OGG file format (.ogg)
Ogg Vorbis, free and open lossy audio.
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What is an OGG file?
In short: An OGG file (.ogg) is an audio file in the OGG format. Ogg Vorbis was the free software world's answer to MP3, and it beat it comfortably on quality per byte. It can be converted to MP3, WAV or FLAC for free in a web browser with iHateFiles, without uploading it.
Vorbis was released by Xiph.Org in 2000 as a patent-free alternative to MP3.
Ogg Vorbis was the free software world's answer to MP3, and it beat it comfortably on quality per byte. It became the audio format of choice in games, in Wikipedia, and in Spotify's streaming, and it remains in wide use even though Opus has largely replaced it for new work.
What OGG is good at
- Free of patents and licensing entirely
- Better than MP3 at the same bitrate
- Standard in game engines and open content
Where OGG falls short
- Not supported by Apple devices out of the box
- Superseded by Opus for new projects
- Little hardware decoding, so more battery use on phones
When to use OGG
Use OGG for game audio and open content. For anything new where you control playback, Opus is better.
How to open a OGG file
Firefox, Chrome, Android, VLC and game engines. Not Safari or iOS by default.
| Windows | VLC or foobar2000. |
|---|---|
| macOS | VLC. Not supported by the Music app. |
| Linux | Native everywhere. |
| Phone | Android natively; iOS needs VLC. |
| In a browser | Chrome and Firefox play Ogg Vorbis. Safari does not. |
The thing that usually goes wrong
Ogg is the container, Vorbis is the codec, and an .ogg file can also contain Opus or FLAC. That is why one .ogg plays somewhere another will not.
Questions
What is a OGG file?
Ogg Vorbis, free and open lossy audio. Files use the .ogg extension.
How do I open a OGG file?
Most audio software opens OGG directly. If yours does not, convert it here to something more common. It takes a few seconds and nothing is uploaded.
Can I convert OGG for free?
Yes. Every conversion here is free and unlimited, because your own device does the work rather than a server we have to pay for.
Is OGG lossless?
No. OGG is a lossy format, so saving discards some detail to save space.