ALAC File Format

Apple Lossless category

ALAC is Apple's lossless codec inside an MP4 container — the iTunes Store lossless tier and every big iOS recording.

Typical use: Convert ALAC to FLAC for non-Apple players, or MP3 for sharing.

About the ALAC format

ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) is Apple's FLAC equivalent: bit-exact lossless compression inside an MP4 container, opened-source in 2011 and now native on every Apple device and most server-side pipelines. It is what iTunes Store sells as "lossless" and what iPhone recordings encode to by default.

For non-Apple players FLAC is the safer target, and conversion is sample-exact in both directions — the decode is handled by ffmpeg's native ALAC decoder without any Apple runtime.

Strengths

✓ Native on every Apple device
✓ Open source since 2011
✓ Reasonable sizes inside MP4

Limitations

✗ Outside Apple ecosystems FLAC wins
✗ Slightly worse ratios than FLAC
✗ Confusing .m4a extension doubles as lossy

Structure: MP4 (alac sample entry) container
Types / schema: Lossless, 16-32-bit
Compatibility: iOS, macOS, iTunes, ffmpeg
Best for: Apple-ecosystem lossless libraries

Convert ALAC to…

26 direct directions plus 18 workflows, sorted A–Z; 🔥 marks popular targets.

Cross-engine workflows

ALAC to 7Z ALAC to APK ALAC to JAR ALAC to MKV ALAC to MOV ALAC to MP4 ALAC to PNG ALAC to PNG24 ALAC to PNG8 ALAC to TAR ALAC to TAR.BZ2 ALAC to TAR.GZ ALAC to TAR.XZ ALAC to TBZ2 ALAC to TGZ ALAC to TXZ ALAC to WIM ALAC to ZIP

Convert other files to ALAC…

AAC to ALAC Hot AC3 to ALAC AIF to ALAC AIFF to ALAC AMB to ALAC AMR to ALAC APE to ALAC AU to ALAC AVR to ALAC CAF to ALAC CVS to ALAC CVU to ALAC DSS to ALAC DTS to ALAC E-AC3 to ALAC F32 to ALAC F4A to ALAC F4B to ALAC F64 to ALAC FAP to ALAC FLAC to ALAC Hot FSSD to ALAC GSM to ALAC GSRT to ALAC HCOM to ALAC HTK to ALAC IRCAM to ALAC M4A to ALAC Hot M4B to ALAC M4R to ALAC MAUD to ALAC MOD to ALAC MP2 to ALAC MP3 to ALAC Hot OGA to ALAC OGG to ALAC Hot OMA to ALAC OPUS to ALAC PAF to ALAC PVF to ALAC QCP to ALAC S16 to ALAC S24 to ALAC S32 to ALAC S3M to ALAC SD2 to ALAC SHN to ALAC SMP to ALAC SNDR to ALAC SNDT to ALAC SPX to ALAC TAK to ALAC TTA to ALAC TXW to ALAC U8 to ALAC VMS to ALAC VOC to ALAC VQF to ALAC W64 to ALAC WAV to ALAC Hot WAVPCM to ALAC WMA to ALAC WV to ALAC WVE to ALAC XI to ALAC XM to ALAC

Frequently asked questions

What is a ALAC file?

ALAC is Apple's lossless codec inside an MP4 container — the iTunes Store lossless tier and every big iOS recording.

How do I convert ALAC files online?

Pick a target format from the "Convert ALAC to…" list below, drop your file and hit convert. Everything runs in your browser — no install, no upload, no watermark, no limits.

Is it safe to convert ALAC files here?

Yes. Every conversion is performed by your own device inside the browser — files never leave for a server, and the page keeps working even offline.

Which formats can ALAC convert to?

This page lists all 44 directions across documents, images, audio, video, spreadsheets and archives — each one is its own free converter page.