All about AAC Files

The AAC file type is primarily associated with iTunes.

AAC	File extension: AAC
	File type:	music

What is an AAC file?

AAC files mostly belong to iTunes by Apple. AAC is the filename extension of audio files compressed using Advanced Audio Coding audio compression standard. These files are typically stored in an MPEG-2 Part 7 container which is the default format for distributing iTunes music. Audio files encoded using this standard can have one of several file extensions including AAC, MP4 and 3GP. RAW audio files processed using AAC typically have AAC filename extension while lossy-compressed AAC files use the previously mentioned filename eextensions. A consortium of 13 companies developed AAC as the successor of MP3 format. Compared to MP3, AAC produces better audio quality at the same bit rate. AAC maintains a small footprint by using a pure modified discrete cosine transform algorithm (MDCT) for higher compression efficiency. This contrasts with the hybrid coding algorithm in MP3 compression that partially used fast Fourier transform and MDCT. Apple, Nokia, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson mobile phones support AAC playback.

How do you open AAC files?

You need a suitable software like iTunes to open an AAC file. Without proper software you will receive a Windows message "How do you want to open this file?" or "Windows cannot open this file" or a similar Mac/iPhone/Android alert. If you cannot open your AAC file correctly, try to right-click or long-press the file. Then click "Open with" and choose an application. You can also display a AAC file directly in the browser:. Just drag the file onto this browser window and drop it.

Online AAC File Viewer

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Easily convert AAC files to MP3, WAV, OGG, FLAC, AAC, AIFF, ...

If you want to convert or edit an AAC file, you can use our free Online AAC File Converter (powered by Convert.Guru):

To do so, click the "Choose your .aac file to play" button above.
After your file is opened in browser,
click "Save as..." in the menu.
Then choose the audio format (e.g. MP3, WAV, OGG, FLAC, AAC, AIFF, ...) you want.
Download the converted file.

Programs that open and convert AAC files:

iTunes by Apple
See the previous paragraphs to learn more about the main application. AAC files are often referred to as iTunes audios because this type of file is primarily created or used by this software.
RealPlayer (music) by RealNetworks
RealPlayer is a universal, cross-platform media player developed by RealNetworks. It uses the open-source media engine Helix to support a wide variety of audio and video formats. Many formats, including AAC, enjoy support out of the box. Users can also extend support for other formats using optional plug-ins. This file format is classified as Audio. Related links: RealPlayer supported media types, Available quality levels for audio playback in RealPlayer, Helix overview
VLC Media Player (music) by VideoLAN
VLC is an open-source media player developed and distributed for free by VideoLAN. VLC is available on Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android and other major operating systems. It uses the libavcodec library from FFmpeg to support a dizzying array of media formats, including AAC. This file format is classified as Audio. Related links: Wikipedia VLC media player entry, FFmpeg overview, VLC supported operating systems
Winamp (music) by Raidonomy
Winamp was one of the most popular media players in the late 90s and early 2000s. It remains one of the media players that support most audio file formats even today. You can play AAC files with Winamp. This file format is classified as Audio. Related links: Winamp as part of Radionomy Group, Wikipedia Winamp entry

AAC format details:

Every file has a defined file format, i.e. how the data is arranged in the file. The file format can be determined based on the file extension and the signature (the first few characters of a file). If the file extension does not match the file format, double-clicking on the file will cause an error upon opening. Knowledge is power - this also applies when dealing with unknown or faulty files. Below is our analysis of the AAC files:

Files with the AAC extension are quite widely used. This file type includes different formats for the applicable programs. The two most popular formats are as follows:

60% of all AAC files are associated with MPEG-4 LC-AAC Audio. These files contain neither text nor words, but only data. The files are 28 KB to 7 MB in size, with a median of 580 KB. The file type is relatively new. 20180601.aac or Record20180601.aac is a typical file name. Such files sometimes refer to blank, audio and jathiswaram.
9% of all AAC files are based on the popular MP4 file format. MP4 is a multimedia container format used to store video and audio and allows streaming over the Internet. If you open these files in a text editor, you will see only illegible characters. Most of these files are 57 KB to 27 MB in size. Certain words are almost always found in the files, such as ftypmp42, lmvhd, isommp42 and moov. These files are attributed to audio.

The remaining 31% of all AAC files are different files with different signatures, frequently e.g. MPEG-2 LC-AAC Audio, PNG and MP3. Tagged as audioclip, fireflies, media or voice. Just click the "Choose your .aac file to play" button on this page to find out what your AAC file is.

Technical Data for AAC File Extension

File classification:

Audio

Related files:

acc, mp3, mp4, jpg, trk, pdf, check, amr, m4a, 30, ptt, wav, hat, bp, mkv, bpp, obb, journal, dvm, ac3, alac, cdda, ipsw

Mime type:

audio/x-aac, audio/aac, audio/mp4

The following listing is compiled from the database produced by the 'Associate This!' program, selected data from the main FILExt database and file extension information submitted by users.

ProgramID: foobar2000.aac
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Audio\foobar2000\foobar2000.exe %1

ProgramID: foobar2000.aac
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\foobar2000\foobar2000.exe %1

ProgramID: NAM.File
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Nokia\Audio Manager 3.0\nam30.exe %1

ProgramID: NAM40.File
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Nokia\Nokia PC Suite 5\Nokia Audio Manager

ProgramID: NAM40.File
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Nokia\Nokia PC Suite 6\AudioManager.exe %1

ProgramID: NAM40.File
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Nokia\Nokia PC Suite 6\Nokia Audio Manager 4.0.exe %1

ProgramID: RealPlayer.AAC.6
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Real\RealOne Player\RealPlay.exe %1

ProgramID: RealPlayer.AAC.6
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Real\RealPlayer\RealPlay.exe %1

ProgramID: Winamp.File
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Winamp\Winamp.exe %1

ProgramID: ZPAACFile
EXEFile: C:\Documents and Settings\Kimbali Bays\Desktop\XP CD Creator update\microsoft\zoomplayer403std\zplayer.exe %L

ProgramID: RealPlayer.AAC.6
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\RealPlayer 10\RealPlay.exe %1

ProgramID: Rhapsody.Document
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Comcast Rhapsody\rhapsody.exe %1

ProgramID: Winamp.File
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Winamp5.08\Winamp.exe %1

ProgramID: Rhapsody.Document
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Rhapsody\Rhapsody.exe %1

ProgramID: Winamp.File
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Winamp5\Winamp.exe %1

ProgramID: aacfile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\ACE Mega CoDecS Pack\Media Player Classic\mplayerc.exe %1

ProgramID: Rhapsody.Document
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\RealRhapsody\rhapsody.exe %1

ProgramID: QuickTime.aac
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\QuickTime\QuickTimePlayer.exe %1

ProgramID: YMP.Media
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Yahoo!\Yahoo! Music Engine\YahooMusicEngine.exe -play %1

ProgramID: Rhapsody.Document
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\COMCAS~1\rhapsody.exe %1

ProgramID: AudioManager.File
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Nokia\Nokia PC Suite 6\AudioManager.exe %1

ProgramID: Winamp.File
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\JetAudio\JetAudio.exe %1

ProgramID: Rhapsody.Document
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\COMCAS~2\rhapsody.exe %1

ProgramID: NAM40.File
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Nokia\Nokia PC Suite 5\Nokia Audio Manager 4.0.exe %1

ProgramID: AACfile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\NCH Swift Sound\WavePad\wavepad.exe %L

ProgramID: NeroShowTime.Files.aac
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Ahead\Nero ShowTime\ShowTime.exe

ProgramID: NeroShowTime.Files.aac
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Ahead3\Nero ShowTime\ShowTime.exe

ProgramID: aacFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe /prefetch:6 /Open

ProgramID: StudioII.Player
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Samsung\SAMSUN~1.0\PIMS

ProgramID: QuickTime.aac
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\QuickTime Alternative\QuickTimePlayer.exe

ProgramID: Rhapsody.Document
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\HP Rhapsody\rhapsody.exe

ProgramID: NAM40.File
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Nokia PC Suite 6\Nokia Audio Manager 4.0.exe

ProgramID: Winamp.File
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\K-Lite Codec Pack\Media Player Classic\mplayerc.exe

ProgramID: totalplayer.file
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Total Video Player\tvp.exe

ProgramID: StudioII.Player
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Samsung\EASYST~1\FILEMA~1\EASYST~1.EXE

ProgramID: AVSAUDIO
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\AVSMedia\DVDPlayer\AVSDVDPlayer.exe

ProgramID: MPlayerFileAudio
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\MPlayer for Windows\MPUI.exe

ProgramID: QuickTime.aac
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\ACE Mega CoDecS Pack\Media Player Classic\mplayerc.exe

ProgramID: Rhapsody.Document
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Best Buy Rhapsody\rhapsody.exe

ProgramID: totalplayer.file
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Total Video Converter\tvp.exe

ProgramID: Rhapsody.Document
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Rhapsody provided by Optimum Online\rhapsody.exe

ProgramID: StudioII.Player
EXEFile: %SystemRoot%\PLAY32.EXE

ProgramID: KLCP.AAC
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\K-Lite Codec Pack\Media Player Classic\mplayerc.exe

ProgramID: KLCP.AAC
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe

ProgramID: AACFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\JetAudio\JetAudio.exe

ProgramID: qvodplayer.aac
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\QvodPlayer\QvodPlayer.exe -localfile

ProgramID: ACDSee 7.0.aac
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\ACD Systems\ACDSee\7.0\ACDSee7.exe

ProgramID: ACDSee 9.0.aac
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\ACD Systems\ACDSee\9.0\ACDSeeQV.exe

ProgramID: MediaMonkey.AACFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\MediaMonkey\MediaMonkey.exe

ProgramID: AVSAUDIO
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\AVS4YOU\AVSDVDPlayer\AVSDVDPlayer.exe

ProgramID: MediaMonkey.AACFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\MEDIAM~1\MEDIAM~2.EXE

ProgramID: KLCP.WMP.aac
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe

ProgramID: Rhapsody.Document
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\BESTBU~1\rhapsody.exe

ProgramID: MPlayerFileAudio
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\MPlayer\mplayer\smplayer_portable.exe

ProgramID: WMP11.AssocFile.ADTS
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe /prefetch:6 /Open

Show all 55 listings To Top

an aac music is a special file format by Apple and should only be edited and saved with the appropriate software.

How to solve problems with AAC files

Associate the AAC file extension with the correct application.
Update your software that should actually open musics. Because only the current version supports the latest AAC file format. Search, therefore, e.g. on the Apple manufacturer website after an available iTunes update.
To make sure that your AAC file is not corrupted or virus-infected, get the file again and scan it with Google's virustotal.com.
Click here to open your .AAC file online - secure, fast, and no downloads needed.