How to convert AAC to Apple Lossless (ALAC)
- 1
Upload your file
Drag and drop a file or click to select one. Keep this page open while the file uploads and converts.
- 2
Convert AAC to Apple Lossless (ALAC)
NexMedia converts AAC to Apple Lossless (ALAC) on its own servers. Processing time depends on the file size and how busy the queue is.
- 3
Download the converted file
When the conversion finishes, the download appears on this page. Your converted file is kept for 2 hours, then deleted.
About AAC
AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) is the lossy audio codec standardised in MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 as the successor to MP3; at the same bitrate it generally sounds better than MP3.
It is the audio in most MP4 videos, in Apple Music and on YouTube; a .aac file is a bare AAC stream without a container.
A bare .aac stream has only limited room for tags and cover art, so music players usually expect AAC inside an M4A file.
Convert AAC to ALAC online free, no account required — ALAC is Apple's lossless audio codec.
Change AAC to ALAC without losing quality — convert AAC to ALAC free in your browser.
Why won't my old MP3 player or car stereo play AAC files? Older hardware was built before AAC became common and often only decodes MP3, so a conversion keeps the music playable anywhere.
About Apple Lossless (ALAC)
Apple Lossless (ALAC) is Apple's lossless audio codec, usually stored in an .m4a file; Apple released it as open source in 2011.
Lossless music in iTunes, Apple Music and on iPhones.
ALAC files are smaller than WAV but several times larger than AAC, and many devices outside Apple's prefer FLAC.
Why convert a CD to ALAC? You keep every sample of the original at half the WAV size, and it syncs and plays inside the Apple ecosystem untouched.
What changes when you convert AAC to ALAC
- The audio is decoded and re-encoded as ALAC at the default settings, so the result is close to the AAC but not bit-identical.
- AAC is a lossy format and ALAC is not: the ALAC keeps the decoded AAC exactly, but it cannot restore detail the AAC compression already removed, and the file is usually larger.
Settings you can change
Before you convert AAC to ALAC, you can adjust: Audio codec, Rate control, Audio bitrate, Quality (VBR), Sample rate, Channels, Normalize loudness, Trim start, Trim duration, and Keep tags.
Limits
Each plan sets a maximum file size and a number of conversions per day, and video and audio files also have a maximum length. Guests can convert files up to 100 megabytes and 5 per day; a free account raises this to 500 megabytes and 25 per day; paid plans go up to 100 gigabytes.
Your converted ALAC file is kept for 2 hours, then deleted.
AAC to ALAC: questions and answers
Does converting AAC to ALAC reduce quality?
The audio is decoded and re-encoded as ALAC at the default settings, so the result is close to the AAC but not bit-identical. AAC is a lossy format and ALAC is not: the ALAC keeps the decoded AAC exactly, but it cannot restore detail the AAC compression already removed, and the file is usually larger.
What is the difference between AAC and ALAC?
AAC is the lossy audio codec that succeeded MP3. ALAC is Apple's lossless audio codec.
Can I change the settings when converting AAC to ALAC?
Before you convert AAC to ALAC, you can adjust: Audio codec, Rate control, Audio bitrate, Quality (VBR), Sample rate, Channels, Normalize loudness, Trim start, Trim duration, and Keep tags.
Do I need an account to convert AAC to ALAC?
No. You can convert AAC to ALAC without an account; signing in raises the file-size and daily limits.
How long is my converted ALAC file kept?
The ALAC file you convert from AAC is kept for 2 hours, then deleted automatically.
Does converting AAC to ALAC restore the quality the AAC lost?
AAC is a lossy format and ALAC is not: the ALAC keeps the decoded AAC exactly, but it cannot restore detail the AAC compression already removed, and the file is usually larger.
When I convert AAC to ALAC, is the audio re-encoded?
The audio is decoded and re-encoded as ALAC at the default settings, so the result is close to the AAC but not bit-identical.