How to convert AIFF to AAC
- 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 AIFF to AAC
NexMedia converts AIFF to AAC 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 AIFF
AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) was developed by Apple in 1988 on the basis of the Electronic Arts IFF format, and it normally stores uncompressed PCM audio in big-endian byte order.
Professional audio on the Mac: Logic Pro and GarageBand projects, sample libraries and CD-quality masters.
AIFF files are as large as WAV files, about 10 MB per minute of CD-quality stereo, and some Windows programs handle them less readily than WAV.
Convert AIFF to AAC online free, no account required — AAC is the lossy audio codec that succeeded MP3.
Change AIFF to AAC without losing quality — convert AIFF to AAC free in your browser.
Why is my AIFF file so large? Like WAV, it stores every sample uncompressed, so switching to a compressed format is the only way to shrink it — lossless ALAC keeps every detail, MP3 trades some quality for size.
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.
Why convert music to AAC instead of MP3? At the same bitrate AAC sounds better, and every modern phone, computer and streaming service decodes it.
What changes when you convert AIFF to AAC
- The audio is decoded and re-encoded as AAC at the default settings, so the result is close to the AIFF but not bit-identical.
- AAC uses lossy compression: the encoder discards the detail that is least noticeable, so the file is smaller than the AIFF but cannot be turned back into the original.
Settings you can change
Before you convert AIFF to AAC, 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 AAC file is kept for 2 hours, then deleted.
AIFF to AAC: questions and answers
Does converting AIFF to AAC reduce quality?
The audio is decoded and re-encoded as AAC at the default settings, so the result is close to the AIFF but not bit-identical. AAC uses lossy compression: the encoder discards the detail that is least noticeable, so the file is smaller than the AIFF but cannot be turned back into the original.
What is the difference between AIFF and AAC?
AIFF is Apple's uncompressed audio format. AAC is the lossy audio codec that succeeded MP3.
Can I change the settings when converting AIFF to AAC?
Before you convert AIFF to AAC, 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 AIFF to AAC?
No. You can convert AIFF to AAC without an account; signing in raises the file-size and daily limits.
How long is my converted AAC file kept?
The AAC file you convert from AIFF is kept for 2 hours, then deleted automatically.
Will the AAC file be smaller than my AIFF?
AAC uses lossy compression: the encoder discards the detail that is least noticeable, so the file is smaller than the AIFF but cannot be turned back into the original.
When I convert AIFF to AAC, is the audio re-encoded?
The audio is decoded and re-encoded as AAC at the default settings, so the result is close to the AIFF but not bit-identical.