Convert Dolby Digital audio files (AC3) online for free
The converter easily converts your AC3 audio files to various formats - free and online. No VLC media player or other Audio software needed.
The converter also works in reverse, so you can convert other "Dolby Digital Audio File" formats to AC3 without using software like VLC media player or a similar tool.
An .ac3 file is a Dolby Digital audio file (Audio Codec 3), a lossy compression format designed by Dolby Laboratories for surround sound.
It is widely used in DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and home theater systems to encode up to six discrete audio channels (5.1 surround sound). You can open it with media players like VLC media player or edit it using audio software like Audacity (which requires the FFmpeg library) or video suites like Adobe Premiere Pro. You can learn more about its technical history on the Dolby Digital Wikipedia page.
The main disadvantage of the .ac3 format is its poor native compatibility. Web browsers, standard mobile music players, and basic video editors often fail to play or import it without installing external codecs. Furthermore, it is a proprietary format and relies on lossy compression, meaning original audio data was permanently discarded to reduce file size.
To make this audio playable on smartphones or web browsers, convert .ac3 to MP3 or AAC. If you need to edit the audio tracks in a standard digital audio workstation without further degradation, convert it to uncompressed WAV (note: this will not restore the original pre-compression quality, but prevents double-compression). Drop your file here to view and convert it securely right in your browser on convert.guru.
Use Convert.Guru to open and convert your AC3 file.
Users also converted MTS, EAC3, AT3, MP3, MKV, MOV, MOVIE, QT, AC2, MP4, WAV, AAC and FLAC files.
If you want to convert AC3 file to M4A, you can use VLC media player or similar software from the "Surround Sound Audio Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MIDI, MID or RA files to AC3, try VLC media player or another comparable tool in the "Surround Sound Audio Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our AC3 converter.