Audio · .flac
What Is a FLAC File?
A .flac file is a lossless compressed audio format for high-quality music.
- Extension
- .flac
- Full name
- Free Lossless Audio Codec
- Type
- Audio
- MIME type
- audio/flac
- Developed by
- Xiph.Org Foundation (2001)
Free FLAC Tools
These run in your browser. Your FLAC files are never uploaded.
About FLAC Files
FLAC compresses audio without losing anything, like a ZIP file for sound. A FLAC file is typically 50 to 70 percent of the size of the uncompressed WAV, yet decodes to exactly the same audio. That makes it the favourite format for music collectors, hi-res downloads and archiving CDs. It is open and royalty-free. Phones, browsers and most players support it, but some Apple software prefers its own lossless format, ALAC.
How to Open a FLAC File
- Windows
- Windows 10 and 11 play FLAC in Media Player. VLC and foobar2000 also work.
- Mac
- QuickTime Player and Music on recent macOS versions play FLAC, as does VLC.
- iPhone & Android
- The Files app on iPhone plays FLAC. Most Android music players support it.
- Any device
- Drag it into Chrome
FLAC File Questions
Is FLAC better than MP3?
FLAC keeps the full quality of the original, while MP3 discards some detail. On ordinary headphones many people can't hear a difference from a 320 kbps MP3.
Can I convert FLAC to MP3 without losing quality?
Some quality is always lost, because MP3 is lossy. At 320 kbps the difference is very small.