What is a .ape file?
Monkey's Audio Lossless · Audio · Matthew T. Ashland · 2000
A .ape file is Monkey's Audio, a lossless audio format that compresses music with no quality loss. It squeezes files smaller than FLAC in some cases, at the cost of slower encoding and narrower support.
What is a .ape file used for?
Monkey's Audio files start with the marker MAC and store bit-perfect audio. Lossless means decompressing gives back exactly the original, so it suits archiving CDs.
The trade-off versus FLAC is compatibility and speed: fewer players support APE, and it is more CPU-intensive. Many people convert APE to FLAC for wider playback.
What opens a .ape file?
The .ape format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list.
Windows
- foobar2000
- VLC
- Monkey's Audio
macOS
- VLC
- XLD
Linux
- VLC
- ffmpeg
- Deadbeef
Open a .ape file step by step
- Confirm the file really is a .ape. Drop it into the WhatFileType identifier, which reads its signature in your browser without uploading anything.
- On Windows, open it with foobar2000 or VLC.
- On Mac, use VLC or XLD.
- On Linux, try VLC or ffmpeg.
- Still stuck? Convert the .ape to flac, which opens more widely.
Why can't I open my .ape file?
Almost always because no installed app understands Monkey's Audio. Install one of the apps above, or convert the file to a format your existing software already reads. If double-clicking opens the wrong program instead of nothing at all, the file association is set to the wrong app rather than the file being broken.
The other possibility is that the file is not really a .ape at all. Drop it into the file identifier to check it by its bytes instead of its name. Nothing is uploaded.
How to convert a .ape file
You can convert a .ape file to flac, wav, mp3 using a conversion tool or the export menu of an app that opens it.
What is the .ape file signature (magic bytes)?
A .ape file starts with the hex bytes 4D 41 43 20, which read as MAC in ASCII. Programs identify Monkey's Audio by those bytes, not by the filename, so a renamed file still gives itself away.
These are the documented signatures for Monkey's Audio. For a full breakdown, see the Monkey's Audio file signature page.
| Hex signature | Offset | ASCII | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4D 41 43 20 | 0 | MAC | 'MAC ' |
See the full magic-numbers reference for every format.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .ape file?
A .ape file is Monkey's Audio, a lossless audio format that compresses music with no quality loss. It squeezes files smaller than FLAC in some cases, at the cost of slower encoding and narrower support.
How do I open an APE file?
Play it in VLC or foobar2000. To use it more widely, convert it to FLAC or MP3 with a tool like XLD or ffmpeg.
Is APE better than FLAC?
Both are lossless. APE can compress slightly smaller but is slower and less widely supported. FLAC is the more practical choice for most people.
How do I convert APE to FLAC?
Use foobar2000, XLD or ffmpeg (ffmpeg -i song.ape song.flac). Since both are lossless, no quality is lost.
Related formats
Sources
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