Convert Apple Lossless Audio Codec (.alac) to Waveform Audio (.wav) online for free. Fast, secure audio conversion with no watermarks or registration.
Conversion settings — add a file to adjust
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 | ALAC | WAV |
|---|---|---|
| Windows PC | Partial | Native |
| macOS | Native | Partial |
| iPhone/iPad | Native | Partial |
| Android | Partial | Partial |
| Linux | Partial | Partial |
| Web Browser | No |
Resolution: N/A
Bitrate: 320 kbps
OGG Vorbis preferred
Resolution: N/A
Bitrate: 256 kbps
AAC format required
Resolution: N/A
Bitrate: 128 kbps
Lossless FLAC/WAV for best quality
Resolution: N/A
Bitrate: 128 kbps
MP3 mono for spoken word
ALAC to WAV is a perfect lossless decompression producing the universal uncompressed audio format. Every sample is preserved exactly.
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| Native |
| Jellemzo | ALAC | WAV |
|---|---|---|
| Teljes nev | Apple Lossless Audio Codec | Waveform Audio File Format |
| Kiterjesztes | .m4a | .wav |
| Leginkabb ajanlott | Lossless | Lossless quality |