CAF to AIFF Converter

How to Convert CAF to AIFF Online

1. Upload Your CAF File: Drag and drop, or click "+ Add Files" to select one or more .caf recordings from QuickVoice, Voice Memos exports, GarageBand iOS, Logic Pro session bounces, or Apple Loops folders. Batch conversion is supported.
2. Pick a Quality Preset: Default is Very High (Recommended) — keep this for archival or DAW work. Pick Highest to retain every bit of detail in 24-bit source material, Medium for faster batch jobs on long voice memos, or Lowest when you only need a small reference render. The preset drives the underlying PCM bit depth and bitrate of the AIFF output.
3. Set Audio Channel and Sample Rate (Optional): Leave Audio Channel on "Original" to preserve mono/stereo/surround layout, or force Mono to halve the file size for voice work and Stereo for music. Set Audio Sample Rate to "Original" by default; pick 44100 Hz for CD masters, 48000 Hz for video post, or 96000 Hz for high-resolution audio (when supported by the source).
4. Trim and Convert (Optional): Use the Trim controls to enter a start time and duration in seconds or HH:MM:SS.sss to extract a single segment. Click Convert and download — files process in your browser session, no sign-up, no watermark, no upload to a third-party DAW.

Why Convert CAF to AIFF?

CAF (Core Audio Format) is Apple's modern audio container, introduced in 2005 with Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. It uses 64-bit file offsets, so a single CAF can hold effectively unlimited audio — the Audacity docs estimate roughly 6 hours 45 minutes of 16-bit/44.1 kHz stereo before WAV/AIFF hit their cap, while a CAF can theoretically store hundreds of years. CAF can wrap PCM, ALAC, AAC, and other codecs and stores markers, channel layouts, and metadata. AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) is older — Apple released it in January 1988, based on Electronic Arts' IFF container — and stores big-endian uncompressed PCM with a 32-bit chunk-size header that caps standard AIFF files at roughly 4 GB.

You convert CAF to AIFF when you need a file that opens cleanly outside Apple's ecosystem:

• Pro Tools and cross-platform DAWs — Pro Tools, Cubase, Reaper, and Studio One handle AIFF natively on macOS and Windows. CAF support outside Logic Pro and GarageBand is patchy: Audacity 2.1.2 and earlier on Windows refused CAF entirely, and many Windows DAWs still need a sidecar plugin or transcode step.
• Sample libraries and Apple Loops — Most third-party sample libraries ship as AIFF or WAV. If you exported a custom loop from Logic Pro as .caf, converting to AIFF lets you drop it into Kontakt, Reason, or any sampler that doesn't read CAF.
• Voice memo cleanup — iOS Voice Memos and apps like QuickVoice export .caf. Sending an AIFF copy to a transcriber, podcast editor, or Windows-based collaborator avoids "Windows Media Player can't play this" support tickets.
• Long-term archival — AIFF's uncompressed PCM is the Library of Congress's preferred sustainable format for audio preservation, alongside WAV and BWF. CAF is not on that list. Converting masters to AIFF aligns with archival best practice.
• Legacy hardware and CD masters — Older CD-burning suites and standalone hardware samplers expect 16-bit/44.1 kHz AIFF. Converting once gives you a clean handoff file rather than re-bouncing the session every time.
• Surround and 24-bit work — Logic Pro's recording-file-type list includes 16-, 24-, and 32-bit float AIFF on Mac and iPad. Converting a 24-bit CAF capture preserves headroom for mastering without forcing the recipient onto Logic.

CAF vs AIFF — Format Comparison

Quality Preset Quick Guide

For multi-format workflows, see CAF to WAV for Windows-native PCM, CAF to MP3 for sharing-sized files, CAF to FLAC for lossless compression, or CAF to M4A to keep ALAC compatibility on Apple devices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will converting CAF to AIFF lose audio quality?

If the CAF holds uncompressed PCM at the same bit depth and sample rate as the AIFF you export, the conversion is mathematically lossless — sample values are unchanged, only the container changes. If the CAF holds compressed audio (ALAC, AAC, IMA-4), it is decoded to PCM during conversion. ALAC decodes losslessly; AAC and other lossy codecs do not regain detail when expanded to PCM, so the AIFF inherits the source's quality ceiling.

Why is the AIFF file so much larger than the CAF?

The CAF probably stored compressed audio. AIFF defaults to uncompressed PCM, which runs about 10 MB per minute of 16-bit/44.1 kHz stereo. A 60-minute ALAC-in-CAF voice memo at ~3 MB/min becomes ~600 MB as 16-bit/44.1 kHz stereo AIFF. If size matters more than format universality, export to FLAC or ALAC instead — both are lossless and roughly half the size of PCM.

Is there a 4 GB limit on the AIFF I'll get back?

Yes for standard AIFF. Apple's IFF-derived chunk header uses 32-bit unsigned sizes, so the data chunk caps at roughly 4 GB — about 6 hours 45 minutes of 16-bit/44.1 kHz stereo or 4 hours 30 minutes of 24-bit/44.1 kHz stereo, per the Audacity reference docs. If your CAF is longer than that, split it before conversion or pick WAV (RF64 extensions) or FLAC for the output instead.

Will Pro Tools, Reaper, and Cubase import the AIFF directly?

Yes. AIFF has been a first-class import and export format in every major DAW for decades. Pro Tools treats AIFF and WAV as native session media. Reaper, Cubase, Studio One, Logic Pro, Audition, and Audacity all read AIFF without conversion or plugin support, on macOS and Windows.

Can Windows play AIFF without installing anything?

Recent Windows builds — Windows 10 and 11 — play AIFF in the modern Media Player and Groove apps. VLC, foobar2000, MusicBee, and Winamp also play AIFF on every Windows version. You will run into trouble only with very old standalone hardware players that pre-date AIFF support; those usually expect MP3 or WAV instead.

What's the difference between AIFF and AIFF-C (AIFC)?

AIFF stores raw uncompressed PCM. AIFF-C is the same container with an extra compression-type field, so it can hold compressed audio (ulaw, alaw, IMA-4, MACE, even MP3 in some implementations) or use Apple's sowt "pseudo-codec" to store little-endian PCM for QuickTime compatibility. xconvert exports standard uncompressed AIFF; if you need AIFF-C specifically, target .aifc instead.

Should I pick 16-bit or 24-bit when my CAF is 24-bit?

Keep 24-bit (use the Highest preset) if the audio is heading back into a DAW for mixing or mastering — those eight extra bits are headroom for processing. Drop to 16-bit if the AIFF is the final delivery (CD master, podcast distribution, sample-library file) since 16-bit is the universal interchange depth and halves the file size.

My CAF is from QuickVoice / Voice Memos — will the conversion preserve markers?

The audio is preserved at the bit-perfect level for PCM sources, but most CAF-specific extras don't survive. CAF supports rich markers, regions, channel layouts, and free-form annotation chunks; AIFF supports only basic MARK and INST chunks. Time-stamped markers from a long voice memo or a Logic Pro CAF stem are typically dropped during conversion. If you need to keep them, render to WAV (which has broader marker support) or stay in CAF.

What follow-on conversions make sense after AIFF?

Once you have the AIFF, AIFF to MP3 is the most common next step for sharing or podcast distribution, and AIFF to WAV is useful when a Windows tool or hardware sampler specifically needs a RIFF/WAV file rather than IFF/AIFF. Both keep the audio bit-perfect when the target is uncompressed PCM at the same depth and rate.