AIFF file format: what it is and how to use it

AIFF is Apple's uncompressed PCM audio container from 1988: CD-quality samples in a chunk format that mirrors WAV. Learn when to use it and what to choose instead.

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What is a AIFF file?

An .aiff file is audio in the Audio Interchange File Format, Apple's 1988 answer to IFF: uncompressed PCM in big-endian chunks, the mirror image of Microsoft's little-endian WAV. It stores CD-quality samples plus markers, loop points and metadata; a .aifc variant can even hold compressed audio. Files run large by design: nothing is thrown away.

When should you use AIFF?

  • Apple-centric audio workflows: native on macOS and every Mac-era audio tool.
  • Uncompressed masters: full-resolution PCM for editing, when WAV is not the house standard.
  • Sampler and instrument loops: AIFF's markers carry loop points many samplers still read.

When is another format a better fit?

For cross-platform exchange WAV is the safer uncompressed choice, same data, wider tooling. For archiving FLAC halves the size losslessly. For delivery to listeners use AAC or MP3, since uncompressed files are production media, not distribution media.

The short version: AIFF is the Mac's WAV: uncompressed master audio. Reach for it inside Apple pipelines and choose WAV or FLAC elsewhere.

How to open a AIFF file

On Windows

Double-click the file, or open it with Windows Media Player.

On macOS

iTunes / Apple Music opens AIFF files on macOS.

In your browser

Open AIFF files right in a browser tab or with the dexrr viewer. No install, no upload.

Also opens in

  • iTunes / Apple Music
  • VLC
  • Audacity
  • Windows Media Player

View or convert AIFF files

A quick preview or a new format. No install, no upload.

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AIFF technical details

Full name
Audio Interchange File Format
Extensions
.aif .aiff .aifc
MIME type
audio/aiff, audio/x-aiff
Magic bytes
46 4F 52 4D … 41 49 46 46 (FORM…AIFF)
Compression
None (uncompressed)
Developer
Apple
Specification
www-mmsp.ece.mcgill.ca

AIFF questions, answered

How do I open an .aiff file?

Every OS and player opens it: iTunes/Music, QuickTime, VLC, foobar2000 and all DAWs. dexrr plays and converts aiff files directly in your browser.

Can I convert AIFF files online?

Yes, dexrr converts aiff locally in your browser: AIFF to WAV for portability, AIFF to FLAC for smaller lossless storage or AIFF to MP3 for sharing.

Is AIFF better than WAV?

They hold the same uncompressed audio, so quality is identical. The difference is container conventions: WAV is little-endian and more universal, AIFF is big-endian and Mac-native.

Why are AIFF files so large?

They store raw PCM: 16-bit stereo at 44.1 kHz is ~10 MB per minute. Convert to FLAC to keep the quality at roughly half the size.

Is the AIFF format outdated?

As an interchange it is dated, but it remains a valid uncompressed container. WAV has simply become the more common sibling.