Skip to content
Tools For Free

Convert WAV to AC3

Free, no account, no watermark. Converted on our servers, then deleted.

Drop a WAV file here

As many as you like. We will show you what they convert to.

How to convert WAV to AC3

  1. 1

    Choose your file

    Drop a WAV file onto the converter, or pick one from your device. You can add several at once.

  2. 2

    Select AC3

    Pick AC3 as the output format. Open Settings if you want to control the audio codec, the audio bitrate, and the sample rate, and 2 more.

  3. 3

    Download the result

    Convert and download the finished file. No account, and nothing to install.

wav

Waveform Audio

Uncompressed PCM audio. Large files, no generation loss, the usual interchange format for editing.

ac3

Dolby Digital

The surround format on DVDs and broadcast television. Usually arrives as a track pulled out of a disc rip rather than as a file somebody chose.

WAV to AC3, asked and answered

Does converting WAV to AC3 lose quality?

Yes. WAV keeps everything, and AC3 does not: it throws away detail to make the file smaller, and converting back cannot bring it back. If you need every detail kept, convert to FLAC instead.

Can I convert the AC3 back to WAV?

Yes, and the file will open — but a round trip is not free. Each pass re-encodes, so going WAV to AC3 and back leaves you with less than you started with.

What can I change about the AC3 it produces?

You can set the audio codec, the audio bitrate, the sample rate, mono or stereo, and where it starts and stops. Anything left on Auto is decided by the encoder, which is usually the right answer unless you are targeting a specific size or device.

Where does the conversion happen?

On our server. The file is sent over HTTPS and converted in a sandbox with no network access of its own; your input and the result go together, removed at once if it fails and otherwise kept for a few minutes so you can download them, then deleted — whether or not you did. There are no accounts for anything to be kept against.

Is there a limit on file size?

Yes — there is a per-file cap and an hourly job limit, because this runs on one small server. The API page states the limits currently in force rather than a number baked into this page.