Free converter · Lossy re-encode
Convert M4A to FLAC
Short answer
Drop your M4A file into the converter below and download the FLAC file. It runs in your browser with FFmpeg, for files up to 100 MB; nothing is uploaded. The file is re-encoded to lossless FLAC audio. FLAC keeps every sample of what it receives, but it cannot restore what M4A compression already removed, so the result sounds the same and is larger.
Maximum file size: 100 MB. The first conversion loads a ~30 MB converter engine, once per visit. Nothing is uploaded - conversion runs on your device.
AAC inside M4A to FLAC; AAC is lossy so this is lossy. · Lossy re-encode · Browser-side via FFmpeg WASM - nothing uploaded.
Key takeaways
- The 244 KB M4A file became a 1.63 MB FLAC file (+566%), about 1301 kbps for the 10 second clip.
- The result holds: Audio: flac 48000 Hz 2 ch.
- In your browser the same conversion of a 3 second clip took 0.06 seconds on the single-thread engine; natively, the 10 second clip took 0.10 seconds.
- Next to it: M4A to AAC (+0.2%), M4A to OGG (-51.2%), M4A to Opus (-52.2%).
Measured: M4A to FLAC
The converter's own ffmpeg arguments, run on a 10 second 1920 × 1080 excerpt of Big Buck Bunny (an animated film, not camera footage) saved in M4A. The browser column is the same arguments on the single-thread WebAssembly core with a 3 second excerpt, in a headless run; your device will differ. Results describe this clip and these encoders.
| Check | Result |
|---|---|
| Mode | Audio re-encoded |
| Input | M4A, 244 KB |
| Output | FLAC, 1.63 MB (+566%) |
| Output streams | Audio: flac 48000 Hz 2 ch |
| Time, native, 10 s clip | 0.10 s |
| Time, browser engine, 3 s clip | 0.06 s |
A re-encode decodes and encodes every frame or sample, so the time grows with the length of the file.
M4A vs FLAC
| M4A | FLAC | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | MPEG-4 audio | Free Lossless Audio Codec |
| What is inside | AAC (or Apple Lossless) audio in an MP4 container | Losslessly compressed audio |
| Compression | Lossy or lossless | Lossless |
| Best for | Apple devices and voice memos | Archiving music at full quality in less space than WAV |
What you get
Lossless FLAC audio. AAC inside M4A to FLAC; AAC is lossy so this is lossy.
Planning a bigger file
These are estimates scaled up from the 10 second clip. Real files differ with content, resolution and bitrate, so treat them as an order of magnitude, not a promise.
| Length of the video or recording | Input size (like ours) | FLAC size | Time in your browser |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 minute | 1.46 MB | 9.76 MB | 1 seconds |
| 10 minutes | 14.65 MB | 97.58 MB | 13 seconds |
| 1 hour | 87.89 MB | 585.51 MB | 76 seconds |
An M4A file of this kind reaches the 100 MB limit of the converter after about 72 minutes; converting it would take roughly 1.5 minutes on the single-thread engine, and the FLAC would be about 698.52 MB.
M4A and FLAC next to their neighbors
The same clip through other conversions with the same source or the same target.
| Conversion | How | Size change | Time (native) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M4A to FLAC | Re-encode | +566% | 0.10 s |
| M4A to AAC | Copy | +0.2% | 0.07 s |
| M4A to OGG | Re-encode | -51.2% | 0.26 s |
| M4A to Opus | Re-encode | -52.2% | 0.10 s |
| M4A to WAV | Re-encode | +686% | 0.08 s |
| AAC to FLAC | Re-encode | +567% | 0.11 s |
| AVI to FLAC | Re-encode | -79.8% | 0.11 s |
Choosing FLAC
FLAC: Free Lossless Audio Codec. Archiving music at full quality in less space than WAV. M4A: MPEG-4 audio. Apple devices and voice memos.
- Keep your original: a re-encode is a copy of a copy.
- If the destination states the format it accepts, use that and nothing else.
Questions people ask
Is this M4A to FLAC converter free and private?
Yes. It is free, needs no account and runs entirely in your browser, so the file never leaves your device.
Will converting M4A to FLAC reduce quality?
FLAC adds no loss of its own, but quality cannot be better than the M4A you start from.
Is there a file size limit?
Files up to 100 MB. The first conversion downloads a converter engine of about 30 MB once per visit; larger files are better handled by a desktop app such as HandBrake or FFmpeg.
How do I convert M4A to FLAC?
Choose the file in the converter above and download the FLAC. It runs in your browser with no upload.
Will converting M4A to FLAC reduce quality?
FLAC adds no loss of its own. Keep the original file.
Why did the file size change by +566%?
The target codec and settings decide the size. This 10 second clip came out at 1.63 MB, about 1301 kbps.
How long does it take?
A 3 second clip took 0.06 seconds in the browser engine in our test; time grows with the length of the file.
How long will an M4A file of 100 MB take?
At the speed we measured in the browser engine, about 1.5 minutes for a file like our clip. Your device and the content will change it.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The conversion runs in your browser.
Is there a size limit?
Files up to 100 MB. The first conversion downloads a converter engine of about 30 MB once per visit.
More converters
Sources and how we checked
- MDN: Media container formats
- MDN: Web audio codec guide
- MDN: Image file type and format guide
- FFmpeg documentation: stream copy
- FFmpeg Documentation: ffmpeg (stream selection, -map, -c copy) (read 2026-10-09)
- MDN: Web audio codec guide (read 2026-10-09)
- Blender Foundation: Big Buck Bunny (CC BY 3.0), the clip used for the measurements (read 2026-10-09)
Reviewed October 8, 2026. What the converter writes was measured with ffprobe on the same FFmpeg build your browser downloads; format descriptions follow MDN's media guides.