AIFF to MP3 Converter

How to convert AIFF to MP3

Three steps, no software to install.

1. 1

   Drop the AIFF

   Drag an .aiff, .aif or .aifc file onto the converter, or click to pick it. The page reads the header first, so a file over 30 minutes is turned away before anything is converted.

2. 2

   Pick a bitrate

   192 kbps is the default and suits most music and mixed podcast episodes. Choose 320 for a master you want to keep close to the original, or 128 for a spoken interview.

3. 3

   Save the MP3

   The samples are read from the AIFF and encoded to MP3 on your computer or phone. Listen to the preview, then download the file under its original name with an .mp3 ending.

Where AIFF files come from and what wants MP3

AIFF is Apple's uncompressed audio format: great in a Mac studio, awkward everywhere else.

• GarageBand and Mac exports

  GarageBand on the Mac exports songs as AAC, MP3, AIFF or WAVE, and the Music app can save an uncompressed AIFF copy of a track. Choosing AIFF by mistake is common.

• Podcast and upload forms

  Podcast hosts and website upload forms often ask for MP3, and a 30-minute episode as CD-quality AIFF is about 300 MB, more than many forms take.

• Android phones and car stereos

  AIFF is at home on Apple devices. An Android phone, an older car stereo or a USB player is far more likely to play an MP3 copy of the same track.

• Email and chat

  One minute of CD-quality AIFF is about 10 MB, so a short interview quickly passes an email attachment limit. As an MP3 it is a fraction of that.

How much smaller is the MP3?

Per minute and per 30-minute episode. AIFF stores every sample uncompressed: CD quality is 44,100 samples × 16 bits × 2 channels, 1,411.2 kbps, so it is about 11 times an MP3 at 128 kbps and about 7 times one at 192 kbps.

Which AIFF files work

• AIFF (.aiff, .aif)

  Plain AIFF holds uncompressed PCM. The converter reads 8, 16, 24 and 32-bit files, mono or stereo, at any common sample rate, including 48 and 96 kHz.

• Uncompressed AIFF-C (.aifc)

  AIFF-C is the version of the format that can carry compressed audio. Files marked as uncompressed, big- or little-endian, and 32 or 64-bit float files convert like plain AIFF.

• Compressed AIFF-C

  IMA 4:1, µ-law, A-law and MACE files are compressed inside AIFF-C and are not read here; the converter tells you which kind you have. Export them again as plain AIFF or WAV first.

• Why the page reads AIFF itself

  When we tested in Chrome, its built-in audio decoder refused every AIFF we gave it. So the converter reads the AIFF samples with its own code, which works the same in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari.

Uncompressed to MP3: what changes