usually smaller at the same quality.
Keep the source rate unless a device asks for one. 44.1 kHz is CD standard, 48 kHz is video standard, 8 kHz is used by phone systems and AMR.
Mono halves the size of lossless files and is fine for voice recordings.
16-bit is CD quality. 24-bit keeps headroom for editing and mastering; converting a 16-bit source up does not add detail.
Optional. Seconds (e.g. 75) or minutes:seconds (1:15). Leave empty to start at the beginning.
Optional. Same format as the start time. Leave empty to keep everything up to the end.
How to use this tool
- 1
Add the FLAC tracks
Upload up to 20 .flac files at a time, each up to 95 MB. An album usually fits in one or two batches.
- 2
Set the bit depth
Bit depth starts at 16-bit for CD rips. Switch it to 24-bit for hi-res downloads so nothing is reduced. Sample rate stays on Same as source.
- 3
Convert to ALAC
Press Convert to ALAC, download the .m4a files and drag them into the Music app on your Mac.
Why Apple users convert FLAC to ALAC
FLAC, released by Josh Coalson in 2001 and now maintained by the Xiph.Org Foundation, is what most CD-ripping software and hi-res download stores produce. Apple went its own way: it introduced Apple Lossless in 2004 for iTunes and the iPod, and the Music app on Mac, iPhone and iPad still will not add a FLAC to a library. The Files app on an iPhone plays a FLAC you tap, but it never shows up in albums, playlists or a synced device.
ALAC fixes that without compromise. Converting is a change of packaging rather than of sound: the samples are decoded from FLAC and compressed losslessly again inside an .m4a file. Apple open-sourced the codec in 2011 under the Apache license, so ALAC also plays in VLC, foobar2000 and Windows 10 and 11. If phone storage matters more than lossless quality, FLAC to MP3 makes compact 320 kbps copies instead.
FLAC vs ALAC: where each one plays
| from ↓ · to → | Music app on Mac | Music app on iPhone | Files app on iPhone | Windows 11 | VLC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FLAC | – FLAC to Music app on Mac: no | – FLAC to Music app on iPhone: no | FLAC to Files app on iPhone: yes | FLAC to Windows 11: yes | FLAC to VLC: yes |
| ALAC | ALAC to Music app on Mac: yes | ALAC to Music app on iPhone: yes | ALAC to Files app on iPhone: yes | ALAC to Windows 11: yes | ALAC to VLC: yes |
Lossless myths about FLAC and ALAC
MythALAC sounds warmer or more detailed than FLAC.
FactBoth decode to exactly the same samples. Any difference you hear comes from the player, the volume or the hardware, not the format.
MythEvery conversion between lossless formats loses a little.
FactLossless means the decoded audio is bit-identical, so you can go FLAC to ALAC and back as often as you like.
MythALAC files are far larger than FLAC.
FactThey are usually only slightly larger, and both come in at roughly half the size of the equivalent WAV.
FLAC and ALAC: the specifications
FLAC
Free Lossless Audio Codec
FLAC is an open-source lossless audio codec released by Josh Coalson in 2001 and now maintained by the Xiph.Org Foundation. It reduces audio to about 50–70% of the original size without losing any quality, so a FLAC file can be decoded back to an exact copy of the source. It supports high resolutions and rich metadata and is popular for CD rips and hi-res music downloads. Files are much larger than MP3, and some Apple apps and older devices have limited support.
- Compression
- Lossless
- Transparency
- –
- Animation
- –
- Introduced
- 2001 · Xiph.Org Foundation (Josh Coalson)
ALAC
Apple Lossless Audio Codec
ALAC is Apple's lossless audio codec, introduced in 2004 and released as open source in 2011. Like FLAC it preserves CD and hi-res quality exactly while reducing file size to roughly half of WAV. ALAC is stored in .m4a files and is natively supported by iTunes, Apple Music, iPhone and Mac. Android devices and some players have weaker support.
- Compression
- Lossless
- Transparency
- –
- Animation
- –
- Introduced
- 2004 · Apple
FLAC is the lossless format most CD rippers and hi-res stores deliver, but Apple's Music app refuses to import it, so Mac and iPhone owners repackage their albums as Apple Lossless, which keeps every sample and drops straight into the library.
FLAC to ALAC questions
Which bit depth should I choose for my FLAC albums?
Match the source. CD rips are 16-bit, the default here. Hi-res downloads, often labeled 24/96 or 24/192, need Bit depth set to 24-bit, or they would be reduced to CD resolution. If a folder mixes both kinds, convert them in two batches.
Do album art and tags move across from FLAC to ALAC?
With Keep tags and cover art on, the usual fields such as title, artist, album, track number, year and the embedded cover are copied into the MP4 tags the Music app reads. Unusual custom fields from FLAC's Vorbis comments may have no MP4 equivalent and can be dropped.
How do I get the ALAC files into Apple Music and onto my iPhone?
On a Mac, drag the files into the Music app window or use File > Import. Then connect the iPhone and sync it from Finder, choosing the albums or playlists you want. On Windows, the Apple Music app or iTunes imports ALAC the same way.
Is ALAC or FLAC better for a long-term archive?
Either keeps the audio intact and both are openly documented, so neither is a dead end. FLAC has wider support on Linux, Android and network streamers; ALAC fits Apple software. Many people archive in FLAC and convert to ALAC only for the Apple library.
Can ALAC files be turned back into FLAC or WAV later?
Yes, with no loss, because the audio inside is unchanged. The audio converter takes ALAC .m4a files and writes FLAC, WAV or AIFF, and the decoded samples match the FLAC you started with.
- FLAC to MP3 ConverterTurn FLAC albums into 320 kbps MP3 copies for phones, car stereos and Apple Music, with tags and cover art carried over. Up to 20 tracks per batch.
- FLAC to WAV ConverterUnpack FLAC into plain WAV for DAWs, CD burning and DJ players that skip FLAC. Same samples, 16- or 24-bit, up to 20 files, no account needed.
- WAV to FLAC ConverterShrink WAV recordings and CD rips into FLAC without changing a single sample. Tags and cover art supported, 24-bit kept, up to 20 files, no account.
- M4A to FLAC ConverterConvert M4A to FLAC: Apple Lossless (ALAC) files become bit-identical FLAC with tags and artwork. Choose 16- or 24-bit, up to 20 files at once.
- WAV to M4A ConverterShrink WAV bounces, field recordings and lectures to M4A (AAC) at 256 kbps, about a fifth of the size, for iPhone, the Music app and podcast hosts.