How to convert FLAC to MP3
FLAC compresses audio without loss: it is the choice for people who archive music at full quality, buy hi-res downloads or rip their CDs. But it takes several times the space of an MP3, and not every car stereo, player or app can read it.
This converter creates a high-quality MP3 from your FLAC so you can carry it on your phone or play it on any device.
Step by step
- Click Select file and choose the .flac track (up to 50 MB and 10 minutes).
- Check that Convert to shows MP3.
- Click Convert audio to MP3.
- Download the MP3 and keep the FLAC as your master copy. For a whole album, use the Workspace.
Quality and size
The MP3 is encoded at high-quality variable bitrate, around 190 kbps on average. A track that takes 30 MB as FLAC typically ends up around 6 or 7 MB. On ordinary headphones or in the car the difference is very hard to hear.
If you have hi-res FLAC at 24-bit/96 kHz or above, the MP3 is created at a compatible sample rate of at most 48 kHz. Always keep the FLAC: converting the MP3 back to FLAC will not recover the lost quality.
Tags and limits
FLAC tags such as title, artist, album, track number and cover art are not copied to the MP3. If you organise your library by tags, you will need to add them afterwards with a tag editor.
Each track can be up to 10 minutes and 50 MB. A whole album stored as a single FLAC file usually will not fit; convert it track by track.
Frequently asked questions
- Can you hear the difference between FLAC and the MP3?
- At the bitrate used, it is very hard to notice in normal listening.
- Are cover art and tags kept?
- No, metadata is not copied. Add it afterwards if you need it.
- Can I convert a whole album?
- Yes, track by track in the Workspace, then download everything as a ZIP. Each track can be up to 10 minutes and 50 MB.
- What about hi-res FLAC?
- It is converted at the highest sample rate MP3 supports, 48 kHz at most.
