TTA File Format (.tta)
A TTA file holds audio compressed with True Audio, a lossless codec built by Aleksander Djuric around real-time hardware encoding, so it decodes with very little CPU overhead compared to other lossless formats.
TTA at a glance#
| Full name | True Audio |
|---|---|
| File extension | .tta |
| Category | Audio Files |
| Developer | Aleksander Djuric |
| Compression | Lossless |
| FileFlip support | FileFlip reads and writes this format |
What a .tta file can hold#
These are the things a TTA file either supports or does not, and they are what decides whether a conversion keeps everything or quietly drops something.
| Lossless compression | Yes |
|---|---|
| Encryption | Yes |
Strengths and limitations of TTA#
What TTA does well
- Encodes and decodes fast enough for real-time hardware, which is why some portable media players adopted it when FLAC decoding was still too heavy for their processors
- Supports password-protecting the compressed audio data directly in the file
- Simple block structure keeps the format easy to implement, which is part of why the reference tools stayed small
Where TTA falls short
- Far fewer players, phones, and car stereos recognize it compared to FLAC, which won the format war for lossless audio
- Tagging support is inconsistent across software, since TTA never settled on one metadata standard the way FLAC and APE files did
There is little reason to choose TTA over FLAC for a new lossless rip today; it mainly persists in existing archives and on older hardware players that already support it.
Convert TTA to FLAC for playback on current phones, players, and software, since FLAC covers the same lossless ground with far wider support.
How to open a .tta file#
A .tta file opens in the programs below, grouped by the platform you are on. If you would rather not install anything, FileFlip converts TTA into a format your machine already opens, and it does it in the browser tab rather than on a server.
| Platform | Programs that open it |
|---|---|
| Windows | foobar2000, VLC |
| macOS | VLC, Cog |
| Linux | VLC, mpv |
| Web | FileFlip |
TTA questions people ask#
What creates a TTA file?
TTA files come from ripping or archiving software that specifically chose the True Audio codec, most often foobar2000 or other Windows-based lossless ripping tools, and from a handful of portable media players that supported TTA natively before FLAC decoding became cheap enough for their hardware.
What still plays TTA files?
foobar2000 plays TTA natively on Windows, and VLC decodes it on any platform. Support outside those tools is thin; most phones and streaming apps have never supported the format.
Should I convert TTA to FLAC?
Convert TTA to FLAC when the file needs to play on a device or app that does not recognize True Audio, which in practice is most modern software. Both are lossless codecs, so the converted file reproduces the exact original audio with nothing discarded.
Converting TTA files#
Convert TTA to another format
Convert another format to TTA
Every conversion runs inside your browser. The file is read from your disk, the work happens on your own machine, and nothing is uploaded. How FileFlip works names the engine behind each family and how to verify that for yourself.