CAF to AC3 converter
Convert CAF to AC3 in seconds, free and unlimited. No upload, no sign-up, no watermark: your audio never leaves your device.
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Quick answer: To convert CAF to AC3, add the CAF file to the iHateFiles CAF to AC3 converter and press Convert. The conversion runs in your browser, so the file is never uploaded, and it is free with no sign-up, watermark or size limit. CAF is a format most software has stopped opening. AC3 is not.
Should you convert CAF to AC3?
Yes. Very little current software opens CAF, so converting it is the way to keep listening to it. Pick a generous bitrate.
What is inside the CAF decides the loss
A CAF can hold PCM, ALAC or AAC. If it holds a lossless one, converting to AC3 is the first round of compression. If it holds a lossy one, this is a second generation, so be generous with the bitrate.
Track details may not follow
CAF carries artist, album and cover art tags well. AC3 has little or no room for them, so a music library that relies on tags may show the AC3 as an untitled file.
Where the AC3 will play
AC3 plays on DVD players, AV receivers and TVs.
CAF and AC3 side by side
| CAF | AC3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the file | PCM, ALAC or AAC | Dolby Digital |
| Compression | Depends on the codec inside | Lossy |
| Carries sound | Yes | Yes |
| One minute of stereo | anything from 1 to 10 MB | 3 to 5 MB |
| Plays on | Needs converting first | DVD players, AV receivers and TVs |
| Here | Read only | Read and write |
What usually goes wrong
About the CAF. A CAF can contain compressed audio, so converting one to WAV does not necessarily make it lossless: that depends on what was inside.
About the AC3. Playing a 5.1 AC3 track on stereo speakers can leave dialogue almost inaudible, because the centre channel carrying it is not being mixed in. Downmixing to stereo during conversion fixes that.
How to convert CAF to AC3
- Add your CAF file. It is read from your disk and stays there.
- Check the settings. The output format is already set to AC3.
- Press convert and the AC3 file is saved back to your device.
Questions
How do I convert CAF to AC3?
Open this page, add your CAF file, and press convert. The file is decoded and re-encoded by your own browser and saved back to your device. Nothing is uploaded.
Is this CAF to AC3 converter free?
Yes, completely. There is no account, no sign-in, no watermark and no daily limit, because there is no server doing the work. Your own device does it.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. There is no upload endpoint. The conversion runs inside this browser tab, so your file never leaves your device. You can open your browser's network panel and watch: nothing carrying your file is sent.
Is there a file size limit?
No fixed limit. Because the work happens on your machine there is no server quota. The only ceiling is your own device's memory, which for video means very large files may be slow.
Will converting to AC3 lose quality?
AC3 is a lossy format, so some detail is discarded. The quality control on this page decides how much. The default is set high enough that most people cannot see the difference.
Can I convert several CAF files at once?
Yes. Add as many as you like and they are converted one after another, then offered as a single ZIP.