Convert your music library: FLAC, M4A, WMA and RealAudio to MP3 or Opus
Music collections accumulate formats: FLAC rips, M4A from iTunes, WMA from Windows Media Player, even RealAudio from the dial-up era. Here is how to get them all playing on one device — and when converting is a bad idea.
Lossless or lossy: decide once
FLAC, AIFF and WAV are lossless — every sample of the original is present. MP3, AAC (M4A), WMA and Opus are lossy — they discard detail the encoder judges inaudible. Converting lossless to lossy is fine; converting lossy to lossy loses quality twice, so keep the original and convert from it.
Converting MP3 to FLAC does not restore anything. It produces a larger file with exactly the MP3's quality. Only do it when a device or app insists on FLAC input.
Which target to pick
MP3 at 320 kbps plays on every device made in the last 25 years; choose it for car stereos, old players and maximum compatibility. Opus gives the same quality at roughly half the size and is the best choice for phones and streaming, but older hardware does not support it. AAC sits between the two and is native on Apple devices.
For archiving, keep FLAC. It is lossless, open, and compresses CD audio to about 60 percent of WAV size.
The dead formats
RealAudio (.ra, .rm) files from the 1990s still open here — we decode them with FFmpeg's original codecs. WMA from early Windows rips converts the same way. Neither has a future as a playback format; move them to MP3 or FLAC once and be done.
Batch upload handles an entire album folder at a time. Each track runs as its own job, so one damaged file never stops the rest.
Music library conversions
How to do it
- 1Add the tracks
Drag a folder of FLAC, M4A, WMA, RA or WAV files onto the converter. Hundreds at a time is fine.
- 2Pick MP3, Opus, AAC or FLAC
MP3 for compatibility, Opus for size, FLAC for archiving. Set a bitrate in the options if you want to override the high-quality default.
- 3Download
Tracks are delivered as they finish. Nothing is stored beyond 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
Does converting keep the album art and tags?
Title, artist, album and track number are carried across where the target format supports them. Embedded cover art is preserved for MP3, M4A and FLAC targets.
What bitrate should I use for MP3?
320 kbps if space is no concern; 192 kbps is transparent for most listeners on most music. The default is a high-quality variable bitrate.
Can I convert Apple Music or Spotify downloads?
No. Those are DRM-protected and cannot be converted by any tool. Purchased iTunes tracks (M4A without DRM) convert normally.
Is Opus really better than MP3?
At the same bitrate, yes — noticeably. At 128 kbps Opus matches MP3 at roughly 256 kbps. The only reason to avoid it is a device that does not play it.