Keep your WAV music lossless in smaller FLAC files
Convert a WAV music collection to FLAC to use less storage without discarding the audio in your PCM WAV files. FLAC is a strong choice for lossless listening and a growing music library, provided your player supports it. Keep WAV when an editor or delivery specification asks for that format.
WAV and FLAC: two ways to keep music lossless
WAV, short for Waveform Audio File Format, commonly holds uncompressed PCM audio. A music collection in PCM WAV keeps the audio without lossy encoding and works in many players and editors, but albums can take substantial storage space.
FLAC means Free Lossless Audio Codec. It compresses the audio samples without discarding them, so a FLAC made from PCM WAV can play back the same audio while usually taking less space. That makes it a practical format for a lossless music library, especially when you keep adding albums or live recordings.
Choose FLAC when your music player supports it and you want more room for your collection. Keep WAV when an editor or delivery specification asks for it. If the WAV came from an MP3, converting it to FLAC cannot restore what the MP3 already lost.
Choose WAV, FLAC, or MP3 for the next use
| Next use | Suitable format |
|---|---|
| Editing or a WAV delivery requirement | Keep the WAV when the software or client explicitly expects that container. |
| Lossless music library | Choose FLAC for smaller files with the same audio samples as a PCM WAV source, if your player supports it. |
| Small listening or review copy | MP3 is more compact and broadly playable, but its compression is lossy.WAV to MP3 |
Preserve the audio while controlling FLAC compression
Keep source audio settings when fidelity matters
Do not cap the sample rate or lower the bit depth when the goal is a lossless storage copy. Those changes alter the decoded audio before it is stored in FLAC.
Use compression effort for size, not quality
FLAC compression effort changes encoding time and may change the resulting file size. It does not create a lower-quality listening version: a valid FLAC decodes to the same stored audio samples.
Confirm playback and delivery support
FLAC is broadly supported by audio software, but some editors, browsers, and client systems still request WAV or MP3. Test the destination before replacing a required WAV delivery with FLAC.
How to convert WAV to FLAC online
Keep Sample rate at "Same as source" and Bit depth at "Same as source, up to format support", then start with Balanced compression. Play a converted track in your music player before processing the collection.
The free allowance is 2 files per batch, up to 100 MB each, and 20 conversions per 24 hours. No account or watermark. Files are uploaded for server-side processing, then scheduled for deletion after 24 hours on the Free plan.
Convert a WAV music collection to FLAC
Save a FLAC recipe for your PCM WAV albums and apply it to each new batch of tracks. Keep the WAV masters separately if you may edit or deliver them later.
A free account includes 1 saved conversion recipe. Paid plans add larger batches, more recipes and delivery to Google Drive or Dropbox after you start each batch.