Audio

The FLAC format

It compresses audio without losing a single bit: the sound is identical to the original, but the file weighs about half as much as a WAV. It’s the favourite format for archiving CDs and high-resolution music.

Drop your files hereor (FLAC and over 40 other formats). You can also paste an image.No upload: everything happens on your device

Fact sheet

FLAC

Free Lossless Audio Codec

Best for: Music archives, audiophiles, faithful copies of CDs.
Limits: Much heavier than an MP3; not every phone and car stereo plays it.
Compression: lossless
Size: about half of WAV
Compatibility: good
Extensions: .flac
MIME type: audio/flac
Since: 2001

Convert FLAC to…

Convert to FLAC from…

Tools for FLAC files

Questions about the FLAC format

How do I open a FLAC file?

Usually a double click is enough: operating systems and the most common programs recognise it. If the program or website you use won’t accept it, you can convert it here to a more common format, for example MP3.

What extension do FLAC files have?

.flac. The MIME type is audio/flac.

Does converting a FLAC lose quality?

It depends on the target format: to lossless formats (PNG, FLAC, WAV) nothing is lost; to compressed formats (JPG, MP3, MP4) you can choose the quality to balance size and result.