How to Convert Audio to MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV with FFmpeg (2026 Guide)

Whether you need to convert a WAV recording to MP3 for sharing, extract FLAC from a CD rip, or transcode audio for a mobile app—FFmpeg can handle it all from the command line. This guide covers every common audio conversion with copy-paste commands.

If command-line tools aren’t your thing, we’ll show you a free one-click solution at the end.

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Prerequisites: Install FFmpeg

macOS (Homebrew):

brew install ffmpeg

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install ffmpeg

Windows: Download from ffmpeg.org, extract, and add the bin folder to your system PATH.

Verify:

ffmpeg -version

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Basic Audio Conversions

WAV to MP3

ffmpeg -i input.wav -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 320k output.mp3

• -c:a libmp3lame — MP3 encoder
• -b:a 320k — 320 kbps bitrate (highest quality MP3)

MP3 to WAV

ffmpeg -i input.mp3 -c:a pcm_s16le output.wav

• -c:a pcm_s16le — uncompressed 16-bit PCM (standard WAV format)

FLAC to MP3

ffmpeg -i input.flac -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 320k output.mp3

MP3 to FLAC

ffmpeg -i input.mp3 -c:a flac output.flac

Note: Converting a lossy format (MP3) to lossless (FLAC) won’t restore lost quality—it just wraps the audio in a lossless container.

WAV to AAC

ffmpeg -i input.wav -c:a aac -b:a 256k output.m4a

MP3 to AAC

ffmpeg -i input.mp3 -c:a aac -b:a 256k output.m4a

WAV to OGG (Vorbis)

ffmpeg -i input.wav -c:a libvorbis -q:a 6 output.ogg

• -q:a 6 — quality scale from 0 (lowest) to 10 (highest)

OGG to MP3

ffmpeg -i input.ogg -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 256k output.mp3

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Advanced Options

Control MP3 Quality with VBR

Variable Bitrate often gives better quality per file size:

ffmpeg -i input.wav -c:a libmp3lame -q:a 0 output.mp3

-q:a Value	Average Bitrate	Quality
0	~245 kbps	Best
2	~190 kbps	Very good
4	~165 kbps	Good
6	~130 kbps	Acceptable
9	~65 kbps	Low

Change Sample Rate

Convert to 44.1 kHz (CD quality):

ffmpeg -i input.wav -ar 44100 -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 320k output.mp3

Convert to 48 kHz (video standard):

ffmpeg -i input.wav -ar 48000 -c:a aac -b:a 256k output.m4a

Change Channels (Stereo to Mono)

ffmpeg -i input.mp3 -ac 1 output_mono.mp3

• -ac 1 — mono
• -ac 2 — stereo

Extract Audio from Video

ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 320k audio.mp3

• -vn — discard video stream

Extract without re-encoding (if audio is already AAC):

ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -c:a copy audio.m4a

Trim Audio

Extract a 30-second clip starting at 1:00:

ffmpeg -i input.mp3 -ss 00:01:00 -t 00:00:30 -c copy clip.mp3

Adjust Volume

Increase volume by 50%:

ffmpeg -i input.mp3 -af "volume=1.5" output.mp3

Normalize audio loudness:

ffmpeg -i input.mp3 -af loudnorm output.mp3

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Batch Conversion

Convert All WAV Files to MP3

Linux/macOS:

for f in *.wav; do
  ffmpeg -i "$f" -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 320k "${f%.wav}.mp3"
done

Windows (PowerShell):

Get-ChildItem *.wav | ForEach-Object {
  ffmpeg -i $_.Name -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 320k ($_.BaseName + ".mp3")
}

Convert All FLAC Files to AAC

for f in *.flac; do
  ffmpeg -i "$f" -c:a aac -b:a 256k "${f%.flac}.m4a"
done

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Common Errors and Fixes

“Encoder libmp3lame not found” Your FFmpeg build doesn’t include the MP3 encoder. Reinstall with codec support:

# Ubuntu
sudo apt install ffmpeg libavcodec-extra
# macOS
brew reinstall ffmpeg

“Invalid sample rate” The target format may not support the source sample rate. Explicitly set it:

ffmpeg -i input.wav -ar 44100 -c:a libmp3lame output.mp3

Output file is silent or distorted Check the audio codec compatibility. Use -c:a copy only when the source codec matches the target container.

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Skip the Terminal: Use WaveSpeed Desktop Instead

Tired of memorizing codec names, bitrate flags, and sample rate options? You’re not alone.

WaveSpeed Desktop includes a built-in Audio Converter that does all of this with zero command-line knowledge:

• Drag and drop your audio file
• Choose the output format (MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, OGG)
• Click convert — that’s it

No FFmpeg installation. No terminal commands. No debugging codec errors.

Download WaveSpeed Desktop for free: https://github.com/WaveSpeedAI/wavespeed-desktop/releases

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FAQ

What’s the best audio format for general use? MP3 at 320 kbps for compatibility, or AAC at 256 kbps for slightly better quality at the same size. Use FLAC if you need lossless.

Does converting MP3 to FLAC improve quality? No. You can’t recover information lost during MP3 compression. The file will be larger but won’t sound better.

What bitrate should I use for MP3? 320 kbps for archiving, 192–256 kbps for general listening, 128 kbps for voice recordings or podcasts.

Can FFmpeg convert multiple files at once? Not natively in a single command—you need a shell loop (see Batch Conversion above). WaveSpeed Desktop handles batch conversion with drag-and-drop.