4 Awesome Ways to Convert FLAC to iTunes Quickly

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Emily Zeng
Updated on October 16, 2024 Preview 333 Preview 0
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FLAC, short for Free Lossless Audio Codec, is a lossless compression encoding audio format that can save metadata tag, album cover art and all related information with high quality. Plus with it is a free format, so that it can be available for all people. But, unfortunately, iTunes doesn’t support FLAC because Apple has its own audio encoding format called ALAC, which is pretty approximate to FLAC.

However, don’t worry, if you have a bulk of FLAC files on your device and avid for uploading them to iTunes library for storing, welcome to read this article, it testifies a couple of useful ways for you to convert FLAC to iTunes in high quality at a fast speed.

 

Things you Should First Know Before Converting FLAC to iTunes

1. iTunes supported audio formats

Before converting, the first thing is to figure out the audio formats compatible with iTunes, go to the Preferences section of iTunes to enter into the “Import settings” dialogue, you will find that iTunes supports AAC, AIFF, MP3, WAV and Apple Lossless Encoder.

itunes format

Besides, except for the formats listed clearly, iTunes also supports Audible .aa, .aax, M4B and M4P audio files.

2. How to choose which format to convert?

  Full name Encoding Size Sample bitrate Best for
AAC Advanced Audio Coding Compressed and lossy Close to MP3 16 kHz - 96 kHz An MP3 alternative with better audio quality for Apple systems, best for iTunes streaming
AIFF Audio Interchange File Format Uncompressed and lossless Large Up to a maximum of 16-bit/48kHz audio quality A WAV alternative for Apple to provide high-quality music
MP3 MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 Compressed and lossy Small 16 kHz - 48 kHz The most popular and compatible audio format due to the small size and moderate quality
WAV Waveform Audio File Format Uncompressed and lossless Large Up to a maximum of 32-bit/192 kHz audio quality Prowess for highest audio quality on a variety of devices, suitable for recording sound effects or clips from various sources
Apple Lossless (ALAC) Apple Lossless Audio Codec Compressed and lossless Smaller than AIFF/WAV, but larger than AAC/MP3 Between 16-bit/44.1 kHz and 24-bit/192 kHz Best for those who need to hear distinct sounds on audio files, suitable for Apple devices with small size and good quality

This chart has provided the common-used and popular audio formats for your reference, which helps you to determine the best format based on your purpose.

3. Can cause quality loss when converting FLAC to iTunes?

Quality loss is inevitable during the conversion process. But if you choose the lossless audio format like AIFF, WAV and ALAC, the loss will be cut down to the least extent, which can even be negligible.

 

Method 1. Batch Convert FLAC to iTunes Lossless with the Best Converter Software

Cisdem Video Converter is a professional decoder that not only provides 600+ digital formats for people to choose from, but also specifically designs a separate section for iTunes, allowing users to make corresponding tasks conveniently. It can also batch convert several files in a super fast speed without comprising quality, which benefits those who pursue high quality and efficiency.

Moreover, it demonstrates reliable functionality as a media editor, compressor, downloader and player, freeing people from installing too many troublesome software, and permitting them to customize the files according to personal preferences and enjoy new files in the app. So, don’t miss this powerful multifunctional tool to liberate your computer.

Advantages:

  1. Support many input and output formats
  2. Fast working speed without damaging the files
  3. Ensure high quality
  4. Can also rip DVDs and Blu-rays, download videos from all websites and compress media files losslessly
  5. User-friendly for novices
  6. Available on cross platforms

Disadvantages:

  1. Not free

Steps on how to batch convert FLAC files to iTunes in lossless quality with Cisdem:

Step 1. Make the software installed and add target FLAC files

Download Cisdem Video Converter based on your computer system.

Free Download macOS 10.13 or later Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7    

Open the installed software, drag-n-drop all FLAC files that you want to add to iTunes.

convert interface

Step 2. Select the output format

Click the drop-down icon of “Convert all tasks to” to view the output format list, click "Audio", select an iTunes compatible format such as MP3, M4A, AAC, AIFF, then determine the quality level.

choose the format available for iTunes

Note: If you have demanding in editing files, click "pencil”icon on the top right corner of the video thumbnail to enter into the editing dialogue for further adjustments, tap on “Save” when finished.

Step 3. Reconfigure the file parameters (optional)

Click the “gearwheel” icon next to the selected format option to make advanced settings of the file, including changing codec, quality, sample rate and channel.

reconfigure the encoding file parameters - cisdem

Step 4. Start the bulk conversions

When all is done, click “Start” button to start to convert all files in one click. After converting, tap on the "checkmark"check icon to easily find new files on your device.

 

Method 2. Convert FLAC to iTunes with the Freeware Software

XLD (X Lossless Decoder) is a lightweight and free FLAC to iTunes converter available for people, which focuses on creating audios from a vast of files to WAV, AIFF, Apple Lossless, MP3 and other popular audio formats. This app is able to process files in bulk as well. But, it doesn’t offer any extra advanced features to modify the conversion.

Advantages:

  1. Free and lightweight
  2. Can also rip or burn CD

Disadvantages:

  1. No editing features
  2. No graphical interface when running it
  3. Stop updating for a long time

Steps on how to convert FLAC to iTunes for free with XLD:

  1. Get XLD from its official websites or some resource sites.
  2. Launch it, click “XLD > Preferences” on the top menu bar.
  3. On the appearing window, click the box of “Output format” section, and then choose one format that supports on iTunes.
    choose the format on itunes - xld
  4. Move to the top menu bar again, click “File > Open...”. A new window will pop up for you to select the FLAC files for converting. Finally, click “Open” to upload and start the conversion task. Meantime, a small window will show up for you to check the progress.
    convert flac to itunes with xld

 

Method 3. Convert FLAC to iTunes with the Easy Online Service

Besides, many online FLAC to iTunes converters are created for the needed people to use. The biggest advantage of it is that don’t need to install extra software to increase your computer capacity. But most of them lack of useful features to beautify the file, and can only deal with files one by one.

Hence, through numerous testings, we found out a powerful online converter that called online-audio-convert.com, which capable of batch converting a variety of file formats to iTunes with basic editing features. It works fast and safely without leaking your information.

Advantages:

  1. Work on all browsers and don’t need to install third-party software
  2. Work with various file formats
  3. Support adding tags to the new files
  4. Provide 6 languages for people to choose

Disadvantages:

  1. The total file size cannot exceed 2GB
  2. Cannot cut or merge the files

Steps on how to convert FLAC file to iTunes online free:

  1. Open a browser and visit https://online-audio-convert.com/.
  2. Load FLAC files by clicking “Open Files” button or dragging-n-dropping.
  3. The loaded files will be displayed below the button with “gearwheel” icon. You can click it to make further editing one by one as follow shows. Or ignore it if you don’t need.
    make metadata to the added files - online
  4. Move to the part 2 to choose the output format, if you don’t want the default MP3 format, just click it to select another one from the expanding list.
    choose the target format - online
  5. Finally, click the bottom “Convert” to begin the transcode process. Once finished, click “Download All Files” button to save new files as a ZIP file to your local device.
    convert flac to itunes with online service

 

Method 4. Convert FLAC to iTunes with Command Tool

Using command lines is also a great way, which is for those encoder programs that are not equipped with a graphical interface to work out. FFmpeg is such a reliable open source tool that proficient in recording, converting, editing and streaming audio and videos files on Windows, Mac and Linux.

Advantages:

  1. Support converting various files except for FLAC
  2. Can make advanced settings by applying corresponding command lines

Disadvantages:

  1. Not friendly for software novices
  2. Don’t have graphic UI

Steps on how to convert FLAC files to iTunes with command lines:

  1. Download and install FFmpeg at first.
  2. Run Terminal or Command Prompt on your computer.
  3. Input the command line: ffmpeg -i inputfilename.flac outputfilename.m4a. Note: “m4a” can be replaced by other audio formats available on iTunes.
    convert flac to itunes supported format with command line toolIf you have multiple FLAC files to convert, then run the command: for i in *.flac; do ffmpeg -i "$i" "${i%.*}.m4a"; done.
  4. Press on “enter” key to make the command to be performed.

 

Bonus 1: How to Import the Converted Files to iTunes?

It goes an easy way for you to import FLAC to iTunes for backing up or relishing. Upon getting the new converted files from FLAC, you can obey the following guides for sound enjoyment instantly.

  1. Open the pre-installed iTunes on your computer, click “File” on the top toolbox bar and then choose “Add to Library” option from the drop-down list.
    import flac to itunes
  2. Then, a new dialogue pops up for you to choose the converted file/folder for uploading.
  3. Once selected, click “Open” to add FLAC to iTunes library.

 

Bonus 2: How to Play FLAC on Mac/Windows without iTunes?

Although iTunes cannot play FLAC file, there are more accessible programs for you to play FLAC on Mac or Windows smoothly.

  1. Using the default player on your computer. Obviously, QuickTime Player (Mac) and Windows Media Player (Windows) will be the strong alternatives to consider.
  2. Getting the powerful third-party player. For example, VLC Media Player is not strange to the masses. Plus, Cisdem Video Player, 5Kplayer and more superior media players allow you to enjoy files in high quality easily. Fortunately, all these players offer both Mac and Windows versions.
  3. Grabbing other programs with playback function, such as Cisdem Video Converter, designing an embedded media player for convenience.

 

Conclusion

This article has showcased on how to convert FLAC to iTunes thoroughly. Actually, the crucial point lies in deciding which format supported by iTunes that you want. Then, you will suddenly realize that is equal to transcoding between audio files. One needs to mention is that you should choose the way based on your preferences or the additional features that you need, then you won’t feel overwhelmed by a large number of unknowing software, especially with new online tools emerging every day.

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Emily Zeng

Emily is a girl who loves to review various multimedia software. She enjoys exploring cutting edge technology and writing how-to guides. Hopefully her articles will help you solve your audio, video, DVD and Blu-ray issues.

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