FLAC (læk/; Free Lossless Audio Codec) is an audio coding format for lossless compression of digital audio, developed by the Xiph.Org Foundation, and is also the name of the free software project producing the FLAC tools, the reference software package that includes a codec implementation. Digital audio compressed by FLAC's algorithm can typically be reduced to between 50 and 70 percent of its original size and decompresses to an identical copy of the original audio data.
FLAC is an open format with royalty-free licensing and a reference implementation which is free software. FLAC supports metadata tagging, album cover art, and fast seeking.
Development was started in 2000 by Josh Coalson. The bitstream format was frozen with the release of version 0.9 of the reference implementation on 31 March 2001. Version 1.0 was released on 20 July 2001.
What is FLAC?
FLAC is an open-source music player program for Windows from Xiph (developed by Xiph.Org Foundation). It ranks 5th by popularity among music players in this catalogue. It is written in C. Besides Windows, it is available for cross-platform.
Installation and requirements
Official installers exist for 64-bit and 32-bit as Portable. It runs without installation (portable).
Updates and version history
The current version is 1.5.0, released on February 11, 2025. 2 versions are listed since December 10, 2024, each with links to its own installer files. The last update is more than a year old.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 15,726 times. The source code on GitHub (xiph/flac) has 2,452 stars. Wikipedia has an article about it in 34 of our languages. Similar programs include Spotify, iTunes and Mixxx.
Project description on GitHub: “Free Lossless Audio Codec”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Portable: runs without installation
- Also runs on cross-platform
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- No update for more than a year
In short: FLAC is an open-source music player tool for 64-bit and 32-bit PCs. Updates have slowed down.
Screenshots
Is FLAC safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
53F1500F0D6E7C61379D7FEE50D4A9F7F504C650009506D9BA015530D76C0DDE· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the xiph/flac repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- No dangerous workflows10
- Restricted token permissions10
- No binaries in the repository10
- Fuzzing10
- Licence declared10
- Code review7
- Actively maintained0
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Pinned dependencies0
- Security policy0
- Signed releases0
- Branch protection0
- Static code analysis0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 2 versions ›| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5.0Latest | February 11, 2025 | — | 64-bit ZIP32-bit ZIP |
| 1.4.3 | December 10, 2024 | 1.1 MB | 32-bit ZIP64-bit ZIP |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id Xiph.FLAC -echoco install flac -yscoop install main/flacProgram files (.exe): flac.exe, metaflac.exe
Related guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
brew install flacInformation
- Publisher
- Xiph
- Developer
- Xiph.Org Foundation
- Category
- Music players
- Licence
- GPL-2.0
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/xiph/flac
- Written in
- C
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit, 32-bit
- Installer
- Portable
- Other platforms
- cross-platform
- Version
- 1.5.0
- Released
- February 11, 2025
- Added to the catalogue
- December 10, 2024
- Versions listed
- 2
- Chocolatey downloads
- 15,726
- GitHub stars
- 2,452
- GitHub forks
- 371
- Website
- xiph.org
- winget ID
- Xiph.FLAC
- Chocolatey package
- flac
- Scoop package
- main/flac
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Alternatives to FLAC
See all ›-
Proprietary5.4M ↓ -
iTunes12.13.11.1iTunes offers the world’s best way to play — and add to — your collection of music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, audiobooks, and more.Proprietary2.9M ↓ -
Open source80.9K ↓ -
Open source21K ↓ -
Open source13.5K ↓ -
SuperCollider3.14.1SuperCollider is a platform for audio synthesis and algorithmic composition, used by musicians, artists, and researchers working with sound.Open source20.4K ↓ -
Free409.5K ↓ -
Open source86.7K ↓
Frequently asked questions
Is FLAC free?
Yes. FLAC is open-source software under the GPL-2.0 licence.
Is FLAC safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install FLAC with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Does FLAC run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit and 32-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of FLAC?
The versions page lists all 2 versions with links to their official installer files, back to December 10, 2024.
Can I use FLAC without administrator rights?
Yes, it is portable: unpack and run it.
What are alternatives to FLAC?
Spotify, iTunes, Mixxx, Clementine and Sonic Pi. The alternatives page compares them.
