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FLAC to WAV converter

Convert FLAC to WAV in your browser. No upload and no account: the file never leaves your device, so the only size limit is your device’s memory.

I want WAV
Advanced 4
sec

Leave both at 0 for the whole file.

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Bytes of your files sent anywhere: 0 B

Related conversions

Need it the other way round? Convert WAV to FLAC

Other ways to convert FLAC

Convert other formats to WAV

Read more about the FLAC format and the WAV format, or see every audio tool and all audio conversions.

Should you convert FLAC to WAV?

Some DAWs, samplers, CD burning tools and hardware only read WAV. Converting FLAC to WAV is lossless — not a single sample changes.

A lossless move: FLAC and WAV both keep every sample, so the sound is identical and you can convert back at any time.

WAV also plays in more places: every computer, audio editor and DAW, and most phones.

FLAC is lossless audio at roughly half the size of WAV; WAV is uncompressed, studio-quality audio. Use WAV while editing and for systems that demand it, such as phone systems, samplers and some broadcast tools.

FLAC and WAV compared
Property FLAC WAV
Compression Lossless Uncompressed
Typical quality lossless, 16 or 24-bit 16-bit PCM, 44.1 or 48 kHz
Support Opens almost everywhere Opens everywhere
Best for Archiving music and recordings without losing anything Editing, mastering and software that insists on WAV
Introduced 2001 1991

How to convert FLAC to WAV

  1. 01

    Add your FLAC

    Drop your FLAC file onto the box, or click to choose it. It is read from your disk and stays there.

  2. 02

    Check the settings

    The output is already set to WAV. Change the bitrate if you want to; the defaults suit most files.

  3. 03

    Save the WAV

    Press convert and save the WAV. Several files come back together as a ZIP.

What changes when FLAC becomes WAV

Identical sound

Both formats are lossless, so the audio isn’t changed at all. Only the file size and which apps open it differ.

Expect a larger file

WAV generally takes more room than FLAC. If the file has to fit an upload limit, check the size once it’s converted. FLAC: About 5–7 MB a minute for music. WAV: About 10 MB a minute at CD quality.

This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of FLAC and WAV, so every pairing states the same facts the same way. How these pages are made.

Why it doesn’t upload

Recordings are often private: interviews, voice notes, unreleased music. Your browser can decode and encode audio itself, so there is no reason to send it anywhere.

How to check for yourself

Worth knowing

  • About the FLAC. FLAC made from an MP3 is lossless only in name: it perfectly preserves an already lossy recording, at five times the size.
  • About the WAV. A WAV made from an MP3 is ten times bigger but sounds exactly like the MP3; the lost detail doesn’t come back.
  • MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, Opus and FLAC are converted by your browser directly. WMA, AMR, APE, AC3 and the other specialist formats use the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download.

Questions

Does converting FLAC to WAV lose quality?

No quality is lost converting to WAV.

Will a WAV play in my car or on my phone?

WAV opens everywhere: every computer, audio editor and DAW, and most phones.

Read more about this

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