Convert FLAC to WAV
Turn a FLAC file into a 16-bit PCM WAV that editors, DJ gear and CD burners accept. Sample rate and channels stay the same.
Turn a FLAC file into a 16-bit PCM WAV that editors, DJ gear and CD burners accept. Sample rate and channels stay the same.
FLAC and WAV carry the same kind of audio: plain PCM samples with nothing thrown away. The difference is packaging. FLAC compresses those samples losslessly, which makes it ideal for a music library, while WAV stores them raw. Raw is bulky, but it is also the format that nearly every editor, sampler, CD burner and DJ program has understood for decades. When a piece of software or hardware refuses your FLAC, a WAV copy is usually the fix.
Here the output is always 16-bit PCM WAV (little-endian). The sample rate and channel layout of your FLAC are left exactly as they are. There are no options to set: upload, pick WAV, convert, download.
For a standard CD-quality FLAC (16-bit, 44.1 kHz), decoding to 16-bit WAV reproduces every sample exactly. Nothing is re-encoded or approximated, and if you packed that WAV back into FLAC you would get identical audio. The only change is size: about 10.1 MB for each minute of stereo sound.
A 24-bit FLAC is a different case. Because our WAV output is 16-bit, those files are reduced to 16-bit during conversion. The result is still CD quality, with roughly 96 dB of dynamic range, and for everyday listening the difference is rarely audible. It is not, however, a bit-exact copy. If you need the 24-bit data for mastering, restoration or heavy processing, keep the original FLAC and use that instead.
| Your FLAC | WAV you download | Bit-exact? |
|---|---|---|
| 16-bit / 44.1 kHz | 16-bit / 44.1 kHz | Yes |
| 16-bit / 48 kHz | 16-bit / 48 kHz | Yes |
| 24-bit / 48 kHz | 16-bit / 48 kHz | No, reduced to 16-bit |
| 24-bit / 96 kHz | 16-bit / 96 kHz | No, reduced to 16-bit |
FLAC has rich tagging with embedded artwork. WAV has only limited tag support, so artist, album and cover image may not carry over. Keep your FLAC as the tagged master and treat the WAV as a working copy.
A 48 kHz or 96 kHz FLAC stays at that rate in the WAV. If you are burning a CD, your burning software will have to resample to 44.1 kHz, and a 96 kHz WAV takes a little over twice the space per minute of a 44.1 kHz one.
An entire album stored as one FLAC with a .cue sheet usually exceeds the limit, and this tool can't split tracks by cue sheet. Split the album into individual tracks first, then convert each one.
Converting a full album can turn a few hundred megabytes of FLAC into well over half a gigabyte of WAV. Convert only the tracks you actually need in WAV form.
Going the other direction later is simple: WAV to FLAC packs audio back down without loss. If you only need a small file for a phone, FLAC to MP3 is the better route, and the FLAC converter lists every other output.
| FLAC | WAV | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Free Lossless Audio Codec | Waveform Audio File Format |
| Compression | Lossless | Uncompressed (PCM) |
| Developed by | Xiph.Org Foundation | Microsoft and IBM |
| Introduced | 2001 | 1991 |
| File extension | .flac | .wav |
| Typically used for | Archiving CDs, hi-res music collections | Recording, editing, mastering, broadcast |
| Plays on | Android, Windows 10+, macOS, iOS Files app, VLC; not many older players | All desktop systems and audio editors; most phones and browsers |
| Our output | Lossless FLAC, source bit depth and sample rate kept | 16-bit PCM, original sample rate and channels |
Not for standard 16-bit FLAC files. Both formats store uncompressed-quality PCM, and our WAV output is 16-bit, so a CD-quality FLAC decodes to a bit-exact WAV. The only exception is a 24-bit FLAC, which is reduced to 16-bit. That is still CD quality, but if you need the full 24-bit data, keep the original FLAC.
FLAC compresses audio losslessly, usually to 40 to 70% of the uncompressed size. WAV stores the samples raw, so the converted file is typically 1.5 to 2.5 times larger than the FLAC. A minute of 44.1 kHz stereo WAV takes about 10.1 MB. The 50 MB limit applies only to the file you upload, not to the WAV you download.
Not with this tool. There are no settings to choose, and WAV output is always 16-bit PCM, so 24-bit sources are reduced to 16-bit. The sample rate, such as 96 kHz, is kept. If your work depends on 24-bit audio, for example mastering or restoration, keep using the FLAC or decode it in a DAW that writes 24-bit WAV.
They may not. FLAC files hold detailed tags and embedded cover art, but WAV has very limited support for metadata, and this converter doesn't edit or add tags. Treat the WAV as a working copy for editing, burning or DJ use, and keep the tagged FLAC as your library master.
It is converted on our servers with FFmpeg and deleted as soon as the conversion succeeds. The WAV you download, along with any leftover files, is removed automatically within about an hour. We don't listen to or keep your audio, and you don't need an account to use the converter.
Need detailed information or want to set a different default format? Visit our specific converter pages: