Free tool
WAV compressor
This WAV compressor makes a WAV file smaller three ways: as a lossless FLAC that keeps every sample, as a smaller WAV for places that only take WAV, or as an MP3 for the smallest file. It shows the size before and after, and runs in your browser.
- Free
- Lossless FLAC, checked bit for bit
- Nothing is uploaded
Drop your WAV file here, or Choose your WAV file
MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC, OGG, AAC, or the sound of an MP4, MOV or WebM video, up to 1 GB and 2 hours. Everything happens in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
MP3 encoding by LAME, open-source software.
Archiving recordings from NoteOwl? NoteOwl keeps every meeting’s sound as WAV files on your Mac, and Export all data saves them as WAV; this page turns them into lossless FLAC.
How it works
How do you compress a WAV file?
Add the WAV and choose what to make: FLAC, lossless; a smaller WAV, where you pick the sample rate and mono; or MP3, by quality or size. The page shows the size now and, for WAV and MP3, after. Press Compress WAV and download the result.
- 1
Add the WAV
From a recorder, an editor, a phone system or an export. Its size, length, sample rate and channels show at once.
- 2
Choose FLAC, WAV or MP3
FLAC keeps everything; a smaller WAV keeps the format; MP3 makes the smallest file.
- 3
Compress and download
The result shows its size beside the WAV’s, and plays on the page before you save it.
Why are WAV files so big?
Because a WAV stores every sample as it is, with no compression: 44,100 or 48,000 numbers a second for each channel. A minute of CD-quality stereo takes about 10 MB whatever it contains, silence included. The sample rate, bit depth and channels set the size.
- 96 kHz, 24-bit, stereo
- Used forStudio recording
- One minuteAbout 33 MB
- 48 kHz, 24-bit, stereo
- Used forVideo and field recorders
- One minuteAbout 16.5 MB
- 44.1 kHz, 16-bit, stereo
- Used forCD quality
- One minuteAbout 10.1 MB
- 16 kHz, 16-bit, mono
- Used forSpeech, calls
- One minuteAbout 1.8 MB
| WAV | Used for | One minute |
|---|---|---|
| 96 kHz, 24-bit, stereo | Studio recording | About 33 MB |
| 48 kHz, 24-bit, stereo | Video and field recorders | About 16.5 MB |
| 44.1 kHz, 16-bit, stereo | CD quality | About 10.1 MB |
| 16 kHz, 16-bit, mono | Speech, calls | About 1.8 MB |
Can you compress a WAV without losing quality?
Yes, as FLAC. FLAC packs the same samples into less space, the way a ZIP packs a document, and decodes back to exactly the WAV you started with. We checked every FLAC this page made against its WAV, sample by sample: identical every time.
How much smaller depends on the sound. A minute of music came to 45% of its WAV; speech with pauses, 34%; a 96 kHz, 24-bit studio file, 26%. A 16- or 24-bit WAV keeps its bit depth in the FLAC.
- 1:00 of music, 44.1 kHz stereo, 10.1 MB
- FLAC4.57 MB
- Share of the WAV45%
- 6:44 of speech, 16 kHz mono, 12.3 MB
- FLAC4.2 MB
- Share of the WAV34%
- 1:00 studio, 96 kHz 24-bit stereo, 33 MB
- FLAC8.7 MB
- Share of the WAV26%
| WAV | FLAC | Share of the WAV |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 of music, 44.1 kHz stereo, 10.1 MB | 4.57 MB | 45% |
| 6:44 of speech, 16 kHz mono, 12.3 MB | 4.2 MB | 34% |
| 1:00 studio, 96 kHz 24-bit stereo, 33 MB | 8.7 MB | 26% |
When should the smaller file still be a WAV?
When it’s going somewhere that accepts only WAV: some phone and voicemail systems, older editors and hardware, and upload forms. Lower the sample rate and keep one channel: a 74 MB stereo meeting at 48 kHz became a 12.3 MB WAV at 16 kHz mono, one sixth the size.
Speech
16 kHz mono keeps voices clear for listening and transcription, at 1.8 MB a minute.
Music for a device
44.1 kHz, 16-bit stereo: CD quality, from a 96 kHz or 24-bit master.
One voice in stereo
Tick Mono: one channel holds it at half the size.
How much smaller is an MP3 than a WAV?
Many times smaller: the 74 MB meeting became a 3.1 MB MP3 at 64 kbps mono, 24 times smaller. MP3 drops detail that’s hard to hear, so it isn’t lossless, but it plays everywhere. Choose MP3 when the file is for listening and sending, and FLAC when it’s for keeping.
How do you archive the WAV files NoteOwl saves?
As FLAC, with this page. NoteOwl keeps each meeting’s sound on your Mac as 16 kHz WAV files: your microphone, the call, and both mixed, and Export all data saves them in a ZIP.
Compress each WAV to FLAC here to keep every sample in less space: in our test, 16 kHz speech took about a third of its WAV’s space.
FAQ
Questions about compressing WAV files
Does the WAV compressor upload my files?
No. A WAV can be large, and it never leaves your device: the page reads it from your disk, encodes the FLAC, WAV or MP3 in the browser and gives you the file. We saw no network requests while compressing a 74 MB WAV.
Is FLAC really lossless?
Yes. A FLAC decodes to exactly the samples of the WAV it came from. We decoded each FLAC this page made with a separate program and compared it with the original WAV: the samples matched bit for bit, at 16 and 24 bits.
How long does compressing a WAV take?
A second or two for a few minutes of audio. A one-minute 96 kHz studio WAV became FLAC in under two seconds, and a 74 MB meeting recording in five to seven seconds.
Can a FLAC be turned back into a WAV?
Yes, at any time, and you get the original WAV back exactly. Most audio editors and converters open FLAC and save WAV.
What happens to a 32-bit float WAV?
FLAC holds whole numbers, so a 32-bit float WAV is saved as a 24-bit FLAC: very close, but not bit for bit. 16- and 24-bit WAVs are kept exactly.
Why doesn’t the page show the FLAC’s size before compressing?
Because a FLAC’s size depends on the sound itself: silence packs into almost nothing, noise hardly at all. The page shows it as soon as the FLAC is made, beside the WAV’s size. A WAV or MP3 result is shown before you start.
Keep exploring
More audio editing tools
- Volume boosterMake an audio file louder in your browser, up to +30 dB, with a limiter that stops it clipping and a preview before you save
- Audio speed changerSpeed up or slow down an audio file from 0.5× to 2× in your browser, keeping the pitch or not, and save it as MP3 or WAV
- Audio trimmerTrim the start and end off a recording in your browser by dragging on its waveform; MP3, M4A, WAV and FLAC are cut without re-encoding
- MP3 cutterCut a clip out of an MP3 or any audio file, with fades, or cut a part out of the middle; saves an MP3 at 128, 192 or 320 kbps
Related
- WAV to MP3 converterConvert WAV to MP3 in your browser, 16-bit to 32-bit float at any sample rate, and see how much smaller the MP3 is; nothing is uploaded
- Export your notesExport meetings, dictations and notes as Markdown or PDF, imported transcripts as text or SRT, or everything as plain files; nothing is locked in
- Offline AI meeting notesEvery NoteOwl feature works offline after a one-time model download; what the app sends over the network, and what it never does
Meetings kept on your Mac, in files you own
Free to download. Runs entirely on your Mac.
macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended
About NoteOwl
NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for the Mac. It captures meetings without a bot joining the call, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and builds a memory of every conversation that you can chat with — fully offline, because the speech recognition and the AI run on the Mac itself. Dictation into any app is free; Pro is a one-time purchase.
NoteOwl pricing: what’s free and what Pro adds
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