How to Download Tidal to Losslessly FLAC

Tidal is a popular streaming service known for its high-fidelity audio quality, offering both lossless CD-quality FLAC and an even higher resolution format called HiRes FLAC. This means you can hear every detail in the music, from subtle notes to the deepest basslines, allowing you to experience music exactly as the artist intended.

As of April 10, 2024, Tidal has removed the Free tier and combined the HiFi Plus and HiFi subscriptions into a single "Individual" plan. As a result, all subscribers can access HiRes FLAC on Tidal directly from iOS, Android, Desktop, or the Web.

However, for those who prioritize lossless audio and want the flexibility of offline listening, a key question remains: Can you download your favorite Tidal songs and playlists in FLAC format? Unfortunately, Tidal itself doesn't offer a way to directly download music in FLAC format, but we'll discuss a solution for downloading FLAC files from Tidal.

Contens

• What Is FLAC
• How to Play FLAC on Tidal
• Can You Download Tidal to FLAC
• How to Download Tidal to FLAC 

What Is FLAC

FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec, a file format that allows you to compress digital audio to a smaller size without any loss in quality. This means a FLAC file will sound the same as the original audio source, unlike formats like MP3 which can sacrifice some quality loss during compression.

FLAC's popularity also stems from its open-source nature and wide compatibility. Many artists choose FLAC to create and distribute their music. Additionally, FLAC is supported by a wide range of music players and software, making it a great choice for storing and playing high-fidelity music collections.

How to Play FLAC on Tidal

Tidal offers three audio quality tiers: Max, High, and Low. The table below outlines the key differences:

Options	Max	High	Low
Format	HiRes FLAC MQA (Master Quality Authenticated audio)	FLAC	AAC
Bitrate	Up to 24-bit, 192 kH	Up to 16-bit, 44.1 kHz	Up to 320 kbps
Quality	Higher than CD	Lossless CD quality	Compressed audio

To enjoy Tidal in HiRes FLAC or CD-quality audio, select Max or High in Tidal audio settings. Here's how:

On your phone:

1. Open Tidal on your iOS or Android, and tap your profile icon from the bottom right. 
2. Tap the three dots in the top right corner and select Settings. 
3. Select Audio & Playback > Wi-Fi Streaming. 
4. Choose High or Max audio quality.

On desktop:

1. Open Tidal on your Mac or Windows.
2. Click the three dots next to your name and select Settings from the drop-down menu.
3. Choose High or Max under Audio Quality.

Can You Download Tidal to FLAC

Although Tidal offers a lossless listening experience, streaming Tidal in High or Max quality can consume significant data, especially if you're on a mobile network. Streaming on High quality can use up to 10 MB of data per minute, while Max quality can consume up to 40 MB per minute. Given this high data usage, downloading tracks for offline listening can be a practical solution. 

While Tidal allows you to download tracks in High and Max audio quality on mobile devices, it does not provide an option to download music directly in FLAC format. Downloaded tracks are essentially cached files for offline playback within the Tidal app. These files cannot be transferred to other devices and become inaccessible once your subscription ends. If you prefer to download Tidal music in FLAC format or listen on various devices, you will need a professional downloader like Ondesoft Tidal Music Converter.

How to Download Tidal to FLAC

Ondesoft Tidal Music Converter is a professional converter and downloader for Tidal Music. It can download Tidal Music to computer and other devices like MP3 players for offline use with ease. It can convert Tidal Music to local FLAC and other audio formats such as MP3 and WAV. And it can retain the lossless sound quality of Tidal Music. Moreover, you can edit the bitrate, sample rate, and more to enjoy a better listening experience. After the conversion, you can transfer Tidal Music to enjoy anywhere. Now you can follow the guide below to learn how to download Tidal to MP3/FLAC with Ondesoft Tidal Music Converter and then play them on any supported device.

Key features of Ondesoft TIDAL Music Converter

• Download TIDAL songs to MP3, M4A, AAC, FLAC, WAV and AIFF
• Preserve all ID3 tags and metadata such as title, artist, album, genre, album art, etc.
• Download TIDAL songs to MP3 in up to 320 kbps or keep high quality with FLAC/WAV/AIFF.
• Support batch converting.
• Convert TIDAL songs at 10X speed.
• Built in TIDAL web player, no TIDAL app needed.
• Automatically archive downloaded songs by album or artist.

1. Launch TIDAL Music Converter

Download, install and run Ondesoft TIDAL Music Converter on your Mac or Windows.

Click the Sign in button and log in your TIDAL account.

Use the Key icon to register it if you have purchased a license. If you don't have a license, go ahead with the free trial version.

2. Change output format (optional)

The default output format is lossless M4A. Ondesoft TIDAL Music Converter also supports converting TIDAL Music to MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV and AIFF. You can also customize output file name with any combination of title, artist, album, playlist index and track ID.

 

3. Select music

Follow the on-screen instructions to choose the playlist or album you want to convert. Click Add songs.

By default, all songs in the playlist/album will be checked. If there are songs you don't want to convert, please uncheck the box.

 

4. Start Conversion

Click the Convert button to start downloading songs to the format you choose.

After conversion, click below folder icon to quickly locate the downloaded songs. Now you can transfer the songs to play on any other supported device.