What to Know
- A FLAC file is an audio file in the Free Lossless Audio Codec format.
- Open one with VLC media player.
- Convert to MP3, WAV, AAC, M4R, etc., at Zamzar.com.
This article explains what a FLAC file is, plus how to open one and how to convert one to a different audio file format.
What Is a FLAC File?
A file with the FLAC file extension is a Free Lossless Audio Codec file, an open source audio compression format. It can be used to compress an audio file down to around half of its original size.
Audio compressed via the FLAC format is lossless, meaning no sound quality is lost during the compression. This is very much unlike other popular audio compression formats that you've probably heard of, like MP3 or WMA.
A FLAC Fingerprint file is a plain text file, normally called ffp.txt, that's used to store the filename and checksum information that pertains to a specific FLAC file. These are sometimes generated along with a FLAC file.
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How to Open a FLAC File
The best FLAC player is probably VLC because it supports not only this format but lots of other common and uncommon audio and video formats that you might run into in the future.
However, nearly all popular media players should be able to play it; they might just require a plugin or extension to be installed. To play FLAC files in Windows Media Player, for example, requires a codec pack such as Xiph's OpenCodec plugin. The free Fluke tool can be used on a Mac to play FLAC files in iTunes.
GoldWave, VUPlayer, aTunes, and JetAudio are some other compatible FLAC players.
To listen to FLAC files on an iPhone or Android, install VLC for iOS or VLC for Android. Another player for Android is JetAudio.
The Free Lossless Audio Codec community hosts a website dedicated to the format and keeps a well-maintained list of programs that support FLAC, as well as a list of hardware devices that support the FLAC format.
If you need to open a plain text FLAC file, consider using a text editor from our Best Free Text Editors list.
How to Convert a FLAC File
The fastest way to convert just one or two is to use a free file converter that runs in your browser so you don't have to download any software. Zamzar, Online-Convert.com, and Media.io are just a few of my favorites that can convert FLAC to WAV, AC3, M4R, OGG, and other similar formats.
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If your file is large and would take too long to upload, or you have several of them that you want to convert in bulk, there are a handful of completely free audio converters you can install to your computer that convert to and from the format.
Free Studio and Switch Sound File Converter are two programs that can convert one to MP3, AAC, WMA, M4A, and other common audio formats. To convert FLAC to ALAC, you can use MediaHuman Audio Converter.
Still Can't Open It?
Some file extensions look like .FLAC but are actually spelled differently, and so most likely can't be opened with the programs mentioned above or converted with the same conversion tools. If you can't open your file, double-check the extension — you might actually be dealing with a totally different file format.
One example is the .FLA file extension. While this could be an audio file, and might therefore work just fine with the programs I describe above, it could instead be an animation project created and used by Adobe Animate.
The same is true for FLIC/FLC (FLIC Animation), FLASH (Frictional Games Flashback) and FLAME (Fractal Flames) files. Those files aren't in the same format as a FLAC file, so other programs are needed to open them.
More Information on the FLAC Format
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FLAC is said to be the "first truly open and free lossless audio format." It's free not only to use, but even the whole specification is freely available to the public. The encoding and decoding methods don't infringe on any other patents, and the source code is freely available as an open source license.
FLAC isn't intended to be DRM-protected. However, even though the format doesn't have any built-in copy protection, someone can encrypt their own FLAC file in another container format.
The FLAC format supports not only audio data but also cover art, fast seeking, and tagging. Since FLACs can be seekable, they're better than some other formats for editing applications.
The format is also error resistant, so even if an error occurs in one frame, it doesn't destroy the rest of the stream like some audio formats, but instead just that one frame, which might only amount to just a fraction of the whole file.
You can read lots more about the Free Lossless Audio Codec file format on the FLAC website: What Is FLAC?.
FAQ
Do FLAC files sound better than MP3 files?
Yes. MP3 is a lossy compression format, which means that some audio data is lost from the original recording.
Are FLAC files better than WAV files?
It depends on what you use them for. Both are lossless formats, but WAV files are uncompressed, so they are much larger. On the other hand, FLAC isn't as widely supported as WAV, so WAV files are easier to play and edit.
Do FLAC files sound better than ALAC files?
Yes. Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) files are CD-quality, which sound superior to other digital formats, but FLAC sounds closer to the original recording. FLAC has a higher sampling rate and uses 24-bit encoding while ALAC uses 16-bit encoding.
Is there a way to burn FLAC files to a CD that will play on any CD player?
No. CD players do not support FLAC files, so you must convert your tracks to a supported format like WAV.
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