AC3 to MP3 Converter

Got an .ac3 or .eac3 file that your phone, car or music app won't play? This converter turns Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS audio into a regular MP3 or AAC file in seconds. Files up to 30MB are converted directly, and nothing is stored after your download.

How to Convert AC3 to MP3

1. Upload your file

Drag it onto the box above, or click to browse. It accepts .ac3, .eac3, .ec3 and .dts audio, and short MKV or MP4 clips with one of those tracks inside.

2. Choose MP3 or AAC and a bitrate

MP3 plays on almost anything. AAC is the better fit for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. 320 kbps is selected by default, which suits film soundtracks and music.

3. Convert & download

Click Convert & Download. Your file downloads automatically as stereo audio.

What Happens to the Surround Sound

AC3, EAC3 and DTS are surround formats. A typical AC3 track carries 5.1 channels: front left, center, front right, two surrounds and a subwoofer channel. The MP3 and AAC files this tool makes are stereo, so the converter mixes those channels down to two. Dialogue from the center channel lands evenly in both speakers, and the rear effects are blended into left and right.

For listening on headphones, a phone or a car stereo, that's usually what you want. If you need to keep true 5.1, don't convert: leave the file as AC3, or copy the track unchanged into a new video file with a tool like HandBrake, which can pass AC3, E-AC3 and DTS through bit for bit.

Which Bitrate to Choose

According to Dolby Digital's specs, AC3 on a DVD runs at up to 448 kbps and on Blu-ray at 640 kbps, but that's spread across six channels. Once it's mixed down to stereo, a 320 kbps MP3 keeps everything you'll hear. For podcasts, lectures or dialogue-heavy TV audio, 192 kbps is plenty and makes the file about 40% smaller.

Getting the Audio Out of a Movie File

Most AC3 and EAC3 audio lives inside a video file, usually MKV or MP4, rather than as a separate .ac3 file. Short clips under 30MB can go straight into the box above, and the converter pulls out the audio track. A full movie is far bigger than that, so for long files use a desktop tool:

• FFmpeg (Windows, Mac, Linux): ffmpeg -i movie.mkv -vn -ac 2 -b:a 320k audio.mp3 drops the video, mixes to stereo and saves a 320 kbps MP3.
• XMedia Recode (Windows): a free converter that handles AC3, MKV and MP4 and can extract audio to MP3 or M4A.
• HandBrake (Windows, Mac, Linux): best when you want to re-encode the whole video and choose what happens to each audio track.

If you only need the video to play with sound, you may not need to convert anything. See our guide to AC3 vs AAC vs EAC3 for why some players go silent on EAC3 and which ones fix it.

AC3, EAC3 and DTS at a Glance

For a deeper look at how these formats and others compare, see audio formats and codecs explained.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert AC3 to MP3?

Upload your .ac3 file, pick MP3 and a bitrate, then click Convert & Download. The same box also takes EAC3 (.eac3 or .ec3) and DTS (.dts) files, plus MKV or MP4 video under 30MB.

Does converting AC3 to MP3 keep 5.1 surround sound?

No. MP3 is a stereo format here, so the converter mixes the 5.1 channels down to two. Dialogue from the center channel and effects from the rear channels are folded into left and right. If you need to keep surround, leave the file as AC3 or copy the track unchanged with a tool like HandBrake.

Can I convert EAC3 or DTS to MP3 or AAC?

Yes. EAC3 (Dolby Digital Plus) and DTS files convert the same way as AC3. Choose MP3 for the widest compatibility or AAC for Apple devices.

Why won't my AC3 file upload?

Files are limited to 30MB. A full movie soundtrack is usually much bigger, so extract a shorter clip or use a desktop tool like HandBrake, XMedia Recode or FFmpeg for long files.

What bitrate should I use for AC3 to MP3?

320kbps is the safe choice for music and film soundtracks. For dialogue-heavy audio, 192kbps is plenty and makes smaller files.