AIFF Format: Complete Technical Reference
AIFF is Apple's answer to WAV. Uncompressed, lossless, and studio-quality. If you work in music production on a Mac, AIFF is as fundamental as WAV is on Windows.
History of the AIFF Format
Apple created AIFF in 1988. The name stands for Audio Interchange File Format. Based on Electronic Arts' IFF structure — not Microsoft's RIFF used by WAV. AIFF was the standard audio format on classic Macintosh computers. GarageBand, Logic Pro, and Final Cut Pro all support AIFF natively. Apple later introduced AIFF-C, a compressed variant, but it never gained traction. The uncompressed original remains the standard. Professional Mac studios still use AIFF alongside WAV.
Technical Specifications
AIFF stores uncompressed PCM audio — identical quality to WAV. Bit depths: 8-bit, 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit. Sample rates up to 192 kHz and beyond. Mono, stereo, and multichannel. File sizes match WAV: about 10 MB per minute for CD-quality stereo. Supports embedded metadata including title, artist, and comments. Loop point markers for sampled instruments. The AIFF-C variant supports various compression codecs but is rarely used today.
Pros and Cons
Pros: Perfect audio quality — no compression artifacts. Native to Apple's professional audio tools. Supports loop points for samplers. Reliable metadata storage. Familiar to Mac-based audio professionals. Cons: Very large files — same as WAV. Slightly less compatible than WAV on Windows. Some Windows applications struggle with AIFF. No file size advantage over WAV. Less common in cross-platform workflows. Most professionals have standardized on WAV for interchange.
Device and Software Compatibility
macOS and iOS play AIFF natively. Logic Pro, GarageBand, and Final Cut Pro import and export AIFF. Pro Tools on both Mac and Windows supports AIFF. Ableton Live handles AIFF. VLC plays AIFF on all platforms. Windows Media Player may require codec additions. Chrome and Firefox support AIFF playback. Some Android apps need third-party support. Car stereos rarely support AIFF directly.
When to Use AIFF
Use AIFF in Mac-centric music production workflows. Recording sessions in Logic Pro. Sending stems to collaborators who work on Macs. Sample libraries for software instruments. Archiving recordings alongside WAV. If cross-platform compatibility is important, WAV is the safer uncompressed choice. For distribution, convert AIFF to MP3, AAC, or FLAC. Never use AIFF for web delivery or streaming.