.FLAC File Extension

Free Lossless Audio Codec File

Developer Xiph.Org Foundation
Popularity
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What is an FLAC file?

A FLAC file is an audio file compressed in the Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) format, which is an open-source lossless audio compression format. It is similar to an .MP3 file, but is compressed without losing any quality or original audio data.

More Information

Screenshot of a .flac file in Adobe Audition 2021
FLAC file open in Adobe Audition 2021

FLAC reduces the size of digital audio by approximately 60 percent and is widely supported across popular platforms. The format is open-source and developed by the Xiph.Org Foundation.

A FLAC Fingerprint file, which contains the filename and checksum information for a FLAC file, may be generated along with the FLAC file. This file is typically named ffp.txt and can be created using the following command:

metaflac --show-md5sum flac_file_names > ffp.txt

How to open an FLAC file

You can play FLAC files with various media players, including Microsoft Media Player (Windows), VLC media player (multiplatform), and MPlayer (multiplatform). iOS and Android users can play FLAC files in VLC for iOS and VLC for Android, respectively.

How to convert an FLAC file

Many audio players and editors, including Audacity, VideoLAN VLC media player, and Adobe Audition, can convert FLAC files to other audio formats. For example, Audition can convert FLAC files to the following formats:

  • .AIFF - Audio Interchange File Format
  • .WAV - WAVE Audio
  • .MP3 - MP3 Audio
  • .OGG - Ogg Vorbis Audio
  • .MP2 - MP2 Audio
  • .M4A - MPEG-4 Audio
  • .AC3 - Audio Codec 3
  • .AMR - Adaptive Multi-rate Codec
  • .OPUS - Opus Audio
  • .WMA - Windows Media Audio
Open and view .FLAC files with File Viewer Plus.Free Download

Programs that open FLAC files

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