Convert ALAC to WAV — Free Online Converter
Convert Apple Lossless Audio Codec (.alac) to Waveform Audio (.wav) online for free. Fast, secure audio conversion with no watermarks or registration....
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Upload your .m4a file by dragging it into the upload area or clicking to browse.
Choose your output settings. The default settings work great for most files.
Click Convert and download your .wav file when it's ready.
About ALAC to WAV Conversion
ALAC stores lossless compressed audio at roughly 50% of raw PCM size in Apple's M4A container. WAV stores uncompressed PCM in Microsoft's RIFF container at full size — approximately 10 MB per minute for 44.1 kHz/16-bit stereo. Both preserve identical audio quality, but ALAC is compressed while WAV is not.
Converting ALAC to WAV decompresses the lossless audio to raw PCM. The output is bit-for-bit identical to the original recording — this is a perfect lossless operation. WAV is the most universally compatible audio format, working on every platform, device, and software without codec dependencies.
Why Convert ALAC to WAV?
WAV is the universal standard that every audio system understands. Some DAWs, hardware devices, and embedded systems cannot decode ALAC and require raw WAV input. Scientific audio analysis tools, CD burning software, and some broadcast systems also expect uncompressed WAV.
WAV eliminates all codec dependencies — the file contains nothing but raw PCM samples and a simple RIFF header. This makes WAV the safest format for archival, interchange, and processing when codec support cannot be guaranteed.
Common Use Cases
- Providing uncompressed audio to systems that cannot decode ALAC
- Preparing lossless masters in WAV for CD mastering or burning
- Converting ALAC for hardware samplers and synthesizers requiring WAV input
- Creating uncompressed files for scientific audio analysis and measurement
- Delivering audio to studios or mastering facilities that require WAV format
How It Works
FFmpeg decodes the ALAC stream from M4A, reversing the linear prediction and entropy coding to recover the original PCM samples, then writes them into a WAV RIFF container with little-endian byte order. The output preserves the exact sample rate, bit depth, and channel layout. The file size roughly doubles since ALAC compression is removed.
Quality & Performance
Perfectly lossless. The WAV output is bit-for-bit identical to the original audio before ALAC compression. This can be verified by comparing MD5 checksums of the decoded PCM. The only tradeoff is file size — WAV is roughly twice as large as ALAC.
Device Compatibility
| Device | ALAC | WAV |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PC | Partial | Native |
| macOS | Native | Partial |
| iPhone/iPad | Native | Partial |
| Android | Partial | Partial |
| Linux | Partial | Partial |
| Web Browser | No | Native |
Recommended Settings by Platform
Spotify
Resolution: N/A
Bitrate: 320 kbps
OGG Vorbis preferred
Apple Music
Resolution: N/A
Bitrate: 256 kbps
AAC format required
SoundCloud
Resolution: N/A
Bitrate: 128 kbps
Lossless FLAC/WAV for best quality
Podcast
Resolution: N/A
Bitrate: 128 kbps
MP3 mono for spoken word
Tips for Best Results
- 1Only convert to WAV when the target system requires uncompressed format — ALAC is always more storage-efficient with identical quality
- 2Verify bit-perfect conversion by comparing MD5 checksums of the decoded PCM
- 3For cross-platform lossless distribution, FLAC offers WAV-identical quality at ALAC-like file sizes
- 4Batch convert when preparing large collections for CD mastering or hardware samplers
- 5Keep ALAC files as your space-efficient archive — they contain identical audio at half the WAV size
Related Conversions
ALAC to WAV is a perfect lossless decompression producing the universal uncompressed audio format. Every sample is preserved exactly.