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AIFF to FLAC Converter

Convert AIFF to FLAC online for free. Fast, secure, and high-quality conversion with no sign-up or software required.

  • Free to use
  • No file stored beyond 1 hour
  • Encrypted over TLS 1.2/1.3
  • No watermarks

Drag and drop your files here or click to upload.

Maximum file size is 1GB

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How it works

Three steps to your converted file

Everything happens in your browser tab - upload, pick a format, download. The heavy lifting runs on our servers.

  1. 01

    Upload your file

    Drag and drop, click to browse, or paste a URL. Batches take up to 20 files at once - 230+ input formats across video, audio, image, document, and archive types.

  2. 02

    Choose an output format

    Pick from over a hundred output formats. Filter by category or search by name - every option is open to everyone, no account needed.

  3. 03

    Convert & download

    Hit Convert and grab your download link moments later. Originals are erased when the job completes; results are cleared within about an hour.

AIFF to FLAC

Why convert AIFF to FLAC?

AIFF is an uncompressed format, while FLAC is a lossless format.

  • Where FLAC works best

    Archiving music at full CD quality in about half the size of WAV.

AIFF vs FLAC: what's the difference?

PropertyAIFFFLAC
TypeAudioAudio
CompressionUncompressed (largest files)Lossless (no quality loss)
Opens inMacs, iTunes and professional audio editorsMost music players and Android; iPhone via the Files app or VLC
Best forStudio-quality audio on Apple systemsArchiving music at full CD quality in about half the size of WAV

What is an AIFF file?

Audio Interchange File Format

Developed By
Apple Inc.
Initial Release
1988
MIME Type
audio/x-aiff

The AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) is a lossless audio container format developed by Apple Inc., functioning as the standard uncompressed audio format for the Macintosh platform. Based on the EA IFF 85 standard, AIFF files store data in Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) format using big-endian byte ordering. It is functionally analogous to the WAV format used on Windows but differs in its header structure and byte sequence. AIFF is widely used in professional audio recording and editing due to its lack of compression artifacts and high-fidelity signal retention.

How to open an AIFF file

AIFF is the native uncompressed audio format for macOS, allowing files to be opened immediately in QuickTime, Apple Music, and Logic Pro. Windows users can open AIFF files using Windows Media Player, though some metadata may not render correctly. For professional manipulation or playback on Linux and Windows systems, VLC Media Player and Adobe Audition are the industry-standard recommendations, ensuring accurate interpretation of the big-endian PCM data streams.

What is a FLAC file?

Free Lossless Audio Codec

Developed By
Josh Coalson / Xiph.Org Foundation
Initial Release
2001
MIME Type
audio/flac

The Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) is an open-source audio coding format developed by the Xiph.Org Foundation that compresses digital audio without any loss of data (bit-perfect preservation). It employs linear prediction and Rice coding (Golomb-Rice) rather than the perceptual psychoacoustic modeling used in MP3 or AAC. The format structure consists of the 'fLaC' stream marker, metadata blocks (Streaminfo, Vorbis comments for tags, Seekpoints), and audio frames, typically achieving compression ratios of 50-70% compared to raw PCM WAV files.

How to open a FLAC file

FLAC enjoys extensive native support on modern platforms, including Windows 10/11, Android, and macOS (starting with macOS High Sierra). For older systems or advanced playback control, software such as Foobar2000 (Windows) or Vox (macOS) is recommended. The VLC media player is a universal solution for all operating systems, handling FLAC streams and associated metadata seamlessly.

More tools

More free audio tools

All audio conversions

Why RunConvert

The fastest way to convert any file

Purpose-built for speed, privacy, and breadth of format support.

  • Convert AIFF to FLAC in seconds

    Every AIFF to FLAC conversion runs on our servers, so your device stays fast and the output quality stays intact.

  • Fast, cloud-powered

    No queue, no waiting. Files are processed on high-performance servers and returned in seconds, even for large files.

  • Secure & private

    Encrypted in transit and never shared with anyone. Uploads are erased the moment your job completes, and results shortly after.

  • Free - no account needed

    Convert without creating an account - no credit card, no trial clock. Sign in only if you want history and higher daily limits.

Developer API

Convert AIFF to FLAC via API

Automate AIFF to FLAC conversions in three steps: create a job, upload your file, then poll for the result.

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your RunConvert API key. Get your free API key at runconvert.com/api.

# 1. Create job
curl -X POST https://api.runconvert.com/v3/jobs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "tag": "aiff-to-flac",
    "tasks": {
      "upload-file": {
        "operation": "import/direct/upload"
      },
      "convert": {
        "operation": "convert",
        "input": "upload-file",
        "input_format": "aiff",
        "output_format": "flac"
      },
      "export-result": {
        "operation": "export/url",
        "input": "convert"
      }
    }
  }'

# 2. Upload your file (upload_url of the upload-file task in the response)
curl -X PUT "$UPLOAD_URL&filename=input.aiff" --upload-file input.aiff

# 3. Poll for result
curl https://api.runconvert.com/v3/jobs/$JOB_ID?include=tasks \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

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