Change audio bitrate
Re-encode a file at a higher or lower quality, and see what it costs in size.
Drop a file to start
Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Bitrate is how many bits a second the encoder is allowed to spend, and it is the dial that decides both the size and the quality of a compressed file. Lowering it is how a podcast episode gets under an upload limit; the reason to understand it is that lowering it is not free.
The setting here is words rather than numbers on purpose. A bitrate does not mean the same thing across codecs — 128 kbps is thin for MP3 and generous for Opus — so a number would mislead more than it informed. Low, medium, high and very high are resolved to whatever that codec actually needs.
Raising the bitrate of an already-compressed file is the one thing to avoid: the detail was discarded when it was first encoded and no amount of extra bits brings it back, so all a higher setting buys is a larger file containing the same audio. Going down works; going up does not.
Step by step
- 1Drop in the files.
- 2Pick the format and the quality.
- 3Press Convert, then download.
Questions
Can I improve a low-bitrate file by raising it?
No. What was discarded is gone. A higher bitrate just makes a bigger file with the same audio in it.
What bitrate should I use for a podcast?
Medium in mono is plenty for speech and keeps episodes small. Music wants high.
Why are there no kbps numbers?
Because they mean different things in different codecs. The named settings pick the right number for whichever format you chose.