CAF to MP3
Apple’s Core Audio Format, converted here in the tab. CAF files come out of GarageBand on iOS, Logic and some iPhone recordings, and almost nothing outside Apple will open one.
drop your .caf file here
or click to pick. Several at once is fine — you get a zip back.
What a CAF file actually is
Core Audio Format is a container Apple introduced to get past the limits of WAV and AIFF, and its main advantage is that it has no practical size ceiling. A WAV stores its length in a 32-bit field, which caps the file at 4 GB — a real constraint for long multitrack recordings — and CAF simply does not have that limit.
Because it is a container rather than a codec, the audio inside can be almost anything: uncompressed PCM most commonly, sometimes Apple Lossless, sometimes AAC or even IMA ADPCM in older recordings. That is why two CAF files can behave completely differently, and why a file that one program opens may still be refused by another.
Where yours probably came from
GarageBand on iPhone and iPad is the most common source: its recordings and exports are CAF, and moving a project off the device leaves you with files nothing on a Windows machine will touch. Logic Pro uses CAF internally for some assets and for anything over the WAV size limit. Older iOS voice recordings and some third-party recording apps also produce it, as do a few macOS system sounds.
If your file came from GarageBand and you want to keep editing rather than just listen, converting to MP3 is the wrong move — take the extractor and choose WAV, which every editor reads and which loses nothing on the way.
Uncompressed in, compressed out
Most CAF files hold uncompressed PCM, which means you are usually converting from a genuine lossless source. That is the good case: nothing has been discarded yet, so the MP3 encoder is working from the full signal and a higher bitrate is actually worth paying for. 256 or 320 kbps is a reasonable choice for music from GarageBand; 128 is plenty for a spoken recording.
Expect a dramatic size drop. A ten-minute uncompressed stereo CAF is around 100 MB, and the same audio at 320 kbps MP3 is about 23 MB. That is the entire reason to do this — the file becomes something you can email or upload.
Why the file is so large to begin with
People often arrive here because a CAF will not fit somewhere. Uncompressed audio runs about 10 MB per minute in stereo at CD quality, and Logic or GarageBand will happily produce an hour of it. There is nothing wrong with the file; it simply has not been compressed. If size is the only problem and quality matters, FLAC halves it losslessly, while MP3 cuts it by roughly ten to one with some loss.
Getting the file off the device first
The awkward part of this job usually happens before the conversion. GarageBand for iOS does not put files in a normal folder: you export a song, choose to save it to Files, and it lands in iCloud Drive or On My iPhone. From there AirDrop, iCloud or a cable gets it to a computer. Once it is a file you can drag, it can be dropped here — including directly from Safari on the phone itself, since this page runs on iOS as well.
If the conversion fails
A CAF holding an unusual codec occasionally will not decode. The most likely culprits are the Apple-specific compressed formats in older files. If that happens, opening the file in QuickTime Player on a Mac and exporting as audio, or in GarageBand and sharing as an uncompressed file, produces something ordinary that converts here without complaint.
FAQ
What is a CAF file?
Apple’s Core Audio Format, a container with no practical size limit — unlike WAV, which caps out at 4 GB. The audio inside is usually uncompressed PCM, but it can also be Apple Lossless, AAC or ADPCM.
Why can nothing open my CAF file?
Support is essentially Apple-only. Windows Media Player, most Android players and many editors have no decoder for it, which is why converting to MP3 makes the recording portable.
Does my recording get uploaded?
No. Everything runs in your browser tab. You can turn off your wifi after the page loads and the conversion still works.
My CAF came from GarageBand. Should I use MP3?
Only if you are finished editing. If the audio is going back into an editor, convert to WAV instead — MP3 discards information you may still want, and WAV costs only disk space.
Why is my CAF file so big?
Because it is almost certainly uncompressed: about 10 MB per minute in CD-quality stereo. Nothing is wrong with it. MP3 cuts that by roughly ten to one.
Which bitrate should I choose?
CAF is usually a lossless source, so a high bitrate is genuinely worth it: 256 or 320 kbps for music, 128 for a spoken recording.
Can I convert on my iPhone?
Yes. This page works in Safari on iOS, so a file saved to the Files app can be dropped straight in without a computer.
My file will not convert. What now?
It probably holds an unusual codec. Open it in QuickTime Player or GarageBand and export an uncompressed copy, which converts here without trouble.