Convert FLAC to MP3
Make a 192 kbps MP3 copy of a lossless FLAC track for devices that won't play FLAC. Free, no account needed, one file up to 50 MB.
Make a 192 kbps MP3 copy of a lossless FLAC track for devices that won't play FLAC. Free, no account needed, one file up to 50 MB.
FLAC is a lossless format: it compresses audio the way a ZIP file compresses a document, so decoding it gives back exactly what went in. That is why CD rips and hi-res store purchases so often come as FLAC, and why many music download sites offer it as an option. The catch is that plenty of hardware still won't play it, and the files take several times the space of a compressed format.
Converting here gives you an MP3 encoded with LAME at a constant 192 kbps. Sample rates up to 48 kHz are left alone, anything above is resampled to 48 kHz, and stereo tracks stay stereo. You don't pick a bitrate or quality level; every track gets the same treatment.
Once a track is MP3, it is no longer lossless. The encoder discards information based on a model of human hearing, and there is no way to rebuild the FLAC from the MP3. For most music at 192 kbps the difference is hard to pick out in normal listening, but it is a one-way step.
The practical advice is simple: keep your FLAC files as the archive and treat MP3s as copies for convenience. If you later need a different format, go back to the FLAC rather than converting the MP3 again.
FLAC usually lands somewhere between 40% and 70% of the equivalent WAV, depending on how dense the music is. Quiet acoustic recordings compress well; loud, heavily mastered rock compresses less.
| Track | FLAC (16-bit, 44.1 kHz) | MP3 at 192 kbps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 minute | roughly 4–7 MB | about 1.44 MB |
| 4-minute song | roughly 16–28 MB | about 5.8 MB |
| 10-minute track | roughly 40–70 MB | about 14.4 MB |
In other words, a CD-quality FLAC typically shrinks to between a third and a fifth of its size. Hi-res FLAC shrinks even more, since the MP3 is the same size per minute regardless of the source.
Some rips store an entire album as one large FLAC with a separate .cue sheet marking the track boundaries. These are usually well over 50 MB, and the converter does not read cue sheets or split files. Split the image into tracks with a desktop tool first.
Because there is no batch mode, this page suits a few tracks at a time. For hundreds of albums, a desktop converter that processes folders will save you a lot of clicking.
FLAC files often carry detailed Vorbis comments and embedded cover images. Carrying those over is not guaranteed, so check the MP3 in your player and re-tag it if titles or artwork are missing.
Multichannel FLAC, such as 5.1 mixes, is folded down to stereo in the MP3.
Need a lossless file an editor will open instead? Try FLAC to WAV, or see every option on the FLAC converter page. Uploaded FLAC files are deleted right after conversion, and the MP3 is cleared from our servers within about an hour.
| FLAC | MP3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Free Lossless Audio Codec | MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer III |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy |
| Developed by | Xiph.Org Foundation | Fraunhofer IIS / MPEG |
| Introduced | 2001 | 1993 |
| File extension | .flac | .mp3 |
| Typically used for | Archiving CDs, hi-res music collections | Music libraries, podcasts, everyday listening |
| Plays on | Android, Windows 10+, macOS, iOS Files app, VLC; not many older players | Virtually every phone, computer, browser, car stereo and media player |
| Our output | Lossless FLAC, source bit depth and sample rate kept | LAME MP3, 192 kbps CBR, stereo |
Yes. FLAC is lossless and MP3 is lossy, so the MP3 permanently drops some audio information. At 192 kbps the loss is usually difficult to hear in normal listening, but the file is no longer a bit-perfect copy. Keep your FLAC files as the master versions and make MP3s only as convenient copies.
Every MP3 from this converter uses about 1.44 MB per minute. A CD-quality FLAC usually takes roughly 4 to 7 MB per minute, depending on the music, so the MP3 typically ends up between a third and a fifth of the FLAC's size. Hi-res FLAC files shrink by an even larger factor.
No. The converter processes one file per conversion and has no batch mode, so you would upload each track separately. Albums ripped as a single FLAC file with a CUE sheet are usually over the 50 MB limit and are not split by track. For large libraries, a desktop batch converter is more practical.
It is not guaranteed. FLAC files often include detailed tags and embedded cover images, but the converter has no metadata options and you should not rely on that information carrying over. Check the MP3 in your music player after downloading and add titles, artist names or artwork with a tag editor if anything is missing.
They convert to a standard 192 kbps MP3. Sample rates above 48 kHz are resampled to 48 kHz, and bit depth does not apply to MP3 in the same way. Surround FLAC is downmixed to stereo. Hi-res files are large, so check that the track is under 50 MB before uploading.
Need detailed information or want to set a different default format? Visit our specific converter pages: