Audio to AIFF Converter

How to Convert Audio to AIFF Online

1. Upload Your Audio File: Click "+ Add Files" or drag in tracks from MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A, AAC, AC3, OGG, OPUS, WMA, AMR, AU, AIF, AIFC, OGA, VOC, WEBA, or DSS. Batch uploads convert with the same settings.
2. Pick Audio Codec and File Compression: AIFF defaults to uncompressed PCM (the standard .aiff container, big-endian). Use File Compression to choose a quality preset, target file size, or specific bitrate when the source carries lossy data you'd rather not re-expand. The Compression level slider trades encode speed against size for codec variants.
3. Set Audio Channel, Sample Rate, and Trim (Optional): Keep Audio Channel at Original, downmix to Mono for voice work, or force Stereo. Audio Sample Rate offers 8 kHz through 96 kHz — pick 44.1 kHz for CD-matching masters or 48 kHz for video sync. Use Trim to set a start time and duration if you only need a section.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert." Files run on our servers — no sign-up, no watermark, no email gate.

Why Convert to AIFF?

AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) was published by Apple in 1988, built on top of Electronic Arts' Interchange File Format (IFF) chunk structure. It stores linear PCM samples in big-endian byte order — the Mac-side counterpart to Microsoft's little-endian WAV. Quality is identical to WAV at the same bit depth and sample rate; the format choice is about ecosystem fit and metadata handling.

• Logic Pro and GarageBand bounces — AIFF is a first-class export target in both DAWs, and stems imported as AIFF skip the conversion warning dialog that appears for MP3 or AAC sources.
• Final Cut Pro audio tracks — Final Cut imports AIFF without transcoding into its working format, which keeps round-trips between Logic, GarageBand, and FCP losslessly aligned at the sample level.
• CD-quality archives — 16-bit / 44.1 kHz stereo AIFF runs about 10 MB per minute (≈600 MB per hour), preserving every sample for masters you'll re-edit later.
• Sampler instruments and loop libraries — AIFF natively stores loop points, MIDI note numbers, and instrument chunks, which is why most Apple Loops and many Kontakt/EXS24 libraries ship as .aiff.
• Voice memos and field recordings to editable form — Converting an MP3 or M4A field recording to AIFF before processing prevents stacking lossy artifacts each time you re-export from your editor.
• Broadcast and mastering hand-offs — Many Mac-based mastering houses still request .aiff deliverables with embedded metadata over .wav because Apple's INFO chunks survive round-trips through iTunes and Logic.

AIFF vs WAV vs FLAC vs MP3 — Format Comparison

Bit Depth and Sample Rate Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert MP3 to AIFF if AIFF can't recover the discarded data?

It can't — MP3 throws away frequency content during encoding and that loss is permanent. The reason to convert is to stop further damage. Every time you re-export an MP3 from an editor, the encoder re-compresses an already-compressed signal and stacks new artifacts. Converting once to AIFF, then editing and exporting from there, holds the audio at its current quality until you choose to render a final lossy copy. See MP3 to AIFF for the dedicated converter.

Are AIFF and WAV files actually different inside, or just renamed?

They're genuinely different binary layouts. AIFF wraps PCM samples in IFF "FORM" chunks with big-endian byte order; WAV uses Microsoft's RIFF chunks with little-endian. Most modern players read both, but writing the wrong byte order into a renamed file plays back as static. If you need a WAV instead, use AIFF to WAV.

What sample rate and bit depth should I pick?

Match the destination. CD masters and most iTunes/Apple Music ingests want 16-bit / 44.1 kHz stereo. Video editorial almost always runs 48 kHz to stay frame-aligned. Hi-res music distribution is typically 24-bit / 96 kHz. Going higher than the source's original sample rate doesn't recover detail — it just inflates file size, so use the source's rate or the delivery target's rate, whichever is lower.

Does converting to AIFF preserve metadata like artist, title, and album art?

AIFF supports name, author, annotation, and comment chunks (NAME, AUTH, ANNO, COMT) that Logic, GarageBand, and the Finder Get Info panel read. Album art and rich ID3-style tags from MP3 sources don't always round-trip cleanly — Apple's INFO chunks survive but extended ID3v2 frames may drop. For tag-heavy libraries, keep a backup of the source.

What's the difference between.aiff,.aif, and.aifc?

.aiff and .aif are the same uncompressed PCM format with different historical extensions — .aif came from early classic Mac OS filename limits, .aiff is preferred today. .aifc is AIFF-C, a container that allows compressed payloads (μ-law, A-law, IMA ADPCM, or Apple's sowt pseudo-compression which is just little-endian PCM). Use plain .aiff for uncompressed work; .aifc only when a target tool specifically requires it.

My converted AIFF is much larger than the MP3 I started with — is that normal?

Yes. A 1-minute 128 kbps MP3 is about 1 MB; the same minute as 16-bit / 44.1 kHz stereo AIFF is roughly 10 MB. The MP3 encoder discarded most of the bit budget; AIFF restores the full PCM envelope (not the discarded detail). If you need a smaller file but still want lossless, start from FLAC directly, or use Compress AIFF on the output to drop bit depth or sample rate.

Can I convert several files at once and trim each one differently?

You can batch-upload and convert all files with the same settings in one pass. The Trim option applies the same start time and duration to every file in the batch — for clip-by-clip cuts use Trim AIFF on each output, or upload one file at a time when the trim points differ.

Will AIFF play on Windows or Android, or only on Apple devices?

It plays on both, just not always natively. Windows Media Player handles standard .aiff since Windows 7; VLC, foobar2000, and Audacity play it on every desktop OS. Android needs a third-party player like VLC or MX Player — the stock Files app and Google's media stack don't decode AIFF reliably. For phone-friendly playback, convert AIFF to MP3 instead.

Is the conversion lossless if my source is already lossless (WAV or FLAC)?

Yes. WAV→AIFF and FLAC→AIFF are bit-exact PCM transcodes — the same samples are written into a different container (plus a byte-order swap for WAV). No re-encoding, no quality loss. Going WAV to AIFF preserves every sample.