Convert FLAC to WAV Online Free
Convert your .flac files to .wav format. Free, fast, and processed entirely in your browser — your files never leave your device.
Convert FLAC to WAV — when a tool refuses to read your lossless library
FLAC to WAV is the conversion you do when something downstream won't accept FLAC. Common cases: a video editor that mishandles FLAC, a CD-burning workflow, an older Pro Tools install, a sample library workflow, or a hardware sampler that only takes WAV. The audio data is identical between FLAC and decompressed WAV — they're both lossless — so this is purely a compatibility move. Here's when it makes sense, when to keep the FLAC, and how to convert cleanly.
When converting FLAC to WAV is the right call
- You're importing into a video editor that doesn't decode FLAC reliably (older Premiere builds, certain Final Cut versions, edge cases in DaVinci Resolve).
- You're feeding a hardware sampler, MPC 2000-era sampler, or older Roland gear that only accepts WAV.
- You're prepping audio for CD burning. Most CD-authoring software wants WAV at 16-bit / 44.1 kHz directly.
- You're using a transcription tool, forensic-audio tool, or broadcast-spec workflow that explicitly demands PCM.
- You're working in an older Pro Tools install (pre-2022) that doesn't have native FLAC support.
- You're handing audio to a mastering engineer or post-production team. Pro audio defaults to WAV; send WAV unless they explicitly ask for FLAC.
When you should keep the FLAC
- You're playing the file back. FLAC plays in every modern player; converting to WAV gains nothing for playback.
- Storage is constrained. WAV is roughly 2× the size of FLAC for identical audio. Don't pay that cost unless you actually need WAV.
- Your destination tool supports FLAC. Modern Reaper, Logic, Ableton, and post-2022 Pro Tools all handle FLAC fine. Test before you batch-convert.
- You're keeping the file as your master archive. FLAC is a great archival format — half the size, full metadata, lossless. WAV offers nothing better for archival.
How much bigger the WAV will be
FLAC is lossless compression — typically about half the size of the equivalent WAV. Converting back gets you the full uncompressed PCM, which is roughly 2× the FLAC size. The audio data inside is bit-identical.
| Duration | FLAC | WAV | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 minute | ~5-6 MB (FLAC) | ~10.1 MB | ~2× larger |
| 10 minutes | ~50-60 MB (FLAC) | ~101 MB | Comfortably handled by any DAW |
| 1 hour | ~300-360 MB (FLAC) | ~605 MB | A typical pro project still fits |
| CD-length album (74 min) | ~370-440 MB (FLAC) | ~745 MB | Roughly 1× CD capacity |
Source: 16-bit / 44.1 kHz stereo FLAC at default compression. Target: 16-bit / 44.1 kHz stereo WAV (~1411 kbps PCM).
Where WAV plays (basically every pro audio tool)
Works with
- Every desktop DAW, including older Pro Tools versions
- Every video editor: Premiere, Final Cut, DaVinci Resolve, iMovie, Shotcut
- CD burning software (Roxio, ImgBurn, macOS Music)
- Sample libraries and hardware samplers (MPC, Maschine, Akai)
- Transcription and forensic-audio tools that demand PCM
- macOS QuickTime, Windows Media Player, VLC
Does not work with
- Phone storage and music libraries — WAV is overkill
- Bluetooth and streaming — WAV is unnecessarily large
- Email and chat — too big for casual sharing
How to convert FLAC to WAV
Convert with WaveSieve (browser, free, no upload)
Quickest path. Conversion runs in your browser via FFmpeg.wasm — your file never leaves your device, no account needed.
- Drop your FLAC file onto the upload area at the top of this page. Up to 100 MB per file.
- In the converter, change the output format to WAV.
- Click "Convert to WAV". Decoding takes 5-30 seconds depending on file length.
- Click "Download" to save the WAV.
Convert with foobar2000 (Windows, free, batch with metadata)
foobar2000 handles FLAC → WAV batches and can preserve embedded BWF metadata for broadcast workflows.
- Install foobar2000 (free at foobar2000.org).
- Add your FLAC files: drag them into the playlist.
- Right-click → Convert → ... → New Profile: 'WAV'.
- Choose bit depth (16-bit for music/CD, 24-bit for film/TV post).
- Pick a destination folder, click Convert.
Convert with FFmpeg (command line, batch, cross-platform)
For batch jobs and pipelines.
- Install FFmpeg: brew install ffmpeg (macOS), winget install ffmpeg (Windows), or sudo apt install ffmpeg (Linux).
- Open a terminal in the folder with your FLACs.
- Single file at 16-bit / 44.1 kHz: ffmpeg -i input.flac -c:a pcm_s16le -ar 44100 output.wav
- 24-bit / 48 kHz for video work: ffmpeg -i input.flac -c:a pcm_s24le -ar 48000 output.wav
- Whole folder, preserving FLAC sample rate: for f in *.flac; do ffmpeg -i "$f" -c:a pcm_s16le "${f%.flac}.wav"; done
Things that surprise people
WAV is bigger but not better than the FLAC
FLAC and the equivalent decompressed WAV contain bit-identical audio. The WAV is just stored uncompressed. If your goal is 'better quality,' converting won't deliver — both files sound identical because they contain the same samples. The WAV is purely for compatibility with tools that can't read FLAC, not for fidelity.
Match the destination tool's bit depth and sample rate
If your FLAC is 24-bit / 96 kHz and your video editor expects 16-bit / 48 kHz, FFmpeg will downsample and dither during conversion. Specify -c:a pcm_s16le -ar 48000 explicitly. If you let it default, you may end up with a 24/96 WAV that the destination silently downconverts on import — same end result, but slightly less control over the dithering.
Watch out for the embedded album art and metadata loss
FLAC carries detailed Vorbis comments and embedded album art. WAV's metadata support is much weaker. Most tools strip the metadata during conversion, so don't expect album art to survive the round trip. If metadata matters, keep the FLAC; use WAV only for the immediate workflow that needs it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I just always work in WAV instead of FLAC to avoid this conversion?
Only if you have unlimited storage and don't care about metadata. FLAC saves 40-60% of disk space and supports rich tags — that's significant for a music library. The occasional FLAC → WAV conversion when feeding a picky tool is a small price.
What bit depth should the output WAV be?
Match the source FLAC. If your FLAC is 16-bit, output 16-bit (-c:a pcm_s16le). If it's 24-bit, output 24-bit (-c:a pcm_s24le). Going up adds zero quality (the data isn't there); going down forces a dither step that subtly degrades the audio.
Will the album art come through?
Mostly no. WAV's RIFF spec doesn't have a standard for embedded images, and most tools drop it during conversion. If you need album art on the WAV side, you'll likely have to re-attach it via the destination tool's interface.
Why is the WAV file exactly twice the size of my FLAC?
Coincidence-ish. FLAC compression varies with content (50-60% of WAV is typical, but can range 40-70%). If your FLAC happened to compress to ~50%, the WAV will look exactly 2×. Different content compresses differently, so the ratio shifts album-by-album.