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Play APE audio files on Mac

There’s more to music than just MP3 - and fans of lossless audio know it. But more uncommon file formats such as APE can be more difficult to play. Luckily, a versatile audio player for Mac can make you forget your compatibility issues and open .ape files with ease. Our recommended apps support countless formats, while grating you a wide range of features.

Top choice
Elmedia: universal video player
4.5 Rank based on 11950+ users, Reviews(11950)
play APE files on Mac

An APE Music Player for Mac: Elmedia Player

Elmedia Player logo
Elmedia: universal video player

Elmedia Player is a potent player with no trouble opening .ape files. It doesn’t require the installation of any decoders or plug-ins either. Not only does Elmedia serve as a great APE player, but it also supports a legion of popular and rare file formats - such as OGG, WMA, MP3, AAC, ALAC, etc. To learn how to open APE files using the Elmedia media player on Mac, take a look below.

open APE files

How to play APE files on Mac

1. Download Elmedia

The software is available on this website, so feel free to download and install it.

Install Elmedia Player on Mac
2. Play your audio

There are several different ways to add an APE music file to the player:

  • Drag the APE file onto the open player or onto its icon in the dock.
  • Right-click the APE file in Finder and use the "Open With" option. Find and choose Elmedia Player from the list.
  • Go to the "File" menu and select the "Open" option.
add APE file to player
3. There is so much more

It's not just .APE files! Elmedia can play FLAC on Mac, FLV, SWF, MP4, M4A, MKV, MOV, AVI, WMV, and more.

What is an .ape file?

The APE file extension stands for Monkey's Audio, a lossless audio format by a company bearing the same name. Unlike lossy file formats, APE doesn’t sacrifice any audio data during compression. This means that APE audio files preserve and reproduce the original sound during playback. In other words, if a CD is damaged, you can use your first-generation digital APE copy to perfectly restore your music. Besides the audio, APE also features error detection and tag support, storing details about the audio tracks.

Compressing music using Monkey's Audio results in a 50% decrease in file size as compared to the original uncompressed one. This is better than FLAC, another lossless format, which achieves a 30-50% compression. On the other hand, APE may take longer to decompress, as that’s a very CPU-intensive process, and if an APE music file is partially corrupted, the data that is left cannot be played.

The Monkey's Audio encoder is free, but not open source, hence the format doesn’t enjoy a very wide player support. APE is generally more popular with Windows users, but you can definitely find a good APE player for Mac such as Elmedia.

FAQ

To find support for APE for Mac, use Elmedia Player. You won’t need to install any additional software such as plug-ins or decoders. Just play the file by either dragging and dropping it into Elmedia, or by going to File > Open. Alternatively, you can right-click on the APE file > Open With > Elmedia. The Elmedia app will provide quality sound, as well as fine audio adjustments, convenient playlists, and more.

You can convert APE to FLAC by using convertio.co.

Use the following steps:

  1. To upload your APE file or files, either select them from your computer, Google Drive, or Dropbox, paste a URL, or drag them onto the Convertio page.
  2. Select “To FLAC” from the drop-down menu to indicate your output format.
  3. Click “Convert” and wait while it processes.
  4. Download your FLAC file(s) by clicking “Download”.

If you need an application to play FLAC on Mac, feel free to view our recommendations for apps compatible with macOS.

In terms of sound quality, there is no difference between the various types of lossless compression methods. There are some differences in other aspects, though. For example, APE achieves a slightly better compression compared to FLAC, while it needs more processing power to decode.
Elmedia: universal video player
Requirements: macOS 10.12+ , 89.23MB of free space
Version 8.15(3307) (22 Mar, 2023) Release notes
Category: Video
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Try the Best Music Player for Mac — Elmedia Player