THE FILE FIELD GUIDE

.ape

Monkey's Audio

Audio

APE is Monkey’s Audio lossless coding for PCM. Decoder compatibility and compression settings affect playback workload. A whole-album file may have a separate CUE sheet. Check audio samples separately from tags and track boundaries when migrating.

What it is used for: Lossless compression of PCM audio
What the file contains: Binary data

All sections, questions and sources

Content reviewed：2026-10-12 · Editor：Kai

Opening steps

Choose your environment or purpose to see its steps.

Play APE audio

Use an audio decoder rather than a general archive tool.

Open a copy in an APE-compatible player.
Check whether it is a whole album or one track.
Listen across track boundaries and at the ending.

Handle an album with a CUE sheet

CUE describes boundaries; APE holds the audio.

Copy the matching APE and CUE together.
Inspect referenced filename and track order in a CUE-capable tool.
Check the first track, boundaries and final track.

Move to WAV or FLAC

Distinguish lossy and lossless output.

Read the source with a compatible decoder.
Export separately with the required rate and depth.
Compare duration, boundaries and tags.

Menu labels and support vary by app, OS and version. Preserve the original before making changes.

Troubleshooting by symptom

Older device fails: check APE variant/version support.
Stuttering: inspect compression setting, CPU load and storage speed.
One long track: look for a separate CUE/track index.
Only one long track: check for a whole-album APE and its CUE sheet.
CUE fails: compare its audio reference with the actual filename.
Phone rejects it: check APE support or create a supported FLAC copy.

APE → WAV / FLAC

Use a compatible decoder and identify rate/bit depth.
Export without unintended gain/resampling and compare duration, tags and boundaries.
For CUE-based albums, validate boundaries and titles too.

Lossless audio does not guarantee metadata compatibility; MP3 export becomes lossy.

Audio compression versus track splitting

A whole-album APE can hold multiple tracks; inspect CUE references and boundaries rather than counting files.

Source for these steps：Monkey's Audio · Monkey's Audio official site / VideoLAN · VLC features / FFmpeg · ffprobe Documentation

Compare tags and boundaries during migration

Lossless audio conversion need not preserve all tags, artwork or CUE data. Retain the source set.

Check ordering, transitions and endings in the destination player; size differences alone do not establish quality loss.

Source for these steps：Monkey's Audio · Monkey's Audio official site / VideoLAN · VLC features / FFmpeg · ffprobe Documentation

Related-format differences

Related-format differences
Format	Main role	What to check
APE	Lossless audio	Compatible decoder
CUE	Track layout/reference	Needs audio source
FLAC / WAV	Converted audio	Samples/tags

Handling and security

Review rights/tags and avoid unofficial codec downloads.

Questions and answers

Does APE guarantee the best recording?

Lossless retention does not improve source quality.

Can I rename it to FLAC?

No; decode/re-encode properly.

Why are album tracks missing?

Inspect tags and companion CUE/index data.

Can a ZIP extractor restore APE as WAV?

Use an APE audio decoder, not a general ZIP extractor.

Is APE-to-FLAC always lossless?

Preserve decoded samples and settings; resampling or other processing can change them.

Format facts: name, steward and MIME type

Formal name: Monkey's Audio lossless audio
Steward / specification: Monkey's Audio
MIME type: Depends on the producer or server; an extension alone does not establish a MIME type.

Primary and official sources

Official documentationMonkey's Audio official site
Official lossless APE codec and tool information.
Monkey's Audio · Link checked：2026-10-12
Software documentationVLC features
Lists VLC media-format capabilities.
VideoLAN · Link checked：2026-10-12
Project documentationffprobe Documentation
Documents inspection of containers, codecs and streams.
FFmpeg · Link checked：2026-10-12