Audio
What is an AIFF file?
Updated Jul 2026
AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) is Apple's format for uncompressed digital audio. It stores sound exactly as recorded, with no quality loss, which makes it a common choice in music production and CD mastering. The tradeoff is size: an AIFF file can run ten times larger than a compressed MP3 of the same song.
- Extension
- .aiff
- Type
- Audio
- Typically
- Apple uncompressed audio
Why AIFF exists
Apple introduced AIFF in 1988, well before the Mac even had a graphical way to play sound reliably. It's built on a container format from Electronic Arts called IFF, and it was designed to store raw audio samples the same way a WAV file does on Windows. The two formats are close cousins: same basic idea, different company, different byte order under the hood.
In practice, AIFF stores audio as uncompressed PCM data, meaning every sample from the original recording is kept in full. Nothing is thrown away to save space, so a song saved as AIFF sounds identical to the master it came from. That's exactly why studios, audio engineers, and CD authoring tools favor it: there's no compression artifact to worry about at any stage of editing.
Most people run into AIFF through Mac audio software. Programs like Logic Pro and GarageBand often export AIFF by default, and audio pulled from a CD or a professional recording session frequently lands in this format. The problem shows up when you try to email a track, upload it somewhere, or fit a full album on a phone: the files are simply too big, and converting to something compressed like MP3 or AAC becomes necessary.
The trade-offs
Strengths
- No compression, so audio quality matches the original exactly
- Well suited to editing and re-editing without generation loss
- Widely supported by professional audio and CD mastering tools
Watch-outs
- Files are much larger than compressed formats like MP3
- Not practical for storing large music libraries on a phone
- Less commonly accepted by streaming and sharing platforms
A note on privacy
AIFF files can carry metadata such as track titles, artist tags, and timestamps from the recording session. An online converter requires uploading the whole audio file to a server just to shrink it down, which means your recording, and whatever it contains, leaves your machine. Converting on your own computer keeps the audio and its metadata local the entire time.
Questions
How do I open an AIFF file?
Any standard media player on Mac or Windows can play AIFF, including Apple's own Music and QuickTime apps and most third-party players. It's a common, well-documented format, so compatibility for playback isn't usually the issue.
Is AIFF better than MP3?
For pure audio quality, yes: AIFF keeps every bit of the original recording with no compression. For everyday use, MP3 is usually more practical since it takes up a fraction of the space with a difference most people can't hear.
Why does my Mac save audio as AIFF?
Apple's audio tools, including GarageBand and Logic Pro, default to AIFF because it preserves full quality during recording and editing. It's meant for production, not necessarily for the final file you share or listen to elsewhere.
Can I convert AIFF without uploading it?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet converts AIFF to MP3, WAV, or other formats directly on your computer, so the audio file never has to travel over the internet.
Morphjet opens and converts AIFF and 1,800+ other formats, all on your own computer. Launching this July.