Opening an AIF File

The AIF file type is primarily associated with QuickTime.

AIF	File extension: AIF
	File type:	music

What is an AIF file?

AIF files mostly belong to QuickTime by Apple. AIF is the filename extension of audio files saved in Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF). These files typically use AIF filename extension when created on Windows and AIFF extension on macOS. AIFF format was originally developed by Apple. It is based on the IFF format created by Electronic Arts, which was popular on Amiga systems. Most AIF files store audio as uncompressed pulse-code modulation (PCM) signals, enabling lossless audio storage at high bit rates. As a consequence, AIF files are much larger than compressed alternatives. At a sample rate of 44.1 kHz with a bit depth of 16 bits, an AIF file uses 10 megabytes per minute of stereo audio. Uncompressed AIF is similar to WAV (Waveform Audio File Format). Compressed versions of this format also use AIF, AIFF, or AIFC extension. The Character Animator component of Visual COBOL IDE saves session information in a different type of AIF file.

How do you open AIF files?

You need a suitable software like QuickTime to open an AIF 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 AIF file correctly, try to right-click or long-press the file. Then click "Open with" and choose an application. You can also display a AIF file directly in the browser:. Just drag the file onto this browser window and drop it.

Online AIF File Viewer

Choose your .aif file to play

or drag and drop it here

Online File Viewer

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How to convert an AIF file to MP3, WAV, OGG, FLAC, AAC, AIFF, ...

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

To do so, click the "Choose your .aif 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.
Your file will be converted and downloaded.

Programs that open and convert AIF files:

QuickTime by Apple
See the previous paragraphs to learn more about the main application. AIF files are often referred to as QuickTime audios because this type of file is primarily created or used by this software.
Knowledgeware (setup information) by Knowledgeware
Knowledgeware was an online digital content distribution service that provided a range of computer-based test products. Compact discs used to distribute Knowledgeware content contained a setup information file that had AIF filename extension. This file format is classified as Data.
Media Player (music) by Microsoft
Media Player is a multimedia player bundled with Windows desktop operating system. Music files saved in AIF format can be played with this program. This file format is classified as Audio. Related links: IrfanView, Wikipedia AIFF Page
OS/2 (program information) by IBM
OS/2 is a series of operating systems used on classic IBM and Microsoft computers. It stored application information in a file named SHELL11F.AIF. This file contains information needed to run programs listed in the SHALL11F.ALL file. This file format is classified as Data.
SymbianOS (application information) by Nokia
SymbianOS is a discontinued mobile phone operating system. Application information used by SymbianOS was saved in AIF files. This file format is classified as Data.
Visual COBOL (session information) by Micro Focus
Visual COBOL is an integrated development environment for building applications in COBOL programming language. Its Character Animator component saves session information such as breakpoints in AIF files. This file format is classified as Developer. Related links: The .aif File and Character Animator
VLC (music) by VideoLAN
VLC is free multimedia software for desktop and mobile devices. You can play AIF audio files with this program. This file format is classified as Audio.

AIF file format:

Every file has a defined file format, i.e. how the data is arranged in the file. A file format is determined by the file extension and signature, so JPEG images have the extension .jpg and the first bytes in the file are ÿØÿ. Frequently, however, one file extension is used by different programs for different file formats, and one file format for different file extensions. So a detailed analysis of a file is vital in order to determine the format and the associated program. Below you will find our evaluation of the AIF files:

Files with the AIF extension are quite widely used. This file type is primarily used by a single program. The two most common formats are as follows:

80% of all AIF files are associated with AIFF Audio Interchange File Format. These files contain neither text nor words, but only data. The files are on average 24 MB in size and range from 230 KB to 70 MB. The file type is very old but is also used today. Certain words are almost always found in the files, such as FORM, SSND, AIFFCOMM and Creator: Logic. Files like these have the following tags: music, audio, recording, vogelspiel, familie, gimpel, serato, minus, singer, stereo, track and edit.
5% of all AIF files are using the well-known Mac2OSX file format to store the data. The Mac2OSX format is an AppleDouble format and originally used to store additional metadata on Unix systems. These files are binary files, so they do not contain text, but only cryptic characters. The average file size is 4 KB with most files being between 120 bytes and 4 KB in size. The files contain the following words: Mac OS X, ATTR and com.apple.quarantine.

The remaining 15% of all AIF files are files with no common format. Often described as video, kick, virgile, better, guitar, master, drums, house, intro, kshmr, laugh, music, piano, vocal, demo, feat or xino. Just click the "Choose your .aif file to play" button on this page to find out what your AIF file is.

Technical Data for AIF File Extension

File classification:

Audio

Related files:

aiff, avif, band, aifc, zip, afi, mp3, wav, jpg, al

Mime type:

audio/aiff, audio/x-aiff, audio/x-pn-aiff

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: AdobePremiere.AIFL, AppName: Adobe Premiere
EXEFile: Premiere.exe

ProgramID: AIFFFile, FileType: AIFF Format Sound, AppName: Microsoft(R) Windows Media Player

ProgramID: AIFFFile, FileType: AIFF Format Sound, AppName: Windows Media Player
EXEFile: mplayer2.exe

ProgramID: AIFFFile, FileType: AIFF Format Sound, AppName: Windows Media Player
EXEFile: wmplayer.exe

ProgramID: iTunes.aif, FileType: AIFF Audio File, AppName: iTunes
EXEFile: iTunes.exe

ProgramID: NeroMediaPlayer.File, FileType: NeroMediaPlayer media files

ProgramID: QuickTime.aif, FileType: AIFF Audio, AppName: QuickTime Player
EXEFile: QuickTimePlayer.exe

ProgramID: QuickTime.aif, FileType: AIFF Audio, AppName: QuickTime Player Application
EXEFile: QuickTimePlayer.exe

ProgramID: RealPlayer.AIFF.6, FileType: AIFF Audio, AppName: RealOne Enterprise Desktop

ProgramID: RealPlayer.AIFF.6, FileType: AIFF Audio, AppName: RealOne Player
EXEFile: RealPlay.exe

ProgramID: RealPlayer.AIFF.6, FileType: AIFF Audio, AppName: RealPlayer
EXEFile: RealPlay.exe

ProgramID: RealPlayer.AIFF.6, FileType: AIFF Clip, AppName: RealPlayer

ProgramID: SlowView WAV, AppName: SlowView
EXEFile: SlowView.exe

ProgramID: Winamp.File, FileType: Winamp media file, AppName: BSPlayer
EXEFile: bsplay.exe

ProgramID: Winamp.File, FileType: Winamp media file, AppName: Winamp
EXEFile: Winamp.exe

ProgramID: Winamp3.File, FileType: Winamp media file, AppName: Winamp3
EXEFile: studio.exe

ProgramID: Winamp3.File, FileType: Winamp media file, AppName: Winamp3
EXEFile: winamp3.exe

ProgramID: AIFFFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\coolpro2\coolpro2.exe %1

ProgramID: AIFFFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Windows Media Player\mplayer2.exe /Play %L

ProgramID: AIFFFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe /Open

ProgramID: AIFFFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe /Open %L

ProgramID: iTunes.aif
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\iTunes\iTunes.exe /open %L

ProgramID: iTunes.aif
EXEFile: D:\iTunes\iTunes.exe /open %L

ProgramID: QuickTime.aif
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Free\QUICKT~1\QuickTimePlayer.exe %1

ProgramID: QuickTime.aif
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\QUICKT~1\QuickTimePlayer.exe %1

ProgramID: QuickTime.aif
EXEFile: c:\gamez\snel\MoviePlayer.exe %1

ProgramID: QuickTime.aif
EXEFile: f:\QuickTimePlayer.exe %1

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

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

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

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

ProgramID: Winamp3.File
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Winamp3\Studio.exe %1

ProgramID: Winamp3.File
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Winamp3\winamp3.exe %1

ProgramID: MediaSource.aifFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Creative\MediaSource\CTCMS.exe /PlayNow %1

ProgramID: AIFFFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\WINDOW~1\wmplayer.exe /Open %L

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

ProgramID: ACEMegaCoDecSPack.AIFFAudioFileS
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\ACE Mega CoDecS Pack\Media Player Classic\mplayerc.exe %1 /open

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

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

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

ProgramID: AIFFFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%r\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe /Open %L

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

ProgramID: RealPlayer.AIFF.6
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Real\RealJukebox\realjbox.exe /m audio/aiff %1

ProgramID: AIFFFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\JetAudio\JetAudio.exe %1

ProgramID: WaveLab.aif
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\WaveLab\WaveLab.exe %1

ProgramID: RealPlayer.AIFF.6
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Real\RealPlayer\RealPlay.exe /m audio/aiff %1

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

ProgramID: QuickTime.aif
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\QUICKT~1.1\QuickTimePlayer.exe

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

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

ProgramID: AIFFFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Adobe\Audition 1.5\Audition.exe

ProgramID: AUD20.AIFFFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Adobe\Adobe Audition 2.0\Audition.exe

ProgramID: Media_Source_U.aifFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Creative\MediaSource5\CTCMSu.exe /PlayNow

ProgramID: ACDSee 8.0.aif
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\ACD Systems\ACDSee\8.0\ACDSee8.exe

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

ProgramID: ACEMegaCoDecSPack.AIFFAudioFileS
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\ACE Mega CoDecS Pack\BSPlayer\bsplayer.exe /open

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

ProgramID: iTunes.aif
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\QuickTime\iTunes.exe /open

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

ProgramID: iMesh.file
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\iMesh Applications\iMesh\iMesh.exe

ProgramID: QuickTime.aif
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\VistaCodecPack\QT\QuickTimePlayer.exe

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

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

ProgramID: AUD30.AIFFFile
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Adobe\Adobe Audition 3.0\Audition.exe

ProgramID: ACDSee.aif
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\ACD Systems\ACDSee\5.0\ACDSee5.exe

ProgramID: foobar2000.AIF
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\foobar2000\foobar2000.exe

ProgramID: iTunes.aif
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\iTunes.exe /open

ProgramID: BearShare.file
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\BearShare Applications\BearShare\BearShare.exe

ProgramID: RealPlayer.AIFF.6
EXEFile: %ProgramFiles%\Dhamu\Download\RealPlay.exe

Show all 69 listings To Top

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

How to solve problems with AIF files

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