What happens when you convert MKV to FLAC
- FLAC holds sound only, so the picture is discarded and the soundtrack is encoded as FLAC at compression level 5.
- If the MKV has several audio tracks, the first one is used.
How to convert MKV to FLAC online
- Press "Choose MKV files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. You can add files of any size your device can hold in memory.
- Adjust the settings if you need to: the bitrate controls quality and size. The defaults suit most people.
- Press "Convert to FLAC". The first audio or video conversion downloads the converter engine, about 32 MB, which your browser then keeps for next time.
- Save each FLAC with its download button. Close the tab and every trace of the files is gone from memory.
Why convert MKV to FLAC?
MKV files usually come from films and TV rips, OBS recordings and anime releases. People convert them to FLAC because FLAC keeps every detail of the original while cutting the size roughly in half compared with WAV.
In short, MKV is good at what it was made for, and FLAC is the more practical choice when the file has to play on another device or app. Chrome and Edge play many MKV files; Safari and iPhones do not, while FLAC plays in current browsers and most Android devices; iPhones play it in the Files app.
How to convert MKV to FLAC on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your MKV files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each FLAC is saved to your Downloads folder. If you prefer a desktop program, VLC can also convert MKV to FLAC: choose Media, then Convert / Save.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the MKV files from Finder onto the drop zone and the FLAC files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose MKV files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted FLAC appears in Files, in the Downloads folder.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose MKV files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The FLAC is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it. Keep the screen on while a long video converts, because Android may pause a tab in the background.
Best settings for MKV to FLAC
FLAC is lossless, so there is no quality setting: every sample of the decoded MKV is kept. What changes is size. CD-quality stereo, 44.1 kHz at 16 bits, takes about 10 MB per minute as uncompressed PCM, and roughly half to two thirds of that once compressed losslessly.
Since the MKV was lossy, the FLAC will sound identical to it, not better. Convert to FLAC when a program requires it, not to improve quality.
MKV vs FLAC: the differences
| MKV | FLAC | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matroska video | Free Lossless Audio Codec |
| Type | video | audio |
| Created by | the Matroska project | Josh Coalson and the Xiph.Org Foundation |
| First released | 2002 | 2001 |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless |
| Usually contains | almost any codec, often H.264 or H.265 with several audio and subtitle tracks | FLAC lossless audio, up to 32-bit and 655 kHz |
| In a browser | Chrome and Edge play many MKV files; Safari and iPhones do not | plays in current browsers and most Android devices; iPhones play it in the Files app |
| Common uses | films and TV rips, OBS recordings and anime releases | CD rips, hi-res music stores and audio archives |
| MIME type | video/x-matroska | audio/flac |
About MKV and FLAC files
What is an MKV file?
MKV can hold unlimited audio tracks, subtitle tracks and chapters in one file, which is why film rips use it. OBS offers MKV recording because a crash part way through does not corrupt the whole file.
What is a FLAC file?
FLAC shrinks audio to about half to two thirds of WAV size without losing a single sample, so it can be decoded back to a bit-identical copy of the original.
MKV to FLAC not working? Common problems
- The conversion is slow. Audio and container changes take seconds, but re-encoding video runs on your own processor. Lower the resolution to 720p, close other tabs, and keep the device plugged in.
- The tab stops or reloads on a very large file. Browsers limit how much memory one tab can use, around 2 GB and less on phones. Split long recordings or convert them on a computer.
- Song titles are missing. Tags such as title and artist are copied when FLAC can store them, but cover art is not carried over.
Convert MKV to FLAC with ffmpeg
This converter runs ffmpeg inside your browser. If you would rather use the ffmpeg command line on your own computer, this command produces an equivalent FLAC with the same kind of settings:
ffmpeg -i input.mkv -vn -c:a flac output.flacReplace input.mkv with the name of your file. For a whole folder of MKV files, run the command in a loop, or drop them all on the converter above, which processes them one after another.
MKV to FLAC converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting MKV to FLAC?
The sound is re-encoded as FLAC at compression level 5, which keeps every sample. The picture is not kept.
Why is the FLAC a different size from the MKV?
The FLAC is much smaller, because the video stream, usually most of the file, is dropped.
Are my MKV files uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs inside this browser tab using ffmpeg compiled to WebAssembly, so your files stay on your device. You can disconnect from the internet after the page and converter engine have loaded and it still works.
Can I convert several MKV files to FLAC at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open a FLAC file?
FLAC plays in current browsers and most Android devices; iPhones play it in the Files app. FLAC is common for CD rips, hi-res music stores and audio archives.
Is this MKV to FLAC converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many files you convert. The site is paid for by advertising, and because conversions run on your device there is no server cost per file.
Can I convert MKV to FLAC on my phone?
Yes. The converter works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. Converted files are saved to the Downloads folder.