.flac — Free Lossless Audio Codec
A lossless audio format for preserving music quality while still reducing file size.
About this format
FLAC compresses audio without throwing away information. It is a good archive format for music, recordings, and source audio.
Use FLAC when quality preservation matters. Convert to AAC, Opus, or MP3 when file size and device compatibility matter more.
Real-world samples & file sizes
Four real .flac files prepared from online source recordings. Each audio sample includes a nonblank spectrogram cover so the format page can be inspected visually before downloading.
Guitar FLAC
A real lossless guitar sample trimmed to 20 seconds with a spectrogram cover.
Field Recording FLAC
A high-sample-rate field recording clipped to a manageable FLAC preview.
Underwater Sound FLAC
A compact FLAC field sample with a dense frequency-domain cover image.
Orchestra FLAC
A public-domain orchestral recording trimmed into a small lossless sample.
Pros
- +Lossless audio compression
- +Open and widely supported
- +Good metadata support
Cons
- −Larger than lossy formats
- −Not ideal for tiny uploads
- −Some older devices do not support it
FLAC vs other formats
| vs | Size | Quality | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| MP3/AAC | FLAC is larger | FLAC is lossless | Use lossy formats for smaller listening copies. |
| WAV | FLAC is smaller | Both can be lossless | FLAC is usually better for storage. |
Where it works
- Windows 10+
- macOS via Music/Finder support varies
- Linux native players
- Chrome / Edge / Firefox support FLAC
- Safari support varies by version
- VLC
- foobar2000
- Audacity
- MusicBee
- Plex
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
- Is FLAC better than MP3?
- For preservation, yes. For small listening copies, MP3/AAC/Opus are usually smaller.
- Can FLAC be converted without quality loss?
- Converting FLAC to another lossless format can preserve quality; converting to lossy formats will discard information.
Sources
- FLAC official format documentation - official FLAC bitstream and metadata format