What audio files does Chrome support?
Chrome is a popular web browser developed by Google. It is known for its speed, simplicity, and security. One of Chrome’s many features is its ability to play various audio file formats natively in the browser without requiring additional plugins.
Chrome supports common audio formats like MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, and OGG out of the box. This means users can play audio files directly in Chrome without needing to install third-party software. According to Can I Use, Chrome has supported MP3 files since version 3.0 released in 2010 (https://caniuse.com/?search=audio%20format). Its audio capabilities have expanded over the years to include more formats.
This article provides an overview of which audio file formats Chrome can handle and how each format works in the browser. Understanding Chrome’s audio abilities allows users to have the best experience playing audio files online.
MP3
MP3 is the most common audio format supported by Chrome. As noted on LinkedIn, Chrome includes licensed codecs for MP3, giving users access to a wide variety of media in this proprietary format.
MP3 audio files are fully supported in Chrome across Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS operating systems. The MP3 format allows for compressed high-quality digital audio playback. It was designed in the early 1990s to substantially reduce the amount of data required to represent audio while still sounding like a faithful reproduction of the original uncompressed audio.
Because MP3 is an industry standard format, Chrome easily decodes MP3 files without needing any additional plugins or codecs. MP3 support allows Chrome users to play audio content from sites like YouTube and Spotify as well as locally stored MP3 files.
AAC (Advanced Audio Coding)
AAC is a common lossy audio compression format. It was designed to be the successor of MP3 and achieves better sound quality than MP3 at the same bit rate. AAC is fully supported in Chrome across all platforms including desktop, Android, and Chrome OS (Source). The HTML5
AAC has become one of the most commonly used audio codecs and is the default format for Apple’s iTunes Store audio downloads. The popularity of AAC support across platforms and devices has increased drastically since its introduction (Source).
FLAC
FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is an audio coding format for lossless compression of digital audio. 1 That means it compresses audio without any loss in quality. As an open format, FLAC is supported by many software and hardware platforms.
Starting in version 56, Google Chrome added built-in support for FLAC audio playback. 2 This allows Chrome users to play FLAC files directly in the browser without needing additional plugins. Support for FLAC allows Chrome to play back lossless audio, providing higher quality sound compared to lossy formats like MP3.
WAV
WAV is an uncompressed lossless audio format that is fully supported in Google Chrome (https://caniuse.com/wav). As an uncompressed format, WAV files contain the raw PCM audio data without any compression, allowing for higher audio quality. However, the tradeoff is that WAV files are significantly larger in file size compared to lossy compressed formats like MP3 and AAC.
WAV files store audio in pulse-code modulation (PCM) format, which represents the analog audio signal as a series of binary numbers. Standard WAV files have a bit depth of 16 bits at a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz, which covers the entire range of human hearing and allows CD-quality audio. However, WAV is capable of higher bit depths and sampling rates for increased resolution and fidelity.
Overall, for the highest quality lossless audio, WAV is a reliable format that is fully supported across Chrome browsers and platforms. The main downside is the large file size, making WAV unsuitable for streaming or portable use unless maximum audio fidelity is required.
AIFF
AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) is an audio file format developed by Apple. It is a lossless format, meaning no audio quality is lost when saving audio as AIFF. AIFF files can contain uncompressed PCM audio data or compressed audio data such as MP3 or AAC. However, uncompressed PCM data is the standard for this format.
AIFF has limited support in Google Chrome. While Chrome can play basic AIFF files, it lacks full support to handle metadata like artwork and chapter information stored in AIFF files. Users have reported issues trying to play certain AIFF files in Chrome and receiving errors. As an Apple format, AIFF has better support in Safari and iTunes. To play AIFF files reliably in Chrome, users may need to convert to a more compatible format like MP3 first.
Overall, while AIFF is a high quality lossless audio format, its limited support in Chrome makes it less than ideal for use in web projects targeting Google’s browser. Developers and content creators are better off using universal formats like MP3 or AAC when audio needs to be embedded in web pages.
WMA
WMA stands for Windows Media Audio, which is an audio file format developed by Microsoft. WMA is a proprietary audio format that was designed to compete with formats like MP3 and AAC. Some key things to know about WMA files:
– WMA is a proprietary file format owned by Microsoft. It was first introduced in 1999. The latest version of the format is WMA 10 Pro.
– Similar to MP3, WMA uses lossy compression techniques to reduce file size. However, WMA aims to provide better audio quality than MP3 at similar bitrates.
– The WMA format is not supported natively by Google Chrome. If you try to play a WMA file in Chrome, you will get an error saying the file cannot be played.
– To play WMA files on a Chromebook, you need to install a third-party media player app like VLC Media Player from the Google Play Store. VLC can decode and play most common audio formats, including WMA.
– Another option is to convert the WMA files to a more compatible format like MP3 using free online audio converter tools or programs on your computer. The converted MP3 files will then play in Chrome and Chromebooks.
– Overall, while WMA provides good audio quality, its proprietary nature and lack of native Chrome support limit its usefulness. Converting WMAs to more widely supported formats is recommended for Chromebook users.
OGG
Ogg Vorbis is an open source lossy audio compression format used by apps like Spotify. It offers compression comparable in quality to MP3 while being completely free of patents and licensing fees (oplay-open source html5 audio player with fft and ID3).
OGG files are natively supported by Chrome, allowing users to play OGG audio files directly in the browser without any plugins. This makes Chrome one of the few major browsers with built-in OGG support (oplay-scientihark).
APE
APE (Monkey’s Audio) is a lossless audio format that provides CD-quality audio in smaller file sizes compared to other lossless formats like WAV and AIFF. APE files retain all the original data from the audio source without any compression artifacts or quality loss.
However, APE files are not natively supported by Chrome. To play APE files in Chrome, users need to install a third-party add-on or extension like APE Audio Player.
With the appropriate add-on installed, Chrome can then play back APE files without any loss in audio quality. The advantage of APE’s smaller file sizes can make it appealing for storing lossless music libraries.
Conclusion
In summary, the main audio formats supported by Chrome include MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, WMA, OGG, and APE. These common formats cover the majority of audio content found online today.
Looking ahead, we can expect Chrome to continue supporting new and emerging audio codecs as they gain popularity. For example, the AV1 audio codec is likely to be supported in the future as part of the next-generation AV1 video codec. Additionally, as new web standards like WebCodecs evolve, Chrome will adopt support for formats like Opus and FLAC directly built into the browser, without relying on third-party plugins. However, backwards compatibility with existing formats will remain a priority to avoid breaking existing web experiences.