M4A to FLAC Converter
An .m4a file holds either lossy AAC, the way iTunes purchases and voice memos are stored, or Apple Lossless, the way many Mac users rip CDs. FLAC is a perfect copy of the second kind and a bigger file with no benefit for the first.
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
Upload M4A files
Add up to 20 .m4a files, each up to 95 MB. An Apple Lossless album track is typically 20 to 40 MB.
- 2
Set the bit depth
Bit depth is 16-bit, which matches CD rips. For 24-bit Apple Lossless downloads or studio exports, switch it to 24-bit before converting.
- 3
Convert to FLAC
Press Convert to FLAC. Keep tags and cover art is on, so titles, track numbers and album art move into the FLAC's tags.
Is M4A to FLAC worth doing?
Yes when the M4A is Apple Lossless: the FLAC is bit-identical and plays outside Apple's ecosystem. If the M4A is AAC, the FLAC only stores the same lossy sound in a file about three times larger.
Apple Lossless or AAC inside your M4A
Apple Lossless M4A
Ripped from CD in the Music app with the Apple Lossless setting, or exported lossless from Logic Pro.
- Every sample carried over unchanged
- Similar file size after converting
- Tags and artwork move to FLAC fields
AAC M4A
iTunes Store purchases, voice memos, podcasts and most M4A files found online.
- Sound stays exactly as lossy as before
- File grows to roughly three times the size
- Useful only where a tool accepts nothing but FLAC
Apple released the Apple Lossless codec in 2004 and published its source code under the Apache license in 2011, but by then FLAC, released in 2001, had already become the default lossless format outside Apple's world. The two codecs do the same job, so turning ALAC into FLAC is a straight repackaging: the converter decodes the samples and stores them again, and a checksum of the decoded audio matches the original.
AAC is a different story. Its encoder discarded detail when the file was made, and decoding it to FLAC just preserves the lossy result at a lossless bitrate. That is still useful when a DJ tool, archive system or sample manager accepts only FLAC, but for a phone or a car the M4A to MP3 page gives a much smaller file.
M4A to FLAC converter settings for each source
Leave Bit depth at 16-bit and Sample rate on Same as source. The FLAC will be 16-bit, 44.1 kHz, exactly like the disc.
- Typical size: 20–30 MB for a 4-minute track
- Keep tags and cover art on
Switch Bit depth to 24-bit before converting, or the extra resolution is reduced to CD depth. Keep the sample rate unchanged so a 96 kHz file stays 96 kHz.
- Check the source in Finder's Get Info first
16-bit is plenty, since AAC never had more resolution to keep. Ask whether the destination really needs FLAC, or whether WAV or MP3 fits better.
- No quality gain
- Roughly 3× the size of a 256 kbps M4A
5–7 MBtypical FLAC size per minute of 16-bit, 44.1 kHz stereo music, whatever kind of M4A it came from
M4A and FLAC format facts
M4A
MPEG-4 audio (M4A)
M4A is an audio-only MPEG-4 file, popularised by Apple's iTunes. It usually contains lossy AAC audio, but it can also hold lossless ALAC. AAC in M4A generally sounds better than MP3 at the same bitrate, and the format is used for iPhone voice memos, Apple Music downloads and many podcasts. Most modern devices play M4A, but some older players, car stereos and web tools only accept MP3.
- Compression
- Lossy or lossless
- Transparency
- –
- Animation
- –
- Introduced
- Apple / MPEG
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)
M4A is how Apple apps store both AAC and Apple Lossless audio, but Android, Linux players, hi-res portable players and artist upload pages standardize on FLAC; moving an ALAC library to FLAC changes the container and tags while keeping every sample.
M4A to FLAC: what to check first
How can I tell if an M4A file is Apple Lossless or AAC?
On a Mac, select the file in Finder and press Command-I; under More Info, Codecs shows either AAC or Apple Lossless. In the Music app, Get Info on the File tab lists the kind, such as "Apple Lossless audio file" or "Purchased AAC audio file". A 256 kbps rate means AAC; a rate around 700 to 1,000 kbps for a CD rip means lossless.
Can I convert songs downloaded from Apple Music to FLAC?
No. Downloads for offline listening in an Apple Music subscription are protected and only play inside Apple's apps, so they cannot be decoded here. Songs bought from the iTunes Store are unprotected 256 kbps AAC and convert fine, though they gain nothing from becoming FLAC.
Will the FLAC be smaller than my Apple Lossless file?
Usually about the same size, within a few percent either way. Both are lossless codecs built on similar prediction ideas, so neither has a big advantage. You convert for compatibility and tagging, not to save space.
Which players and services want FLAC instead of ALAC?
Android has played FLAC natively since version 3.1, many Linux music players and portable hi-res players treat FLAC as their main format, and Bandcamp asks artists to upload lossless WAV, AIFF or FLAC. ALAC support outside Apple's own software is less consistent.
Can I go back from FLAC to Apple Lossless later?
Yes, and nothing is lost in either direction, because both formats rebuild exactly the same samples. That makes it safe to keep a FLAC library and make ALAC copies for an iPhone with FLAC to ALAC whenever you need them.