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MKV to AIFF converter

Convert MKV to AIFF 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 AIFF
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Other ways to convert MKV

Convert other formats to AIFF

Read more about the MKV format and the AIFF format, or see every video tool and all video conversions.

Should you convert MKV to AIFF?

Yes, when you only need the sound: a song from a music video, the audio of a lecture, or a voice recording to transcribe. The picture is left out and the soundtrack is saved as AIFF.

MKV is a flexible container for any codec, with several audio and subtitle tracks; AIFF is uncompressed audio, Apple’s equivalent of WAV. Use AIFF for editing in Mac audio software, or when a Mac workflow asks for it.

MKV and AIFF compared
Property MKV AIFF
What it is A flexible container for any codec, with several audio and subtitle tracks Uncompressed audio, Apple’s equivalent of WAV
Audio inside H.264 or HEVC video with AAC, AC-3 or Opus audio, often plus subtitles 16-bit PCM
Plays on VLC, Plex, Kodi and many smart TVs, but not iPhones, most editors or social apps Macs, iPhones and pro audio software; some Windows and web apps prefer WAV
Best for Films and series with several languages and subtitle tracks Audio production on Macs, and importing into Logic or GarageBand

How to convert MKV to AIFF

  1. 01

    Add your MKV

    Drop your MKV video 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 AIFF. Change the bitrate if you want to; the defaults suit most files.

  3. 03

    Save the AIFF

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

What changes when MKV becomes AIFF

AIFF is lossless, the soundtrack usually isn’t

The audio inside an MKV is almost always compressed already, usually as AAC, AC-3 or Opus. AIFF preserves it exactly but makes a much larger file without sounding better. Choose it for editing software; choose MP3 or M4A for listening.

Video files without sound

Screen recordings and some exported clips have no audio track at all. The file is checked as soon as you add it, and you’ll be told before converting if there’s nothing to extract.

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

Why it doesn’t upload

Uploading a whole video to keep only its sound wastes time and data, and hands over the footage too. The audio track is read and saved right here, and the file never leaves your device.

How to check for yourself

Worth knowing

  • About the MKV. Converting an MKV to a single-track format keeps only one audio track and drops soft subtitles unless you pick them.
  • About the AIFF. AIFF stores samples in the opposite byte order to WAV; tools that assume WAV turn it into loud static.
  • AVI, WMV, FLV and other older formats use the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download.

Questions

Does extracting AIFF from an MKV lose quality?

No. AIFF stores the soundtrack exactly as decoded, although it can’t improve on the compression already in the video.

Can I get the audio from only part of the video?

Yes. Set a start and end time before converting, and only that section is saved as AIFF.

Read more about this

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