How to use the AC3 to MP3 converter
- Choose your AC3 file or drop it on the box.
- Pick an audio quality. 192 kbps is the usual choice; 320 kbps for music you care about.
- Click "Convert to MP3". A progress meter shows how far along it is.
- Download your MP3 and listen to it right on the page.
Why convert AC3 to MP3?
AC3 (Dolby Digital) plays on home-theatre gear but not on many phones or music apps. MP3 gives a stereo version that plays anywhere.
- AC3: not supported by many phones and web players.
- MP3: plays on every device.
- MP3: small files.
5.1 surround is mixed down to stereo automatically.
AC3 vs MP3
| AC3 | MP3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dolby Digital (Audio Coding 3) | MPEG-1 Audio Layer III |
| Type | Audio | Audio |
| Created by | Dolby Laboratories (1991) | the Fraunhofer Institute and MPEG (1993) |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossy |
| Codec | AC3 | MP3 |
| Best for | DVD and TV surround sound and home theatre | Music, podcasts, audiobooks and ringtones |
| Plays on | AV receivers, TVs, DVD players and VLC; many phones and browsers do not | Every phone, computer, car stereo, smart speaker and browser |
Does converting AC3 to MP3 lose quality?
Both formats are lossy, so converting adds a small amount of loss. Use the same or a higher bitrate than your AC3 (192 kbps covers most files) and the change is inaudible.
How long does it take?
A few seconds for a song, and under a minute for an hour-long recording on most computers.
What is an AC3 file?
AC3 is Dolby Digital, the surround-sound format of DVDs, many Blu-rays and TV broadcasts. It carries up to 5.1 channels and is decoded by almost every home-theatre receiver.
What is an MP3 file?
MP3 is the most widely used audio format in the world. It removes sounds people are unlikely to hear, shrinking a song to about a tenth of its CD size. At 192 kbps or higher most listeners cannot tell it from the original, and every device plays it. Its patents expired in 2017, so it is now free to use.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay or sign up to use the AC3 to MP3 converter?
No. There is no account, no payment and no watermark. The only limit is 1 GB per file, set by what browsers can handle.
Is my file uploaded to a server?
No. The converter runs inside your browser using WebAssembly, so your file is processed on your own device and never sent to us or anyone else.
Will the MP3 sound as good as the AC3?
Both formats are lossy, so converting adds a small amount of loss. Use the same or a higher bitrate than your AC3 (192 kbps covers most files) and the change is inaudible.
Can I convert MP3 back to AC3?
Yes, use the AC3 Converter and choose AC3 as the output.
A video plays silently on a phone. What should I do?
Its sound may be AC3. Convert the video to MP4 so the audio becomes AAC.
Does it work on iPhone and Android?
Yes, in Safari, Chrome and other modern mobile browsers. Short files work best on phones; for long or high-resolution videos a computer is faster.