Convert M4A to FLAC

Free, in your browser, no signup: files delete themselves within an hour.

Drop your file here to upload

Free, no signup
No watermark, ever
Files auto-delete in 1 hour
Nothing to install

You can convert M4A to FLAC for free above: just know the FLAC will sound identical to the M4A, not better; lossless can't restore discarded detail.

Let's be straight with each other: converting M4A to FLAC will not bring back detail the M4A encoder already threw away. What you do get is a FLAC that behaves like one: built for archiving music with zero quality loss and a genuine size saving: which is often exactly what an editor, burner or archive pipeline demands instead of an M4A.

FYI

Honest warning: a FLAC made from M4A is lossless from here on, but it can't restore what the M4A encoder already discarded. It will sound exactly like your M4A: just bigger.

Why flip M4A to FLAC

M4A is AAC in Apple's favorite outfit: the audio-only MP4 your iPhone speaks natively. It was born in 2003, popularized by Apple's iTunes Store, and its real weak spot is older Windows software and stubborn car stereos that expect a .mp3.

FLAC is the audiophile's handshake: CD-perfect sound at roughly half the shelf space. Free Lossless Audio Codec: think ZIP for sound: it decompresses back to the exact original. That makes it the right destination when what you need is archiving music with zero quality loss and a genuine size saving.

How to convert M4A to FLAC

1
Drop your M4A file into the flipper above, or click to browse for it.
2
Check the output format: FLAC is already selected for you.
3
Hit Convert, give it a moment, then download your new FLAC.

M4A vs FLAC, side by side

	M4A	FLAC
Born	2003, popularized by Apple's iTunes Store	2001, Josh Coalson; now kept by the open Xiph.Org Foundation
Type	audio · lossy	audio · lossless
Best for	sounding great anywhere in the Apple ecosystem	archiving music with zero quality loss and a genuine size saving
Weak spot	older Windows software and stubborn car stereos that expect a .mp3	fitting in pockets: lossless is still large: and charming Apple's own apps
Typical size	like AAC: better-than-MP3 sound at about 1 MB per minute	around 5 MB per minute: half of WAV, five times an MP3
Plays on	iPhone, Mac and iTunes natively; most modern Android and Windows apps too.	Hi-fi gear, Android, VLC, most desktop players; iTunes and Apple Music look away.

Questions people ask

Will converting M4A to FLAC lose quality?

It won't lose more, and it won't gain any back. The FLAC preserves your M4A exactly as it is now: including whatever the original lossy encode discarded.

Will the FLAC file be bigger or smaller than my M4A?

Bigger: usually several times bigger. FLAC runs around 5 MB per minute: half of WAV, five times an MP3, and none of that extra space adds quality to an M4A source.

Where will the FLAC file play?

Hi-fi gear, Android, VLC, most desktop players; iTunes and Apple Music look away. That's the usual reason people leave M4A behind: FLAC simply opens in more of the places that matter.

How long does M4A to FLAC conversion take?

Seconds for most files: audio is light work. A long recording might take a minute; your file auto-deletes from our servers within an hour either way.

More ways to handle these formats

Change M4A format FLAC conversion FLAC Compressor FLAC Trimmer FLAC speed changer FLAC Joiner Increase M4A volume