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AAC to WAV — Free, Lossless Output, No Upload

Decompress AAC audio to uncompressed WAV — needed for audio editing software and professional workflows.

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Need the reverse?WAV → AAC

How to convert AAC to WAV online

  1. 1

    Drop your AAC file

    Drag your Advanced Audio Coding file onto the box above, or click it to pick a file.

  2. 2

    Wait a few seconds

    Conversion starts on its own and runs on your device, not on a server.

  3. 3

    Download your WAV

    Click Download to save the Waveform Audio File Format file.

AAC vs WAV: format overview

AAC

Advanced Audio Coding

Dolby, Fraunhofer, Sony, Nokia · 1997

Compression
lossy
Transparency
No
  • ✓ Successor to MP3 — better quality at same bitrate
  • ✓ Native support across Apple, Android, YouTube
  • ✗ Not fully royalty-free
WAV

Waveform Audio File Format

Microsoft and IBM · 1991

Compression
none
Transparency
No
  • ✓ Lossless — no quality degradation
  • ✓ Universal DAW compatibility for production

AAC magic bytes: FF F1 (ADTS) / 00 00 00 xx 66 74 79 70

WAV magic bytes: 52 49 46 46 xx xx xx xx 57 41 56 45

Why convert AAC to WAV?

AAC files from iTunes purchases, iPhone voice memos, Apple Music downloads, and video exports from iMovie arrive in a compressed format that many professional audio tools do not handle natively. Avid Pro Tools, older versions of Ableton Live, and certain hardware samplers and drum machines require WAV input. When you want to process audio from an Apple device in a professional DAW session, converting AAC to WAV is often the first step before any editing or processing can begin.

WAV is the uncompressed, universally supported format that every professional audio application accepts without question. Hardware synthesizers and samplers from Elektron, Roland, and Native Instruments that accept audio import via SD card or USB all work with WAV. Broadcast playout systems, radio station audio libraries, and sound design software like SoundMiner index and play WAV files reliably. Providing audio stems as WAV to collaborators eliminates any possibility of format-related playback issues.

Converting AAC to WAV decompresses the lossy AAC audio into an uncompressed PCM representation. The WAV output will be an accurate, uncompressed version of whatever audio quality exists in the AAC file, but it will not restore information that was discarded when the AAC was originally created. This is not a quality upgrade, but it is a format upgrade that opens up compatibility. The WAV file will be substantially larger than the AAC source, typically ten to fifteen times larger, and will be immediately usable in any professional audio environment.

Quality & file size: AAC to WAV

Typical sizes (3-minute song): AAC 2–5 MB → WAV 30–50 MB.

WAV output is 16-bit PCM, so a 24-bit source is reduced to 16-bit (CD quality).

WAV will not restore detail the AAC encoder removed, and the file gets bigger.

Frequently asked questions

Why convert AAC to WAV?
WAV is uncompressed audio — required by many DAWs, video editing tools, and broadcast workflows that can't accept lossy AAC input. Converting to WAV gives you a lossless working copy.
Will my AAC file open as WAV in Audacity?
Yes. WAV is natively supported by Audacity, Adobe Audition, Logic Pro, and all other major audio editors. Convert your AAC first, then import the WAV.

Your AAC file never leaves this tab — FormatDrop has no endpoint that receives file data. How it works