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WAV to FLAC converter

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

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Related conversions

Need it the other way round? Convert FLAC to WAV

Other ways to convert WAV

Convert other formats to FLAC

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

Should you convert WAV to FLAC?

You’re archiving recordings and want to halve the storage without losing a single bit of quality.

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

WAV is uncompressed, studio-quality audio; FLAC is lossless audio at roughly half the size of WAV. Use FLAC to archive music and recordings you may want to convert again later.

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

How to convert WAV to FLAC

  1. 01

    Add your WAV

    Drop your WAV 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 FLAC. Change the bitrate if you want to; the defaults suit most files.

  3. 03

    Save the FLAC

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

What changes when WAV becomes FLAC

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 smaller file

FLAC usually stores the same content in less space than WAV. WAV: About 10 MB a minute at CD quality. FLAC: About 5–7 MB a minute for music.

This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of WAV and FLAC, 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 WAV. A WAV made from an MP3 is ten times bigger but sounds exactly like the MP3; the lost detail doesn’t come back.
  • 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.
  • 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 WAV to FLAC lose quality?

No quality is lost converting to FLAC.

Will an FLAC play in my car or on my phone?

FLAC opens almost everywhere: most modern players, Android and recent iPhones; some car stereos and older apps don’t.

Read more about this

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