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From the disc
to the file.

The whole path, in the order you meet it. What the app finds on the disc, which streams are worth taking, how to name them, and what comes out the other side.

  • 16sections
  • 13,689words
  • 10guide videos
Comes out as Output formats12 FLACALACM4AMKADSF / DFFDSC Dolby Atmos TrueHD Atmos and DTS‑HD Master Audio pass through untouched.

Getting Started

Lossless Extract is a powerful macOS and Windows application that extracts high-quality audio tracks from MKV video files, Blu-ray discs, BDMV folders and ISO files, DVD-Audio discs, SACD ISO files, and Audio CDs. Whether you're archiving music from concert videos, extracting soundtracks from movies, preserving audio from Blu-ray discs, digitizing your DVD-Audio and SACD collections, or ripping your CD library, this app makes it simple.

Guide videos

Ten videos, filed under the section each one demonstrates

Pick one to see it here. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play.

  1. 01 Blu-ray backup 03 · Blu-ray
  2. 02 Blu-ray batch import 03 · Blu-ray
  3. 03 DVD-Audio backup 04 · DVD-Audio
  4. 04 SACD backup 06 · SACD
  5. 05 SACD batch import 06 · SACD
  6. 06 Preview and playback 08 · Preview
  7. 07 Video preview + community tags 08 · Preview
  8. 08 Editing chapters and tracks 09 · Chapter and track names
  9. 09 Gapless extraction 10 · Chapters vs gapless
  10. 10 AcoustID fingerprinting 11 · Metadata and artwork

03 · Blu-ray Jan 2026

How to backup a Blu-ray audio disc in 2026 using Lossless Extract

Play

Read section 03, Blu-ray Watch on YouTube

What You Can Do

  • Extract audio from MKV video files with chapter support
  • Extract audio directly from Blu-ray Discs, BDMV folders and ISO files with Atmos detection
  • Extract audio from DVD-Audio (AUDIO_TS) folders and ISO files
  • Extract audio from SACD ISO files (DSF, DFF, FLAC or ALAC output)
  • Convert DSF and DFF files to FLAC or ALAC, a whole folder at a time
  • Bring an SACD album up to full level without clipping with True Peak Gain
  • Rip Audio CDs with automatic MusicBrainz metadata and AcoustID fingerprinting
  • Back up DVD-Audio and DVD-Video discs from optical drives, encrypted ones included
  • Decrypt Blu-rays whose AACS key isn't in the key database through MakeMKV's libmmbd
  • Preview audio and video before extraction, including the disc's own menus and still screens
  • Dock integration: Drag files onto the app icon to instantly load them
  • Choose from multiple audio formats: FLAC, M4A, MKA, DSF, or DFF
  • Extract multiple audio streams from the same file
  • Automatically split audio into individual chapter files
  • Extract as one gapless file for continuous playback
  • Add metadata tags and artwork from MusicBrainz
  • Apply tags and artwork to a source before extraction — they're embedded automatically into every output file, including DSF/DFF
  • Get and share track titles with other owners of the same disc through community tags
  • Paste a tracklist to name every track at once
  • Fine-tune CUE track times before exporting a gapless file
  • Extract audio from the DVD-Video (VIDEO_TS) zone of a disc, including high-resolution LPCM and concert soundtracks
  • Scan a disc's barcode to pull the exact edition's tags and artwork
  • Rip Audio CDs securely with AccurateRip verification and an HDCD badge
  • Verify a rip log from Lossless Extract, EAC, XLD or whipper, to see whether it has been edited
  • Find tags from MusicBrainz, Apple Music and Discogs, and pick cover art from several sources
  • Output ALAC (Apple Lossless) alongside FLAC, M4A, MKA, DSF, DFF and DSC
  • Set a default output format per source type so new imports start the way you want

The Icons on a File Row

A row grows icons as the app learns more about the disc. Two of them are always there. The rest appear only when they have something to say, and only some of them are buttons:

A tagged Blu-ray with its first stream showing. The fingerprint and community-tags glyphs are on every row; the tag glyph and the cover only turn up once there is something to show.

  • Disclosure triangleShows or hides this source's streams, titles and tracks. Greyed out until the app has finished reading the disc. Click
  • Source glyphWhat you dropped in: a disc in a drive, a folder, an ISO, or a video file. It also carries the extraction status by colour, turning blue while working, green when done and red on a failure. Shows only
  • FingerprintIdentifies the album with AcoustID by listening to what you have selected. On every source. Tick at least one track first, or the app will tell you there is nothing to listen to. Cover art found this way is attached for you. Click
  • Community tagsOpens a short menu: Get community tags pulls the track titles another owner of this exact disc submitted, and Submit tags shares yours. Blu-ray, DVD-Audio and SACD only; on anything else the menu says so. Click
  • TagAppears once this disc has saved tags. Click it to reopen the Tags panel on that disc, already filled in, with every track title ready to edit. Without a licence it is not a button, just a note that the saved tags will still be written during extraction. Click
  • Cover thumbnailArtwork is attached to this disc and will be embedded into every file you extract. It is a picture, not a button. To change the cover, use the Tags panel or drag a new JPG or PNG onto the app. Shows only
  • EjectOnly on a disc that is actually in a drive. Ejects it and takes the row off the list. Click
  • CloseTakes this source off the list. Nothing on disk is touched. Click
  • Stream checkboxOn the row below: ticks that stream for extraction. The count on the line above follows it. Click
  • Paste tracklistOpens a sheet where you paste a list of track names, one per line, and every chapter in that stream is named at once. Click
  • Output formatWhat this stream is written as, set to M4A on the row above. The list follows the codec. An Atmos stream offers MKA, M4A, FLAC, ALAC and direct stream copy, and the app warns that FLAC and ALAC discard the Atmos metadata, the height and object data. Click
  • StatusWhere this source is up to. An open circle means waiting, a spinner means working, a green tick means done and a red cross means it failed. On a failure the reason is written beside it. Shows only
Every icon a file row can carry, and what each one does

Badges You'll See on Tracks

Small badges on a stream or track row tell you what you're looking at before you extract:

  • Lossy — an AC3, E-AC3 or DTS-core stream that isn't lossless. Hidden on Blu-ray and MKV unless you turn lossy streams on; always shown on DVD-Video, where it's the main soundtrack
  • Mono — genuinely single-channel content, so you're not misled by a stereo container around a mono mix
  • HDCD — a CD carrying HDCD data
  • AccurateRip on a CD's own row means the disc is in the AccurateRip database of other people's rips. It tells you how many pressings are on record, and every track you rip is checked against them
  • Upsampled — audio whose real resolution is lower than its file suggests, so you can spot "fake" hi-res. Click the badge for the evidence: a spectrogram, where the audio really stops, and the likely cause

Basic Audio Extraction from MKV Files

  1. 1. Add File
  2. 2. Select Streams
  3. 3. Choose Format
  4. 4. Extract

Adding Your File

There are four ways to add files to Lossless Extract:

  1. Drag and Drop: Simply drag your file from Finder and drop it into the app window (supports MKV, DSF and DFF files, BDMV discs, folders and ISO files, AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders, DVD-Audio and DVD-Video ISO files, SACD ISO files, and Audio CD volumes)
  2. Dock Icon: Drag files directly onto the Lossless Extract icon in your Dock - works even when the app isn't running! The app will launch and automatically load your files
  3. Open File Button: Click the "Open File" button in the drop zone area
  4. File Menu: Use ⌘O or go to File → Open
The main window with drag-and-drop area

Once added, the file will appear in the sidebar on the left side of the window.

Selecting Audio Streams

After adding a file, Lossless Extract automatically scans it and detects all available audio streams. Here's how to select which streams to extract:

Expanded file view showing detected audio streams
  1. Click on the file name in the sidebar to expand it
  2. You'll see a list of all detected audio streams with information about each:
    • Codec: The audio format (PCM, DTS-HD MA, Dolby TrueHD, Atmos, MLP, etc.)
    • Channels: Number of audio channels (2.0, 5.1, 7.1, etc.)
    • Sample Rate: Audio quality (48kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, etc.)
    • Language: Audio track language (if available)
  3. Check the box next to each stream you want to extract
  4. Preview streams: Click the play button (▶️) next to any stream to hear it before extraction
  5. You can select multiple streams from the same file

Audio Playback Preview

Preview any audio stream or chapter before extraction with the built-in player:

  • Click the play button (▶️) next to any stream or chapter in the sidebar
  • Playback controls appear in the bottom toolbar with full functionality
  • Seek anywhere: Drag the seek slider to jump to any position in the audio
  • Chapter navigation: Automatically advances to the next chapter when current chapter finishes
  • Volume control: Adjust playback volume with the volume slider
  • Time display: Shows current position and total duration
  • Works with all supported formats (MKV, BDMV, VIDEO_TS, AUDIO_TS, SACD, Audio CD)
  • Supports all codecs: PCM, MLP, DTS-HD MA, Dolby TrueHD/Atmos, DSD

Choosing Output Format

For each selected stream, you can choose a different output format using the dropdown menu next to the stream:

Format selection dropdown for each stream
FormatBest ForQuality
FLACPCM streams, maximum quality, archivalLossless (100% original quality)
M4ADolby TrueHD/Atmos and DTS-HD MA streamsLossless (preserves atmos object metadata)
MKAKeeping original codec, compatibilityOriginal (no conversion)

Starting the Extraction

Once you've selected your streams and formats:

  1. Review your selections in the sidebar
  2. Click the "Extract Audio" button at the bottom of the window
  3. Watch the progress bar as files are extracted
  4. When complete, your audio files will be in the output directory you selected
The Extract Audio button and progress indicator

Extracting Audio from Blu-ray BDMV Folders and ISO Files

Lossless Extract can extract audio directly from Blu-ray disc folders and ISO files, making it perfect for archiving concert videos, music documentaries, or any audio content from Blu-ray discs.

Watch this section 2 videos

  1. How to backup a Blu-ray audio disc in 2026 using Lossless Extract Blu-ray backup · Jan 2026 Play
  2. Lossless Extract Bluray Monster batch importing Blu-ray batch import · Feb 2026 Play

Preparing Your Blu-ray Content

You can use Blu-ray content in two ways:

  • BDMV Folder: A ripped Blu-ray folder structure on your hard drive (recommended for best performance)
  • Blu-ray ISO File: A Blu-ray disc image file (slower extraction, but convenient)
  • Blu-ray DISC: A Blu-ray Audio disc, extract directly from Blu-ray audio optical disc. (note: some bluray video discs may not work. primarily intended for bluray audio discs only. Back up entire disc first and then extracting chapters recommended.

The folder structure should look like this:

Your Disc Folder/
└── BDMV/
    ├── STREAM/          (contains M2TS video/audio files)
    └── PLAYLIST/        (contains MPLS playlist files)

Adding Blu-ray Content

You can drag:

  • The Blu-ray Disc from Finder or Explorer
  • The BDMV folder itself
  • The parent folder containing BDMV (the disc root folder)
  • A Blu-ray .iso file

Finder

Lossless Extract

Dragging Blu-ray content into the app

Simply drag the folder or ISO file or DISC from Finder and drop it into the Lossless Extract window.

Blu-ray Content Processing

When you add Blu-ray content, Lossless Extract:

  1. Scans the BDMV/STREAM/ folder for M2TS files (or reads from ISO using libbluray)
  2. Analyzes BDMV/PLAYLIST/ for MPLS playlist files
  3. Identifies the MPLS file with the most chapters (usually the main feature)
  4. Detects all available audio streams in the selected playlist
  5. Filters out lossy streams (AC3, DTS Core) by default
  6. Displays the lossless streams in the sidebar for selection
Console showing Blu-ray processing information

BDMV Folder Backup (AACS-Encrypted Discs)

For AACS-encrypted physical Blu-ray discs, Lossless Extract can create decrypted BDMV folder backups:

  1. Insert your AACS-encrypted Blu-ray disc
  2. Drag the disc volume from Finder or Explorer into Lossless Extract
  3. The app will detect AACS encryption
  4. Click the "Backup Disc" button next to the disc
  5. Choose a destination folder for the backup
  6. The app will copy all files with automatic AACS decryption

BDMV Backup Features

  • Decode blu-ray: Automatically decode M2TS files during backup
  • Complete Structure: Preserves full BDMV and CERTIFICATE folders
  • Progress Tracking: Real-time progress updates during backup
  • Cancellable: Stop backup at any time with cancel button

Discs Whose Key Isn't in the Database

A keydb.cfg only covers the discs someone has already contributed keys for, so newer releases are often missing. Those discs no longer fail outright: if MakeMKV is installed, Lossless Extract decrypts them through its libmmbd library, which derives the key live from the drive instead of looking it up.

  • Scanning, extraction, backup and fingerprinting all work on these discs
  • Discs that do have a key in the database are untouched and keep using it
  • Backing up a disc with no key in the database now works, and a decryption that doesn't land is reported rather than written out as an unreadable copy
  • Playback and video preview are not available on these discs, because each press would trigger a fresh drive authentication. Back the disc up first, then work from the backup

Extracting Audio from DVD-Audio Discs

Lossless Extract fully supports DVD-Audio discs, allowing you to extract high-resolution audio from your DVD-Audio collection. The app supports both AUDIO_TS folders and DVD-Audio ISO files.

Watch this section 1 video

  1. How to Backup a DVD-Audio disc in 2026 with Lossless Extract DVD-Audio backup · Jan 2026 Play

Adding DVD-Audio Content

You can add DVD-Audio content in three ways:

  • DVD-Audio Disc: Drag the Disc
  • AUDIO_TS Folder: Drag the AUDIO_TS folder from a ripped DVD-Audio disc
  • DVD-Audio ISO File: Drag the .iso file directly into the app (the app will automatically mount and access the AUDIO_TS folder)
Adding DVD-Audio content to the app

The app automatically detects DVD-Audio content and parses the IFO files to identify all available titles and chapters.

Understanding DVD-Audio Titles and Streams

DVD-Audio discs can contain multiple titles, each with different audio configurations:

  • Title: A complete audio program (often an album)
  • Chapters: Individual tracks within a title
  • Streams: Different audio formats (MLP, LPCM) and channel configurations (2.0, 5.1, 6.0, etc.)

When you add a DVD-Audio disc, the app displays:

  • All available titles
  • Stream information for each title (codec: MLP or LPCM, channels, sample rate)
  • Chapter count for each title

Selecting Titles and Streams

To extract audio from a DVD-Audio disc:

  1. Click on the disc name in the sidebar to expand it
  2. You'll see a list of all available titles
  3. Click on a title to see its available streams
  4. Check the box next to each stream you want to extract
  5. Select the output format (FLAC is recommended for DVD-Audio)

Backup Feature for Encrypted Discs

If you have a DVD-Audio disc in an optical drive, Lossless Extract can automatically backup the entire disc:

  1. Insert your DVD-Audio disc into the optical drive
  2. A "Backup Disc" button will appear in the app
  3. Click the button to start the backup process
  4. The app will automatically:
    • Decode the disc contents
    • Copy the AUDIO_TS folder (and VIDEO_TS if present) to your hard drive
    • Save the backup to a location you choose
Backup button appears when a DVD is in an optical drive

DVD-Audio Format Support

Lossless Extract supports all standard DVD-Audio formats:

  • MLP (Meridian Lossless Packing): Compressed lossless audio, supports high sample rates (96kHz, 192kHz) and multi-channel (up to 6.0)
  • LPCM (Linear PCM): Uncompressed audio, typically 2.0 stereo at various sample rates
  • Sample Rates: 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHz, 176.4kHz, 192kHz
  • Channel Configurations: 2.0, 4.0, 5.1, 6.0, and other surround formats

Extracting Audio from DVD-Video (VIDEO_TS)

New in 4.0. A DVD's VIDEO_TS zone is the part that plays on a TV. Two kinds of disc make it worth extracting. Some DVD-Audio discs put a high-resolution mix in the video zone — the 96 kHz LPCM mono mixes on discs like Pet Sounds live there, not in the audio zone. And concert and music DVDs keep their whole soundtrack in VIDEO_TS as LPCM, AC3, or DTS.

Loading the Video Zone

A DVD-Audio disc always loads its audio zone by default, because that is what most people want. To open the video zone instead, use one of three ways:

  • Drag the VIDEO_TS folder onto the app (from a mounted disc, a mounted ISO, or a backup folder)
  • Drop a DVD-Video ISO that has no audio zone — it loads as VIDEO_TS on its own
  • Right-click a DVD-Audio row in the Files list and choose "Load DVD-Video Content". This adds a separate row for the video zone below the original, so both zones stay side by side

Choosing Titles and Streams

The video zone is organised into titles, each with its own chapters and one or more audio streams. Expand a title to see its streams — LPCM, AC3, DTS, or MP2 — each with its channel count, sample rate, and bit depth.

  • Tick a title to extract its first stream, or expand it and tick the exact mix you want (for example the 5.1 stream and the stereo stream are separate rows)
  • Chapters map to the disc's own track marks, so each track comes out as its own file

Output, Preview and Backup

  • Formats: the same choices as every other source. LPCM defaults to FLAC; AC3 and DTS keep their stream in MKA or DSC. Gapless and CUE work as usual
  • Preview: press play and the picture appears on the drop zone. A concert or menu title shows moving video; a slideshow track shows the slide the disc holds, all in sync with the audio. See Preview
  • Encrypted discs: a CSS-protected DVD-Video disc in the drive is read and decrypted the same as any other, with no extra step
  • Backup: a DVD-Video disc in the drive shows the "Backup Disc" button. The copy rebuilds the VIDEO_TS folder with CSS unlocked, and with "Verify backups after completion" on in Settings, every file is checked before the backup is called done. On a DVD-Audio disc the button sits on the DVD-Audio row and copies both zones

Extracting Audio from SACD ISO Files

Lossless Extract supports Super Audio CD (SACD) ISO files, allowing you to extract high-resolution DSD audio from your SACD collection. You can work with existing SACD ISO files or create them via network extraction from compatible Blu-ray players.

Watch this section 2 videos

  1. How to backup a SACD disc in 2026 with Lossless Extract SACD backup · Jan 2026 Play
  2. Lossless Extract SACD Monster batch importing SACD batch import · Feb 2026 Play

Getting SACD ISO Files

There are two ways to obtain SACD ISO files:

Method 1: Network SACD Extraction

  1. Go to File → Network SACD... (⌘⇧N) on mac or click the hamburger icon on Windows and Linux
  2. Enter your compatible Blu-ray player's IP address, or click Scan and then click a found player's IP to add it. Scan covers the whole network your computer is on, up to 1,024 addresses (a /22), and its status line names the range it scanned. On a larger network it scans the /22 around your computer, and if no player turns up there it asks you to type the player's IP address
  3. Click Extract to ISO to rip SACD disc directly over network
  4. The ISO file will be created in your output directory (10-30 minutes)
  5. Drag the resulting ISO back into the app to extract DSD/DSF files
Network SACD extraction dialog
Testing connection to SACD player
Extracting SACD disc to ISO file
SACD extraction completed successfully

Method 2: Use Existing SACD ISO

  1. Make sure you have an SACD ISO file (from previous rip or network extraction)
  2. Drag the .iso file directly into the Lossless Extract window
  3. The app will automatically detect it as an SACD ISO and scan for audio tracks

Selecting SACD Tracks

After adding an SACD ISO, the app will display:

  • All available audio tracks from the SACD
  • Track information (duration, DSD format)
  • DSD layer information (stereo, multi-channel if available)
  1. Click on the SACD ISO file name in the sidebar to expand it
  2. Check the box next to each track you want to extract
  3. Select your preferred output format (DSF, DFF, FLAC or ALAC)

Choosing SACD Output Format

SACD audio can be extracted in four formats:

  • DSF (DSD Stream File): Native DSD format, widely supported, includes metadata support. Uncompressed DSD much larger file size
  • DFF (DSD Interchange File Format): Compressed DSD format, less common but still supported
  • FLAC: Converted to PCM format, excellent compatibility, slightly larger files
  • ALAC (Apple Lossless): Converted to PCM like FLAC, for Music.app and Apple devices

FLAC Sample Rate Options

When extracting SACD to FLAC format, you can choose the sample rate:

  • 88.2 kHz: Standard high-resolution option, excellent quality with good file size balance
  • 176.4 kHz: Ultra high-resolution option, maximum quality for audiophile applications

The sample rate choice sits on the SACD row itself, beside the Album Level menu described below.

Album Level: ReplayGain and True Peak Gain

When converting SACD to FLAC or ALAC, the Album Level menu on the SACD row offers Off, Replay Gain and True Peak Gain. It is greyed out while every area is set to DSF or DFF. Replay Gain adds tags for volume normalization:

  • Replay Gain: Choose it in the Album Level menu to add ReplayGain metadata to your FLAC files
  • Volume normalization: Automatically analyzes audio levels and adds tags for consistent playback volume
  • 2-pass process: First converts DSF to FLAC, then analyzes and adds ReplayGain tags
  • Player support: Works with players that support ReplayGain (Kodi, foobar2000, VLC, and many others)

Note: Enabling ReplayGain increases conversion time as the audio must be analyzed after conversion.

True Peak Gain changes the audio instead of tagging it. Every track in the area is scanned for its true peak, then one gain is applied to the tracks you extract, so the album's loudest moment lands just below full scale and the balance between tracks never changes. SACD stores its audio 6 dB below the PCM reference, and this recovers as much of that headroom as each disc allows, rather than adding a fixed 6 dB that clips many discs.

  • Off by default: a gain means the output is no longer a bit-exact copy of the disc, so it is always your choice
  • One track or all of them: the whole area is measured either way, so a single track gets the same gain it would get in a full extraction
  • Readout: the row reads Measuring true peak while it scans, then shows the album gain, the track that set it and the peak it reached. The gain stays on the row as a small pill
  • Discs mastered too hot: a disc mastered above the SACD ceiling is turned down instead of up, and the readout says so
  • DSF and DFF folders: True Peak Gain works on them the same way

SACD Audio Quality

SACD uses Direct Stream Digital (DSD) encoding, which provides:

  • High Resolution: DSD64 (2.8MHz) or DSD128 (5.6MHz) sampling
  • Stereo and Multi-Channel: Many SACDs include both stereo and surround sound layers
  • Superior Audio Quality: Often considered superior to standard CD quality

The app automatically detects and extracts the available DSD layers from your SACD ISO file.

Ripping Audio from Audio CDs

Lossless Extract supports ripping standard Audio CDs directly from your optical drive, with automatic metadata retrieval from MusicBrainz and AcoustID fingerprinting for accurate track identification.

Inserting an Audio CD

To rip audio from a CD:

  1. Make sure you have "show cds/dvds on your desktop" checked in Finder settings
  2. Insert an Audio CD into your Mac's optical drive (internal or external USB)
  3. The CD will automatically mount at /Volumes/Audio CD
  4. Drag the mounted Audio CD volume into Lossless Extract
  5. The app will read the CD's Table of Contents (TOC) and display all tracks
Audio CD with track list and metadata

Selecting CD Tracks

After the CD loads:

  • The artist name appears as the file title (falls back to "Audio CD" if unknown)
  • Album name and artist are shown above the track list
  • Each track shows its number, title, and duration
  • Total disc size is calculated from audio data (Red Book standard)
  1. Click the artist name to expand the track list
  2. Check the box next to each track you want to rip
  3. Or use "Select All" / "Deselect All" buttons below the track list
  4. Select your preferred output format (FLAC, ALAC, WAV or MKA)

Metadata and Track Identification

Audio CDs support multiple metadata sources:

  • MusicBrainz: Automatic lookup on first insert using disc ID
  • AcoustID: Fingerprint-based identification for accurate track matching
  • Manual Editing: Double-click any track name to edit it

Using AcoustID Fingerprinting

For more accurate track identification:

  1. Select the tracks you want to identify
  2. Click the fingerprint icon next to the artist name
  3. The app will fingerprint the first selected track (takes about 30 seconds)
  4. Track names will be updated with AcoustID results

Manual Track Editing

To manually edit track names:

  1. Double-click any track name in the list
  2. Type the new name (or delete all text to reset to automatic metadata)
  3. Press Enter or click outside to save

CD Output Formats

Audio CDs can be ripped to four formats:

  • FLAC: Lossless compression, excellent quality, smaller file sizes (recommended)
  • ALAC (Apple Lossless): Lossless like FLAC, for Music.app and Apple devices
  • WAV: Uncompressed PCM audio, larger files
  • MKA (Matroska Audio): Container format with metadata support

CD Playback and Preview

You can preview tracks before ripping:

  1. Select one or more tracks
  2. Click the Play button in the playback controls
  3. Use Next/Previous buttons to skip between selected tracks
  4. Use the seek slider to navigate within a track
  5. Click Stop to end playback

Secure Ripping and AccurateRip

Audio CD ripping reads each track carefully and checks the result, so a scratched or dirty disc doesn't quietly give you a bad rip.

  • AccurateRip: each track's checksum is compared against a database of other people's rips of the same pressing, and a match is strong proof the rip is clean. A disc AccurateRip has never seen is checked against CUETools instead. A green AccurateRip badge on the CD's row means the disc is in the database and tells you how many pressings are on record. Each track's result goes into the console and the rip log
  • Rip log: the extraction records how each track read, in the style of secure CD rippers, so you have a record of the result. Every log carries a checksum. To check a log later, drop it on the window or choose Verify Rip Log… (the File menu on Mac, the ☰ menu on Windows and Linux). Logs from Lossless Extract, EAC, XLD and whipper are read, and the result says whether the file has been edited since the rip finished
  • Hidden Track One Audio (HTOA): audio tucked before track 1 on some discs is detected and can be ripped rather than lost
  • HDCD: a disc carrying HDCD data is flagged with an HDCD badge so you know it's there

Audio CD Technical Details

  • Format: Red Book Audio CD standard (44.1 kHz, 16-bit, stereo)
  • Disc ID: MusicBrainz disc ID generated from TOC for metadata lookup
  • Metadata Storage: Saved as cdid_*.xml files in ~/Library/Application Support/LExt/Metadata/
  • Extraction Method: Direct sector reading at 2352 bytes per sector
  • Persistent Metadata: Track names, edits, and identifications are remembered for each disc

Preview: Hearing and Seeing a Disc Before You Extract

Press play on any stream, chapter or track and Lossless Extract plays it back straight from the source. On Blu-ray, MKV, DVD-Video and DVD-Audio sources the picture appears on the drop zone as well, so you can confirm you've picked the right title before committing to a long extraction.

A Blu-ray previewing on the drop zone, with the disc's own menu and track names drawn over the picture

Watch this section 2 videos

  1. How to Preview and Play Audio in Lossless Extract Preview and playback · Feb 2026 Play
  2. Lossless Extract 3.0 Video Preview and Community Tags Video preview + community tags · Aug 2026 Play

What Shows Picture

  • Blu-ray folders, ISO files and MKV: the video plays on the drop zone while the chapter runs
  • Encrypted Blu-rays: video preview works on AACS discs too. The picture comes from the stream the audio path has already decrypted, so the disc isn't read or authenticated a second time
  • DVD-Audio: the disc's own still slideshow plays, following the schedule the disc authored for each track. Protected discs are descrambled and show their slides like any other
  • DVD-Video (VIDEO_TS): the title's own video plays — moving picture on a concert or menu title, and the held slide on a slideshow track — kept in sync with the audio. Encrypted discs show their picture too
  • SACD and Audio CD: audio only, as these formats carry no video

Menus and Still Screens

A pure-audio Blu-ray usually has no moving picture at all, so the preview draws what the disc itself would show on a TV:

  • On-screen menus: the disc's always-on menu is composited over the picture, so you see real track names instead of a bare column of numbers. Both menu styles are covered, including discs that draw their menus with BD-J, which are placed using the coordinates the disc itself carries
  • Still-screen titles: titles authored as one still screen per track now show each track's own screen rather than playing audio against a blank picture. This works on encrypted discs as well as unencrypted ones

Playback Controls

  • Click the play button (▶️) next to any stream, chapter or track in the sidebar
  • Seek anywhere in the chapter with the slider, and the picture follows
  • Playback advances to the next chapter automatically when the current one ends
  • Volume and a position and duration readout sit in the bottom toolbar

Navigating Blu-ray and DVD Disc Menus

New in 4.1. A disc's own menu now opens in the drop zone. Click a track in the menu and the disc starts it, the way a player would, so you can find the mix you want by name instead of counting title numbers. Blu-ray, DVD-Video and DVD-Audio discs are all covered.

Opening a Disc Menu

On a Mac there are two ways in; on Windows and Linux there is the menu button. Either appears only after the disc has been scanned, because that is when the app learns whether the disc carries a menu at all.

  • The menu button on the row: expand the file row with its disclosure triangle and the button sits at the right-hand end of the options strip. It is grey while the menu is closed and blue while it is up, and pressing it again closes the menu. Its tooltip reads "Disc menu", except on a Mac, where a DVD's reads "DVD menu"
  • On a Mac, right-click the row in the Files list and choose "Disc Menu" or "DVD Menu". This works on a collapsed row as well, and it always reopens the menu rather than toggling it, which is what you want when several discs are loaded at once

The button only exists on an expanded row. On a Mac, right-click the row instead and the same thing sits in the menu as “Disc Menu”, which works whether the row is open or shut.

  • Menu closedGrey. Click it and the disc’s own menu opens on the picture. On a disc that carries no menu there is no button here at all, rather than a dead one. Click
  • Menu upAccent blue, and only on the row whose menu is showing, so several loaded discs never share one lit button. Click it again to leave the menu. Click
The disc menu button sits at the end of an expanded row's options strip. Grey while the menu is closed, blue while it is up.

The Control Bar on the Drop Zone

Move the pointer over the drop zone and a small bar fades in along the bottom. It carries no words. Rest the pointer on a button and the tooltip names it. The bar fades out again about a second after the pointer stops moving or leaves the picture, and while the pointer is on the bar the disc's own highlight stays put instead of chasing it.

  • Popup menuBrings a Blu-ray’s popup menu up over whatever is playing, and puts it away again. Greyed on a DVD, which has no popup menu, and on a Blu-ray that was authored without one. Click
  • Top MenuAsks the disc for its main menu. On a DVD the title menu is tried first and the root menu second. On a Blu-ray it also gets you past the warning intros. Click
  • StopLeaves the menu and ends playback. It drops you out of full screen too. Click
  • Full screenFills the display with the picture, and Escape comes back out. Over a plain chapter preview this button stands on its own, with no dead controls beside it. Click
The bar over the drop zone. Four buttons, no labels, each one named by its tooltip.
  • Popup menu (the blue button): brings up a Blu-ray's popup menu over whatever is playing, and press it again to put it away. It is greyed on a DVD, which has no popup menu, and on a Blu-ray whose disc holds no popup composition
  • Top Menu (the house): asks the disc for its main menu. On a DVD the title menu is tried first and the root menu second, because that is what most discs use
  • Stop: leaves the menu and ends playback. It also drops you out of full screen
  • Full screen: fills the display with the picture, and Escape comes back out. Over a plain chapter preview, with no disc menu behind it, this button stands on its own rather than beside three dead ones

Working the Menu

The menu is worked with the mouse. Move the pointer over the drop zone and the disc's own highlight follows it, exactly as a remote's arrow keys would move it, and the cursor turns into a pointing hand over anything clickable. Click and the disc acts on it.

  • Pick a track and the disc starts it. On a Blu-ray the whole title plays through, chapter after chapter, the way a player's play button does
  • When the title ends you land back on the menu, ready to pick the next thing
  • A still page with no buttons advances on any click, so a slideshow screen does not trap you
  • To leave, press Stop on the bar, press the row's menu button again, or press the stop button in the bottom toolbar

Blu-ray: Top Menu and Popup Menu

A Blu-ray usually carries both kinds. The Top Menu is the full-screen menu the disc opens with. The popup menu is the strip that a player draws over a playing title, and the blue button only does something on a disc that was authored with one.

A Blu-ray menu in the drop zone, the current track lit the way the disc lights it, with the control bar over the bottom.
  • Picking a plain album title hands it to the normal player, which plays it through and returns to the menu at the end. The app follows the disc to the exact stream the disc chose, and prefers the lossless one when a TrueHD track also lists its lossy core
  • Picking anything with its own graphics plays inside the menu session instead, so the disc's overlays stay live over the picture
  • After a hand-off the blue popup button greys out and the house button reads "Top Menu (reopens the disc)", because the menu session has been closed to play the title

DVD and DVD-Audio Menus

A DVD has no popup menu of any kind, so the blue button stays greyed for the whole session. Everything else works the same way.

  • DVD-Video (VIDEO_TS): the row always offers the menu button. Discs that turn out to have no menu say so in the console when you press it
  • DVD-Audio (AUDIO_TS): the button appears only on discs whose audio zone carries a real menu. Reopening the menu while a track is playing tells the disc which track that is, so its pages can light it the way a player would
  • The disc remembers, like a player does: a disc's own settings are kept between menu sessions, so a first-entry intro plays once and shows the menu afterwards. Removing the row clears them, the way ejecting a disc clears a player
  • Bonus-feature buttons work: a DVD-Audio menu button that points at the disc's video zone opens it straight at that title, and the audio menu comes back when it ends

What Is Not Supported

  • BD-J menus. Discs that draw their menus with Java carry the button, and pressing it says so: "This disc's menu is BD-J (Java) and is not supported yet." The disc still extracts normally
  • Keyboard navigation. Arrow keys and Return do nothing in a disc menu
  • Blu-rays whose key you do not have. A menu needs the disc decrypted, so libaacs and a key database entry are needed the same way extraction needs them. On a Mac, discs decrypted through MakeMKV open their menus, but their chapter preview stays unavailable. On Windows and Linux the menu button on such a disc shows a notice instead
  • BD+ discs are refused before any of this, with a message pointing you at MakeMKV
  • ISOs must be mounted before their menu will open

Editing Chapter and Track Names

Customize chapter and track names before extraction to ensure your files have proper titles. This feature works for all disc formats.

Watch this section 1 video

  1. How to edit Chapter and tracks in Lossless Extract Editing chapters and tracks · Feb 2026 Play

How to Edit Names

  1. Select a title or stream in the sidebar
  2. Double-click any chapter or track name
  3. An edit dialog will appear with the current name
  4. Enter your new name (or leave empty to reset to default)
  5. Click "Save" or press Enter to apply

Paste Tracklist (naming everything at once)

Typing 23 chapter names one at a time is slow. Copy an album's track listing from anywhere, a web page, a booklet transcription, a text file, and paste it in one go.

The Paste Tracklist sheet, showing every chapter's current name beside what the paste would change it to
  1. Click the clipboard icon in the header of the title, stream or area you want to name
  2. Paste the track listing into the sheet, one title per line
  3. Line 1 names track 1, line 2 names track 2, and so on. The sheet shows the current name beside the new one so you can check the alignment before applying
  4. Click Apply

The paste is cleaned up for you:

  • Track numbers are stripped when the list is actually numbered, so 1. Wake Up and 01 - Wake Up both give Wake Up. A list with no numbering scheme is left alone, which is why an album opening with 99 Luftballons keeps its title
  • Trailing durations are removed, in any of the usual shapes: 4:32, (4:32), [1:02:11]
  • A one-line paste still works. Copying from a web page or PDF often collapses the line breaks away, so tabs, wide gaps and ascending numbering are all treated as separators
  • Extra lines are ignored, and the sheet tells you how many and how many chapters the group actually has

Works on Blu-ray, MKV, SACD, DVD-Audio and Audio CD sources. "Copy Tracklist" sends the list in the preview back to the clipboard as a numbered list if you'd rather edit it elsewhere.

Automatic MusicBrainz Lookup (CD)

For CD discs, Lossless Extract can automatically fetch track names from MusicBrainz:

  • Load a CD into the app
  • Lossless Extract automatically queries MusicBrainz using disc ID
  • Track names and artwork populate automatically if a match found
  • Manual editing and Audio Finger printing will still be available for any track

Chapter Extraction vs. Gapless File

For BDMV folders and MKV files that contain chapters, Lossless Extract gives you two extraction options. Understanding the difference will help you choose the right method for your needs.

Watch this section 1 video

  1. How to use Gapless Extraction in Lossless Extract Gapless extraction · Feb 2026 Play

📁 Individual Chapters (Default)

What it does: Extracts each chapter as a separate audio file.

Best for:

  • Albums where each chapter is a song
  • When you want separate track files
  • Creating a playlist with individual tracks

File naming: Album Name - Chapter 01.flac, Album Name - Chapter 02.flac, etc.

🎵 Gapless File (Checked)

What it does: Extracts the entire stream as one continuous file.

Best for:

  • Gapless playback experiences
  • Live recordings meant to be continuous
  • When you want the complete album as one file

File naming: Album Name.flac (single file)

How to Choose

The "Gapless File" checkbox appears in the bottom toolbar when you have files with chapters selected (BDMV folders, Blu-ray ISOs, MKV files, DVD-Audio discs, DVD-Video discs, SACD discs or Audio CDs).

The Gapless File checkbox in the bottom toolbar
  1. Unchecked (Default): Extracts individual chapter files
    • Perfect for most music albums
    • Each song becomes its own file
    • Easy to organize and play individual tracks
  2. Checked: Extracts one continuous file
    • No chapter splitting
    • One file for the entire duration
    • Maintains perfect gapless playback

CUE Sheet Generation

When you enable the "Gapless File" option, you also have the choice to generate a CUE sheet file alongside your audio.

Benefits of CUE Sheets

  • Track Navigation: Jump to individual tracks within a gapless file
  • Perfect Playback: Maintains gapless transitions while showing track markers
  • Metadata Display: Media players show individual track positions and names
  • Best of Both Worlds: One file for seamless playback + individual track access

Without CUE Sheet

  • One continuous audio file
  • No track markers or navigation
  • Must manually seek to find specific sections
  • Media player shows total duration only

With CUE Sheet

  • Same single audio file
  • Plus a .cue text file with track indexes
  • Click tracks to jump instantly
  • Media player shows current track and position

Supported Formats

CUE sheet generation is available for all disc types when using gapless extraction:

  • Blu-ray Discs: BDMV folders and Blu-ray ISOs
  • MKV Files: Matroska files with chapter markers
  • DVD-Audio: AUDIO_TS folders and DVD-Audio ISOs
  • DVD-Video: VIDEO_TS folders, DVD-Video ISOs and discs
  • SACD: Super Audio CD ISOs (all formats: DSF, DFF, FLAC, ALAC)
  • CD: Audio CDs (all formats: FLAC, ALAC, WAV, MKA)

Editing CUE Track Times

Sometimes a disc's authored chapter marks land a moment early or late, so a track begins with the tail of the previous song or clips its own opening. With both "Gapless File" and "CUE Sheet" enabled, a small pencil edit icon appears next to the CUE Sheet toggle in the bottom toolbar. Click it to open the CUE Track Times editor and adjust exactly where each track begins.

  1. Enable "Gapless File" and "CUE Sheet", then click the pencil edit icon
  2. The editor lists every track with its number, title, start time (h:mm:ss.mmm), and duration
  3. Type a new start time for any track that hits early or late
  4. Use the reset arrow next to a row to restore that track's authored time, or "Reset All" to revert everything
  5. Click "Apply" — your edits are saved for that disc and used the next time you export

You can also edit the first track's start time. This is useful for albums with intentional lead-in silence, so the CUE can mark where the music actually begins.

Importing an Existing CUE Sheet

If you already have a CUE sheet for an album, from another rip or a download, you can import it to name and lay out the tracks instead of typing them by hand. The imported track titles and index times replace the disc's authored chapters, so your gapless export and its CUE follow the sheet you brought in. Open the CUE Track Times editor with the pencil icon, click Import… and choose the .cue file. Reset All goes back to the disc's own chapters.

Adding Metadata Tags and Artwork

Lossless Extract adds professional metadata tags — album name, artist, track titles, year, and artwork — to your audio. There are two ways to do it: apply tags to a source before extraction so they're written into every output file automatically, or tag files you've already extracted in the output folder. Both start from the same Tags panel.

Watch this section 1 video

  1. How to: Audio Finger printing in Lossless Extract AcoustID fingerprinting · Feb 2026 Play

Opening the Tags Panel

Click the "Tags" button in the bottom toolbar to open the metadata tagging interface.

Opening the Tags panel from the bottom toolbar

Searching for Album Information

Lossless Extract uses MusicBrainz, a comprehensive music database, to find album information:

  1. Enter the Artist name in the search field
  2. Enter the Album name
  3. Click "Search"
  4. Browse through the search results
  5. Click on an album to select it
Searching for album information in the Tags panel

When you select an album, you'll see:

  • Album artwork preview on the right side
  • Track listing information
  • Release year and other metadata

More Ways to Find the Album

MusicBrainz is the default, but the Tags panel can search more than one database and lets you choose the cover you want:

  • Multiple sources: search MusicBrainz, Apple Music, and Discogs. Discogs is especially strong for exact pressings and box sets
  • Ranked results: matches are ordered by how well they fit, so the likely release is near the top
  • Artwork picker: when a release offers several covers, a small gallery lets you pick the one you want instead of taking whatever comes first. Covers can come from the Cover Art Archive or from Discogs

Barcode Scanning — find the exact edition

New in 4.0, and a favourite. A text search for an album can return hundreds of pressings. Scanning the barcode on the disc case jumps straight to the one edition you are holding, with the right track layout and cover.

  1. Open the Tags panel and click the barcode icon in the search area
  2. Point the camera at the barcode on the case. A preview shows on the computer screen
  3. The moment it reads, the app looks that barcode up and fills in the album, tracks, and artwork

The camera can be your Mac's or PC's own webcam, or your phone acting as a wireless camera. The setup differs per platform, below.

Mac with an iPhone (Continuity Camera)

Your iPhone becomes a high-quality wireless scanner. You need both devices signed into the same Apple Account, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on for both, and the iPhone near the Mac.

  • On the iPhone: Settings › General › AirPlay & Continuity › turn Continuity Camera on (on some iOS versions this screen is called AirPlay & Handoff)
  • On the Mac: the first time, allow Lossless Extract to use the camera at System Settings › Privacy & Security › Camera
  • Pick your iPhone from the camera menu in the scan window. Once it connects you can lift the phone and aim it at the barcode like a handheld scanner

An Android phone can act as the camera through Microsoft's Phone Link. Install Phone Link on Windows and Link to Windows on the phone, sign both into the same Microsoft account, and finish the pairing so the two are linked.

  • On Windows: Settings › Privacy & security › Camera. Turn on Camera access, Let apps access your camera, and — this is the one desktop apps need — Let desktop apps access your camera
  • On the Android phone: grant Link to Windows the Camera permission (Settings › Apps › Link to Windows › Permissions › Camera › Allow)
  • Choose the phone camera in the scan window and aim it at the barcode

Any plain webcam (Mac, Windows or Linux)

No phone needed — a normal USB webcam works everywhere. Plug it in, allow camera access when asked, pick it in the scan window, and hold the barcode up to it.

  • Linux: barcode scanning is webcam only. The iPhone and Phone Link bridges are macOS and Windows features, so on Linux connect a USB webcam

Saving Your Tags — Two Ways

Once you've selected an album, the panel gives you two save points.

Apply to the Source (before extraction) — recommended

The "Apply" button attaches the album's tags, track titles, and artwork to a specific imported source. Everything is then written into the output files automatically when you extract — no separate tagging step afterward.

  1. If you've imported more than one source, choose the target from the "Apply to source:" menu (this is automatic when only one source is loaded)
  2. Click "Apply"
  3. A confirmation shows how many tracks matched, and a tag badge appears on that source in the Files list
  4. Extract as usual — artist, album, year, track titles, and artwork are embedded into every output file, and titles flow into the file names

Save to Files (after extraction)

The "Save Tags to Files" button tags audio files that are already in your output folder. Use this when you've extracted first and want to tag the results directly.

  1. Review the album information and artwork
  2. Click "Save Tags to Files"
  3. The app tags every file in the output directory, embeds the artwork, renames files by track title, and adds artist, album, year, and track-number metadata

Custom Artwork

To use your own cover instead of the MusicBrainz image, drag a JPG or PNG onto the app:

  1. Drag and drop the image onto the app window (or into the artwork area of the "Console" tab)
  2. The artwork attaches to your source immediately. If several sources are loaded, a dialog asks which one it belongs to
  3. A small artwork thumbnail appears on that source's row, and the image is embedded into every file during extraction
Adding custom artwork

The most recently provided artwork always wins, and you can right-click any artwork to save it as an image file.

Community Tags

Blu-ray and DVD-Audio discs carry no track titles of their own, so every owner of the same disc ends up typing the same names. Community tags let you skip that: the people icon on a Blu-ray, DVD-Audio or SACD ISO row opens a menu with two actions. On any other row the menu says it covers only those three.

The community tags menu on a Blu-ray row
  • Get community tags downloads the album info and track titles another owner of that exact disc submitted, and applies them along with the cover art
  • Submit tags sends yours, so the next person with the disc gets them instantly

Discs are matched on their content, not their file names, so a folder rip, an ISO and the mounted disc all resolve to the same entry.

  • If your disc isn't covered yet, the app says so and offers you the chance to tag it and submit it for the next person, rather than appearing to do nothing
  • If you already have track titles, Get asks before replacing them and names how many would change. A Tagging preference turns that confirmation off if you'd rather it just applied them
  • Submit needs tags saved for the disc first, and the menu says so when they aren't
  • On an SACD, the community entry always keeps the album title, artist and track titles the disc itself carries, so a submission cannot change them. What other owners add is what the disc leaves out, such as the exact release and its cover art

Audio Fingerprinting

Click the fingerprint icon to identify albums

Lossless Extract can automatically identify albums and retrieve track names using audio fingerprinting technology. This works for all formats including DVD-Audio, SACD, Blu-ray, and MKV files.

How It Works

Audio fingerprinting analyzes the actual audio content to identify the track, similar to apps like Shazam:

  1. Select a chapter or track in the sidebar
  2. Click the fingerprint icon button
  3. The app extracts a 120 sample and generates an audio fingerprint
  4. Queries AcoustID and MusicBrainz databases
  5. If found, automatically applies track names to all chapters

Best Results

  • Try Track 2 or 3: If Track 1 doesn't find a match, try fingerprinting Track 2 or 3 instead
  • Stereo Stereo finger printing is usually more accurate than surround titles
  • Progress indicator: Shows progress during extraction, fingerprinting, and database lookup

Understanding Output Formats

Lossless Extract supports several output formats, each optimized for different use cases. Understanding when to use each format will help you get the best results.

The six formats at a glance

Each one in full, below.

The six output formats compared by quality, file size and compatibility. Every entry is quoted from that format's own section below; the wording differs between formats because the source's wording differs, so the columns align the entries rather than ranking them.
Format & what it is for Quality File size Compatibility
FLAC PCM streams, maximum quality preservation, archival purposes, SACD conversion 100% losslessno quality loss Largetypically 30-50MB per minute for stereo Excellentsupported by most modern players
ALAC Keeping lossless audio inside the Apple ecosystem (Music.app, iPhone, iPad) with tags and artwork intact Losslessa perfect copy of the source, like FLAC Similar to FLAC Nativeacross Apple devices and apps
M4A Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, and DTS-HD MA multi-channel audio streams Losslesspreserves the original codec Largesimilar to FLAC for multi-channel Goodworks with Apple devices and many players
MKA Keeping the original audio codec, maximum compatibility Originalno conversion, preserves source codec Variesbased on source ExcellentMatroska is widely supported
DSF / DFF SACD ISO files, preserving native DSD audio Native DSDpreserves original DSD encoding LargeDSD64 files are typically 10-15MB per minute GoodDSF is widely supported, DFF is less common
DSC Raw codec streams, custom workflows, professional audio work. Fastest extraction method Originalno conversion or container overhead Smallestraw stream without container Limitedrequires compatible player or further processing
  • Converted to lossless PCM
  • Original codec kept in a container
  • Native DSD
  • No container at all

Every cell is quoted from that format's own entry below. The formats describe themselves in different terms, a stereo rate here and a comparison there, so these columns line the six answers up at the same place on the page. They are not a ranking.

FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec)

Best for: PCM streams, maximum quality preservation, archival purposes, SACD conversion

  • Quality: 100% lossless - no quality loss
  • File Size: Large (typically 30-50MB per minute for stereo)
  • Compatibility: Excellent - supported by most modern players
  • Use when: You want the absolute best quality and have storage space
  • SACD FLAC Options: When extracting SACD to FLAC, you can choose between 88.2 kHz or 176.4 kHz sample rates for optimal quality and compatibility

M4A (Dolby TrueHD/Atmos / DTS-HD MA)

Best for: Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, and DTS-HD MA multi-channel audio streams

  • Quality: Lossless - preserves the original codec
  • File Size: Large (similar to FLAC for multi-channel)
  • Compatibility: Good - works with Apple devices and many players
  • Use when: Extracting Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Atmos, or DTS-HD MA streams
  • Atmos Detection: The app automatically detects Dolby Atmos in TrueHD streams and displays "ATMOS" in the stream information
  • Note: Only available for these specific codec types

DSF / DFF (SACD Formats)

Best for: SACD ISO files, preserving native DSD audio

  • Quality: Native DSD - preserves original DSD encoding
  • File Size: Large (DSD64 files are typically 10-15MB per minute)
  • Compatibility: Good - DSF is widely supported, DFF is less common
  • Use when: Extracting from SACD ISO files and you want native DSD format
  • Metadata: DSF outputs now carry embedded tags and artwork — album, artist, track titles, year, and cover art are written just like FLAC and M4A
  • Note: Only available for SACD ISO files

MKA (Matroska Audio)

Best for: Keeping the original audio codec, maximum compatibility

  • Quality: Original - no conversion, preserves source codec
  • File Size: Varies based on source
  • Compatibility: Excellent - Matroska is widely supported
  • Use when: You want to preserve the exact original audio format

DSC (Direct Stream Copy)

Best for: Raw codec streams, custom workflows, professional audio work

  • Quality: Original - no conversion or container overhead
  • File Size: Smallest - raw stream without container
  • Speed: Fastest extraction method
  • Compatibility: Limited - requires compatible player or further processing
  • Use when: You need the raw audio stream for custom processing or professional workflows

ALAC (Apple Lossless)

Best for: keeping lossless audio inside the Apple ecosystem (Music.app, iPhone, iPad) with tags and artwork intact

  • Quality: Lossless — a perfect copy of the source, like FLAC
  • File Size: Similar to FLAC
  • Compatibility: Native across Apple devices and apps
  • Use when: you live in Apple Music / iCloud and want lossless files that just work there

Settings

Open Settings to set defaults that make repeated extractions faster and to manage the metadata the app saves for your discs. On Mac it's in the Lossless Extract menu, or press ⌘,. On Windows and Linux it's the Settings gear.

Settings are grouped into five tabs: General, Audio, Discs, Tagging and License. The window title follows whichever tab you're on.

General

Updates and Notifications

  • Check for updates automatically looks for a new version once per day when the app launches
  • Notify when extractions and backups finish posts a system notification when a job completes, so you can start a long disc and walk away
  • Show progress in the Dock draws a progress bar on the app icon while extracting or backing up, which is what you want when the window is hidden behind something else

Audio

Show Lossy Streams

Blu-ray and MKV titles usually carry a lossy AC3, E-AC3 or DTS core track alongside the lossless one, and those are hidden by default so the stream list shows only what's worth extracting. Turn "Show lossy streams in Blu-ray and MKV" on to list them as well. They play in preview and extract like any other stream.

Upsampled Badge

With "Flag streams that are not really hi-res" on, each hi-res stream is measured once, and one whose audio cannot be what its sample rate claims, such as a CD upsampled to 96 kHz, gets the UPSAMPLED badge described in Getting Started. It is on by default. The first measurement reads a few seconds of each stream straight from the disc, which can take several seconds on a slower drive, so turn it off if that holds you up. Encrypted Blu-ray and DVD-Audio discs and MKV files are not measured.

FLAC Compression

A slider from 0 to 8 controlling how hard the FLAC encoder works. Every level is lossless, so this trades encoding time against file size and nothing else. 0 is fastest, 8 makes the smallest files, and 5 is the default, which matches what earlier versions of the app always used.

Default Output Format

Set the format newly imported streams should start with, chosen by codec, so you aren't changing the format on every import. There's a row for each codec the app recognizes:

  • Atmos and Dolby TrueHD
  • DTS-HD MA
  • MLP (DVD-Audio)
  • PCM (also Audio CD)
  • DSD (SACD)
  • AC3 and DTS, which only appear when "Show lossy streams" is on
  • Other, for anything not matched above

Each row offers only the formats that codec can actually go into. Atmos, for example, is limited to bitstream containers, because decoding it would throw the Atmos metadata away.

Discs

The Discs tab: AACS status, key database coverage, drive and backup options

Blu-ray Decryption

Shows whether AACS decryption is ready, with a "Setup..." button that walks you through installing what's missing.

Underneath, the app reports your key database status: how many discs it covers and when it was last updated. The "Update..." button fetches the current database for you, so you don't have to find and place the file by hand. The date turns orange once the database is more than six months old, which is the usual reason a recent disc isn't found.

Drive and Backups

  • Eject disc when finished pops the disc out as soon as an extraction completes, which makes ripping a stack of discs faster
  • Verify backups after completion re-reads the finished backup and checks every file for scrambled sectors and size mismatches before calling it done. It adds a few minutes per disc and is on by default, because a backup that silently failed to decrypt looks exactly like a good one until you try to use it

CD Ripping

Sets how Audio CDs are read. Rip mode is Secure, the default, or Burst. Secure re-reads and checks the disc; Burst is a single pass with no checking. For a disc other people have already ripped, Secure costs the same as Burst, because that one pass is verified against every other submission of the pressing. It is only slower on discs AccurateRip has never seen.

  • Re-read attempts on error sets how many times, from 1 to 20, a sector that disagrees is read again before the most likely value is used and the sector is reported as damaged. Secure mode only, and 20 by default
  • AccurateRip and CUETools verification checks each track against AccurateRip, and against CUETools for discs AccurateRip has never seen. It is on by default

Tagging

The Tagging tab: folder layout, folder.jpg, community tags, and saved metadata

Output Naming

Three rows decide where extracted files land and what they are called, built from each disc's saved album info. Folder layout sets the folders, File layout names each track file, and Gapless file names a whole-album file, which has no track number or title of its own. The first choice on each row keeps the app's existing behaviour. The folder layouts are:

  • Flat — everything in the output folder, the original behaviour
  • Artist / Album
  • Artist / Album [Codec]
  • Plex & Roon — Artist / Album (Year) [Codec]
  • Custom… — your own template

File layout offers Track - Title, Track - Title (Codec) and Track - Title (Codec Channels), so a name can carry the codec and channel layout, and it works with a Flat folder layout too. Gapless file offers Disc name, Artist - Album, Artist - Album (Channels) and Album (Codec Channels). Every row also has Custom… for a template of your own.

Templates are built from tokens. A folder template takes {artist} {album} {year} {codec} {channels}, and each / starts a new folder. A file template adds {track} and {title}, and a gapless template adds {disc} and {stream}. The folder layout Artist / Album gives you Pink Floyd/The Division Bell/01 - Cluster One.flac, and the file layout Track - Title (Codec Channels) adds the codec and channel layout to the name, as in 01 - Cluster One (PCM 2.0).flac.

Move any row off its first choice and a live preview appears underneath, showing the path a real track would be written to, so you can check a layout before running an extraction against it.

Save folder.jpg with Extraction

Turn on "Save folder.jpg with extraction" to write the disc's artwork as a folder.jpg file next to the extracted tracks. Kodi, Plex, Jellyfin and most streamers read cover art from that file rather than from inside the audio, so this is what makes a rip show the right cover in a library.

  • Written for every output format, including WAV and DSC, which can't carry embedded artwork at all
  • PNG artwork is converted to JPEG
  • An existing folder.jpg is never overwritten

The file lands in the same folder as the tracks, so if you're using an Output Naming layout it follows your album folders.

Community Tags

Controls how community tags behave when they arrive. By default, applying downloaded titles to a disc that already has its own asks first and names how many would be replaced. Turn on "Replace existing titles without asking" to skip that confirmation.

Fetching community tags is available to everyone. Submitting needs a licence or a running trial.

Saved Metadata

Lossless Extract remembers album info, track titles, artwork, and CUE time edits per disc, so your work returns automatically when you re-import a source. To wipe all of it, click "Purge All…" in the Saved Metadata section of Settings and confirm.

License

Registration

Shows the email the app is registered to and your serial number, and is where you enter a serial to activate a new installation. If you're running a trial, this tab is where you'll see how much of it is left.

Your Licence and Updates

A licence is a one-time purchase you own for good — the version you buy keeps working. Updates are included for a set period (a one or two year window), and when it ends the app keeps running exactly as it is; you only pay again if you want the newer builds released after that.

A licence covers your own machines. Activations are counted, so if you reach the limit after moving between computers, contact support to free one up.

Not in Settings

Clear Completed

One control that people look for in Settings lives in the main window instead. After a batch finishes, an eraser button appears in the Files header. Click it to remove only the files that finished successfully, leaving anything still pending or in progress in the list. The trash button next to it still clears every file at once.

Export Console Log

The Console tab keeps a running log of what the app is doing. If you ever hit a problem and want help, click the share arrow at the top of the Console tab, whose tooltip reads Export Log. It asks what went wrong, then opens a new email to support with the log attached, so the issue can be looked at without guesswork. Nothing is sent until you send it yourself, and your account name is removed from every path in the log. On Windows and Linux a copy is also saved to your Desktop.

Eject From the Row

When a physical disc is loaded, its row in the Files list has its own eject button, so you can pop the disc out from right there instead of hunting for it in Finder or the taskbar. Ejecting takes that disc's row off the list, and the button is greyed out while an extraction or backup is running, so a rip can't lose its disc partway through.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

No Audio Streams Detected

Problem: The app doesn't show any audio streams after adding a file.

Solutions:

  • The file may not contain audio tracks - verify the file has audio
  • Try using the manual stream entry option if available
  • Check the Console tab for error messages
  • Verify the file isn't corrupted by trying to play it in another app

BDMV Folder Not Working

Problem: BDMV folder extraction fails or doesn't detect streams.

Solutions:

  • Make sure you're dragging the BDMV folder or its parent folder
  • Verify the folder structure includes both BDMV/STREAM/ and BDMV/PLAYLIST/
  • Grant folder access permissions when prompted by macOS
  • Check the Console tab for specific error messages
  • Try the "Gapless File" option if chapter extraction isn't working

"This Disc Isn't in the Key Database"

Problem: An encrypted Blu-ray reports that its key isn't in keydb.cfg.

This means the disc itself isn't covered, not that your key database is damaged. Updating keydb.cfg only helps if someone has since contributed that disc's key.

Solutions:

  • Install MakeMKV. Lossless Extract will decrypt the disc through its libmmbd library, which derives the key from the drive rather than looking it up. Scanning, extraction, backup and fingerprinting all work this way
  • Back the disc up first, then import the backup. This is also what enables playback preview and Gapless for these discs, neither of which can run against the disc directly
  • Update your key database from the FindVUK database in case the disc has since been added

DVD-Audio Not Detecting Streams

Problem: DVD-Audio disc or folder doesn't show any streams.

Solutions:

  • Make sure you're dragging the AUDIO_TS folder or a DVD-Audio ISO file
  • Verify the AUDIO_TS folder contains IFO files (AUDIO_TS.IFO, ATS_01_0.IFO, etc.)
  • For ISO files, ensure it's a DVD-Audio ISO, not a video DVD ISO
  • Grant folder access permissions when prompted by macOS
  • Check the Console tab for specific error messages
  • Some discs may have encrypted content - use the Backup feature if the disc is in an optical drive

SACD ISO Not Working

Problem: SACD ISO file doesn't extract or shows no tracks.

Solutions:

  • Verify the file is a valid SACD ISO (not a regular CD or DVD ISO)
  • Check the Console tab for specific error messages
  • Ensure the ISO file isn't corrupted - try opening it with another tool to verify
  • Some SACD ISOs may have copy protection - ensure you have a properly ripped ISO

Chapter Extraction Not Working

Problem: Chapters aren't being split into separate files.

Solutions:

  • Some BDMV folders may not have chapter information in MPLS files
  • Check the Console tab to see which MPLS file was selected
  • Try using "Gapless File" to extract the entire stream as one file
  • For MKV files, verify the file actually contains chapter markers
  • The app automatically selects the MPLS with the most chapters - this may not always be the main feature

Extraction Fails or Crashes

Problem: Extraction process fails or the app crashes.

Solutions:

  • Check the Console tab for detailed error messages
  • Ensure you have enough disk space (audio files can be large)
  • Verify the output directory is writable and accessible
  • Try a different output format
  • Make sure the source file isn't corrupted
  • Close other applications to free up system resources

Tags Not Appearing

Problem: Metadata tags don't show up in music players.

Solutions:

  • Make sure you've extracted the audio files first (tags only apply to existing files)
  • Verify files are in the output directory
  • Check that you selected an album and clicked "Save Tags to Files"
  • Some players may need to refresh or rescan to show new tags
  • Try opening the file in a different player to verify tags are embedded

Metadata Display or Corruption Issues

Problem: Metadata displays incorrectly or you would like to reset all metadata.

Solutions:

  • Delete the Metadata folder or individual XML file at ~/Library/Application Support/LExt/Metadata for mac or C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\LosslessExtract\Metadata for windows. This will reset metadata for the input source.

Output Directory Issues

Problem: Files aren't being saved or can't find output directory.

Solutions:

  • If the output folder no longer exists, the app will prompt you to select a new one
  • Click "Choose..." next to the Output label to select a new directory
  • Double-click the output path to open it in Finder and verify files are there
  • Make sure you have write permissions for the selected folder

System Requirements

  • macOS: 13.0 Ventura or later. Any Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later), or an Intel Mac from 2018 or later with 4 or more cores, and 8 GB of memory
  • Windows: Windows 10 64-bit 1809 or later. A 64-bit x64 processor with 4 or more cores from 2018 or later (Intel 8th generation, AMD Ryzen 2000, or newer), and 8 GB of memory
  • Linux: 64-bit Debian or Ubuntu, with the same processor and memory as Windows. Barcode scanning on Linux is webcam only
  • Mac builds: Two downloads, one for Apple Silicon (arm64) and one for Intel (x86_64). Each runs natively on its own processor
  • Storage: Sufficient disk space for extracted audio files (FLAC files can be 30-50MB per minute, DSD files 10-15MB per minute)
  • Internet: Required for metadata tagging (MusicBrainz search) and barcode lookup
  • Camera (optional): for barcode scanning — a Mac with an iPhone (Continuity Camera), Windows with an Android phone (Phone Link), or any USB webcam on Mac, Windows or Linux
  • Optical Drive: Required only for the DVD-Audio/Bluray backup feature and extraction (optional)