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M4A to FLAC Converter

Convert M4A 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.

M4A to FLAC

Why convert M4A to FLAC?

M4A is a lossy format, while FLAC is a lossless format.

  • No further quality loss

    FLAC is lossless, so from here on the file keeps every detail - good for editing and archiving.

  • Where FLAC works best

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

M4A vs FLAC: what's the difference?

PropertyM4AFLAC
TypeAudioAudio
CompressionLossy (smaller files, some quality loss)Lossless (no quality loss)
Opens inApple devices, iTunes and most modern playersMost music players and Android; iPhone via the Files app or VLC
Best foriPhone voice memos and Apple Music downloadsArchiving music at full CD quality in about half the size of WAV

What is an M4A file?

MPEG-4 Audio

Developed By
Apple Inc. / MPEG
Initial Release
2001
MIME Type
audio/mp4

The M4A file extension denotes an audio-only MPEG-4 container, defined by ISO/IEC 14496-14 standards and typically encoded using Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) or Apple Lossless (ALAC). Originally popularized by Apple to differentiate audio content from standard .MP4 video files, the container utilizes an atom-based structure (e.g., ftyp, moov, mdat) to store audio streams and metadata. It serves as the successor to MP3, offering superior compression efficiency and fidelity at equivalent bitrates.

How to open an M4A file

M4A files are natively supported by the Apple ecosystem (iTunes, QuickTime, iOS Music) and Windows Media Player on modern Windows versions. Cross-platform compatibility is robust, with VLC Media Player, Audacity, and Winamp providing decoding capabilities. On Android devices, native players often handle M4A, though third-party apps like Poweramp ensure compatibility with ALAC-encoded variants.

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 M4A to FLAC in seconds

    Every M4A 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 M4A to FLAC via API

Automate M4A 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": "m4a-to-flac",
    "tasks": {
      "upload-file": {
        "operation": "import/upload"
      },
      "convert": {
        "operation": "convert",
        "input": "upload-file",
        "output_format": "flac"
      },
      "export-result": {
        "operation": "export/url",
        "input": "convert"
      }
    }
  }'

# 2. Upload your file (use upload_url from the response)
curl -X PUT "$UPLOAD_URL" --upload-file input.m4a

# 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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