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What is an AAC file?
The successor to MP3 and the audio codec inside most MP4 and M4A files, YouTube videos and streaming services.
Pros
- Higher quality than MP3 at equal bitrate
- Standard for video soundtracks
Cons
- Raw .aac files have weaker tag support than M4A
How to open AAC files
VLC, foobar2000 and most music players open AAC. It also plays natively on Windows, macOS, iPhone and Android.
Is AAC lossy or lossless?
AAC is lossy: it removes sounds that are hard to hear to make files smaller. Quality depends on the bitrate — 192 kbps and above is transparent for most listeners.
When should you convert AAC?
The successor to MP3 and the audio codec inside most MP4 and M4A files, YouTube videos and streaming services. If the app or device you need doesn't accept AAC, convert it to MP3 — the most widely supported alternative.
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AAC at a glance
- Full name
- Advanced Audio Coding
- Developed by
- MPEG
- Introduced
- 1997
- Contains
- AAC (lossy), raw ADTS stream
- MIME type
- audio/aac
- Best for
- streaming, video soundtracks, mobile audio