What is a AIFF file?
AIFF — Apple raw audio
What is it?
AIFF is Apple's equivalent of WAV: uncompressed sound, recorded as-is, without the slightest loss of quality.
Like WAV, it produces large files — around 10 MB per minute at CD quality — and serves as a working format in recording studios.
History & origin
Apple created AIFF in 1988, building on an exchange format originally designed at Electronic Arts. It predates Microsoft's WAV by three years.
The two formats are technically twins, differing mainly in the order in which they arrange their bytes — an engineering detail that became a cultural dividing line between Mac and PC.
Why it is useful
Untouched quality, instant decoding, and native support in professional audio software.
It handles metadata better than WAV does.
Limits & drawbacks
A file size just as considerable as WAV's.
It's less widespread than WAV outside the Apple ecosystem.
Practical tips
To archive without loss while halving file size, convert your AIFF files to FLAC.
For casual listening or sharing, MP3 or AAC will do just fine.
Convert your AIFF in seconds, on our secure servers in France.
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