How to convert WAV 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 WAV to AAC
NexMedia converts WAV 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 WAV
WAV (Waveform Audio File Format) is a Microsoft and IBM container that normally stores uncompressed PCM audio.
Recording, editing and mastering, where every sample has to be kept exactly.
Uncompressed audio is large, about 10 MB per minute of CD-quality stereo, and a classic WAV file is limited to 4 GB.
Convert WAV to AAC online free, no account required — AAC is the lossy audio codec that succeeded MP3.
Change WAV to AAC without losing quality — convert WAV to AAC free in your browser.
Why is my WAV file 10 MB per minute of audio? WAV stores every sample uncompressed, so a three-minute song is around 30 MB — lossless or lossy compression shrinks it dramatically without audibly changing the music.
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 WAV to AAC
- The audio is decoded and re-encoded as AAC at the default settings, so the result is close to the WAV but not bit-identical.
- AAC uses lossy compression: the encoder discards the detail that is least noticeable, so the file is smaller than the WAV but cannot be turned back into the original.
Settings you can change
Before you convert WAV 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.
WAV to AAC: questions and answers
Does converting WAV to AAC reduce quality?
The audio is decoded and re-encoded as AAC at the default settings, so the result is close to the WAV but not bit-identical. AAC uses lossy compression: the encoder discards the detail that is least noticeable, so the file is smaller than the WAV but cannot be turned back into the original.
What is the difference between WAV and AAC?
WAV is an uncompressed audio format. AAC is the lossy audio codec that succeeded MP3.
Can I change the settings when converting WAV to AAC?
Before you convert WAV 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 WAV to AAC?
No. You can convert WAV 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 WAV is kept for 2 hours, then deleted automatically.
Will the AAC file be smaller than my WAV?
AAC uses lossy compression: the encoder discards the detail that is least noticeable, so the file is smaller than the WAV but cannot be turned back into the original.
When I convert WAV 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 WAV but not bit-identical.