MP3 to FLAC
Want to convert your MP3 files to FLAC? While this won't recover lost audio quality, it creates a lossless container for your audio — useful for certain DAWs and archival workflows. FluidConvert converts MP3 to FLAC free in your browser.
Drop your file here, or browse
Accepts: audio/mpeg, .mp3 · Max 100MB (free)
Your files are encrypted with TLS and automatically deleted after conversion.
Simply upload your .MP3 file and we'll convert it to .FLAC format — fast, free, and secure.
Fast & Free
Convert files up to 100MB at no cost. No account needed.
Secure
Files are encrypted and automatically deleted after conversion.
High Quality
Industry-leading conversion with no quality loss.
How to Convert MP3 to FLAC
Upload Your File
Click the upload area above or drag and drop your .MP3 file. We support files up to 100MB on the free plan.
Choose Output Format
Select .FLAC as your target format. Adjust any conversion settings if needed.
Download Your File
Click Convert Now and wait a few seconds. Once complete, download your converted file instantly.
About MP3 to FLAC
What is MP3?
MP3 is the world's most popular lossy audio format, using perceptual coding to reduce file sizes by 90% compared to uncompressed audio. MP3 achieves this by permanently discarding audio frequencies that human hearing is less sensitive to. At 320kbps, the quality loss is effectively inaudible, but the discarded data cannot be recovered.
Why convert to FLAC?
Converting MP3 to FLAC does NOT restore audio quality — the data MP3 discarded is gone permanently. However, there are valid reasons: some DAWs and audio editors prefer lossless input formats, FLAC supports richer metadata tagging than MP3, and storing in FLAC prevents any further lossy compression if the file is re-saved. It's also useful for maintaining a consistent all-FLAC library.
What to expect from the conversion
The MP3 is decoded to PCM audio, then losslessly compressed as FLAC. The audio quality is identical to the MP3 — no better, no worse. File sizes increase by 3-5x since FLAC's lossless compression can't compress already-lossy audio as efficiently. This conversion is a container change, not a quality improvement.
How FluidConvert handles it
We decode the MP3 to full PCM audio then compress losslessly to FLAC. The original MP3's sample rate and channel layout are preserved exactly.
Common reasons to convert MP3 to FLAC
- Preparing MP3 audio for import into a DAW that works better with lossless formats
- Standardizing a mixed-format music library to all-FLAC for consistent metadata tagging
- Converting MP3 recordings to FLAC to prevent further quality loss from future re-encoding
- Meeting upload requirements for platforms that only accept lossless formats
Frequently Asked Questions
Will converting MP3 to FLAC improve audio quality?
No. This is the most common misconception about audio conversion. MP3 permanently removes audio data during encoding. Converting to FLAC wraps the remaining audio in a lossless container but cannot restore what MP3 discarded. The FLAC will sound identical to the MP3.
Then why would anyone convert MP3 to FLAC?
Legitimate reasons include: DAW compatibility (some prefer FLAC input), preventing additional quality loss from future re-encoding, richer metadata support, and maintaining a consistent library format. It's also useful when a platform or device requires FLAC but you only have MP3 sources.
Will the FLAC file be larger than the MP3?
Yes, significantly. A 5MB MP3 might become 15-25MB as FLAC. FLAC's lossless compression is designed for high-frequency audio detail that MP3 already removed, so it can't compress MP3-sourced audio as efficiently as it would a true lossless source.