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does itunes support .flac?

Can iTunes play .flac files? Can it do so natively or be modified to do so? Can it import .flac files, converting them to .mp3 or .mp4 or .aac or something?

Thanks!

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on Apr 17, 2011 9:58 AM

39 replies

Jan 31, 2013 11:25 AM in response to Jeff Blanding

iTunes doesn't support flac, but you can use XDL to convert them. This article: http://appducate.com/2013/01/how-to-convert-audio-music-formats-to-itunes/ explains how to convert them, and what formats are best for converting in different circumstances. For instance it explains why AAC is the best for portable devices and why Apple Lossless is the best for quality.

RJeffJ

Level 1

0 points

Feb 9, 2013 4:07 PM in response to jerosta

+1 for iTunes native FLAC support...

Apr 15, 2013 5:56 PM in response to Patrick Weisser

I agree with Patrick 100%. I too reverted back to 10.7 as I couldn't live without my cover flow. Such a cool feature! Support for .flac would have been an improvement

Oct 1, 2013 9:25 AM in response to Jeff Blanding

Hi,

I wrote a tool that I sell on the App Store that allows you to import FLAC files into iTunes by converting them to ALAC. It's called FLACTunes. It supports all your metadata (song info, album art, etc.), and is extremely simple to use.

-Matthew

Oct 1, 2013 9:29 AM in response to matthewleon

I use FLACTunes. Works great, well worth the tiny cost.

Oct 1, 2013 5:33 PM in response to matthewleon

Yes matthewleon, I am aware of your app. I visited the App Store but it appeared to only be available for iOS, I run Windows. I left you a message asking if it was available for PCs, never heard back. I simply went back to my masters and converted them to ALAC.

Oct 1, 2013 9:19 PM in response to matthewleon

$4 for your iOS conversion tool or $0 for XLD on Mac or any number of flac -> alac convertors on Windows, just google it.

Also, sound quality wise there is no difference between a CD ripped to WAV, FLAC, ALAC or whatever "lossless" format there is. iTunes will never support FLAC natively, because it doesn't need to.

C F McBlob

Level 4

2,885 points

Oct 1, 2013 9:34 PM in response to sirshannon

MacFlac - even better cost - FREE

Requires Rosetta though...

raybies

Level 1

4 points

Nov 10, 2013 8:07 PM in response to Jeff Blanding

+1 for iTunes native FLAC support...

Dec 11, 2013 12:42 AM in response to matthewleon

But I don't want to convert my files, I just want to be able to play them on Itunes and have my FLAC files added to my library , I play FLAC files on my android phone too so ALAC is a no go 😟 , oh god Apple why oh why are you so stubborn? 😠 Fluke doesn't work anymore since it needs Itunes to run on 32 bit mode and that's impossible now