Apple Music includes Hi-Res Lossless audio at up to 24-bit/192 kHz, and it’s bundled into a standard subscription at no extra cost. That’s a genuinely impressive spec, and it naturally leads to the question this guide is about: can you actually download that Hi-Res Lossless audio and keep it as real files? The answer is layered, with a few honest caveats that most articles gloss over — so let’s walk through what’s real, what’s possible, and what’s marketing versus what you’ll actually hear.
What Hi-Res Lossless actually means
Apple Music offers three lossless tiers, all encoded in ALAC (Apple’s lossless codec): CD quality at 16-bit/44.1 kHz, standard Lossless up to 24-bit/48 kHz, and Hi-Res Lossless up to 24-bit/192 kHz. Hi-Res Lossless is the top tier — more bits of depth and a higher sampling rate than CD quality, meaning more data captured from the original master.
Two things are worth being clear-eyed about. First, “lossless” and “hi-res” are related but distinct: lossless means no data was discarded in compression; hi-res means the recording itself is at a higher resolution than CD quality. Hi-Res Lossless is both. Second, whether you can actually hear the difference between standard Lossless and Hi-Res Lossless is a genuinely debated topic, and it depends heavily on your gear, your ears, and the recording. Don’t assume bigger numbers automatically mean audibly better sound in your setup.
The gear reality: you can’t hear hi-res on just anything
This is the part that surprises people. To play Hi-Res Lossless at its full resolution, you generally need external hardware, because the digital-to-analog converter (DAC) built into most phones and computers can’t handle the highest sample rates.
In practice, built-in playback tends to cap out around 24-bit/48 kHz. To get the full 24-bit/192 kHz, you typically need an external DAC connected to your device, plus headphones or speakers capable of resolving that detail. And notably, Apple’s own AirPods and Bluetooth headphones in general can’t transmit true lossless audio at all over standard Bluetooth, because the wireless codecs compress the signal. So the honest situation is: Hi-Res Lossless requires a wired chain with capable hardware to experience at full resolution. On typical earbuds or over Bluetooth, you’re not hearing the hi-res advantage even if the file is hi-res.
That’s not a reason to dismiss hi-res — if you have the gear, it’s great to have the option — but it’s essential context before you go chasing hi-res downloads. The file being hi-res and you actually hearing hi-res are two different things.
Can you download Hi-Res Lossless inside the app?
Yes, with a subscription — but with the usual catch. Apple Music lets you download Hi-Res Lossless tracks for offline listening inside the app, provided you’ve enabled Hi-Res Lossless in the audio quality settings. To turn it on: Settings, then Music, then Audio Quality, then set Download to Hi-Res Lossless.
The catch is the same one that applies to all Apple Music downloads. These are DRM-protected, encrypted files that play only inside the Apple Music app, only on authorized devices, and only while your subscription stays active. They aren’t standalone files you can move, back up, or keep after cancelling. So “downloading” hi-res in the app gives you offline access, not ownership.
Also worth noting: hi-res files are large. At 24-bit/192 kHz, tracks take up substantially more storage than standard quality, so a hi-res offline library fills a device fast.
Can you save Hi-Res Lossless as standalone files?
This is where honesty matters most, because it’s where a lot of tools overpromise.
In principle, yes — a converter capable of decoding Apple Music’s ALAC stream and writing it out to a lossless container (ALAC, FLAC, or WAV) while preserving the original 24-bit depth and high sample rate can produce a standalone hi-res file. The key phrase is “preserving the original resolution.” That’s where the caveats come in:
The output format must be lossless. You cannot get hi-res quality in a lossy format. Converting to MP3 or AAC, by definition, discards data and downsamples — the result is not hi-res, no matter what the source was. If a tool offers you “hi-res MP3,” that’s a contradiction; MP3 can’t be hi-res.
The tool must actually preserve the resolution. Some converters that work by capturing the playback stream are limited by the playback path, which may itself be capped at 44.1 or 48 kHz. In that case, even if the source is 24-bit/192 kHz, you’d only capture up to the playback ceiling, not true hi-res. Genuine hi-res extraction requires a tool that decodes the original high-resolution ALAC rather than recording downsampled playback.
Verify what you actually got. After converting, check the file’s properties — its bit depth and sample rate. If you expected 24-bit/96 kHz and the file reads 16-bit/44.1 kHz, the resolution was lost somewhere in the chain. Don’t take a tool’s word for it; confirm.
So the accurate answer is: saving true Hi-Res Lossless standalone files is possible, but only with a lossless-capable converter that genuinely preserves the source resolution, and only when you verify the result. It’s easy to think you’ve captured hi-res while actually saving a downsampled or lossy file.
Where MP3 fits (and where it doesn’t)
To be completely straight about it: if you want hi-res, MP3 is not your format, and no MP3 tool can give you hi-res audio. MP3 is lossy and can’t hold hi-res detail. So a free MP3 tool like Apl Music Downloader is excellent for what it does — saving Apple Music songs as compact, universally playable MP3s for portable, offline listening with no subscription — but that’s the portability end of the spectrum, the opposite of hi-res. It’s the right tool when you want your music everywhere in small files, not when you’re chasing maximum resolution.
Knowing this saves you disappointment. Choose lossless output tools when the goal is hi-res fidelity; choose MP3 when the goal is convenience and compatibility. They serve different purposes, and pretending one does the other’s job only leads to frustration. If you want to compare converter options generally, this overview of the best free Apple Music converters is a useful starting point, keeping in mind you’ll want one with lossless output specifically for hi-res.
The DRM obstacle, briefly
As with all Apple Music conversion, the FairPlay DRM on streaming tracks is why you can’t simply export a file. Any standalone-file approach involves a converter that handles that protection, and this is typically a desktop task given the file sizes and processing involved. This walkthrough on converting protected Apple Music on PC or Mac explains how the protection behaves.
A note on doing this responsibly
Converting music for your own personal, offline use generally sits in a different category from sharing or redistributing it, and Apple’s terms of service set their own rules separate from copyright law. There’s a clear discussion in this piece on whether it’s legal to convert Apple Music. Keep any conversions strictly for yourself, and for a free-and-legit path to offline listening, this guide to free offline music is worth a look. Follow the rules where you live.
Common Questions Asked by users
Does Apple Music offer Hi-Res Lossless? Yes. Apple Music includes Hi-Res Lossless up to 24-bit/192 kHz, encoded in ALAC, at no extra cost with a subscription. You enable it in the audio quality settings.
Can I download Hi-Res Lossless in the Apple Music app? Yes, with a subscription and Hi-Res Lossless enabled for downloads. But those files are DRM-locked to the app and your subscription — they aren’t standalone files you own.
Do I need special equipment to hear Hi-Res Lossless? Usually yes. Built-in DACs often cap around 24-bit/48 kHz, so full 24-bit/192 kHz playback typically needs an external DAC and capable wired headphones or speakers. Bluetooth can’t carry true lossless.
Can I get Hi-Res Lossless as an MP3? No. MP3 is lossy and can’t hold hi-res detail. Hi-res requires a lossless format like ALAC, FLAC, or WAV. Any “hi-res MP3” claim is a contradiction.
Can I save true hi-res standalone files? It’s possible with a lossless-capable converter that preserves the original bit depth and sample rate — but some tools downsample or capture from a capped playback path. Always verify the output file’s actual resolution.
The bottom line
Can you download Apple Music in Hi-Res Lossless? Inside the app, yes — with a subscription and the setting enabled — though those downloads stay DRM-locked and subscription-bound. As standalone files, it’s possible too, but only with a lossless-capable converter that genuinely preserves the source resolution, and only if you verify the result rather than trusting a label.
The two honest caveats to carry with you: hi-res must stay in a lossless format (never MP3 or AAC), and hearing the hi-res advantage requires the right playback gear, since most built-in and Bluetooth setups can’t deliver it anyway. Match your goal to your tools and your ears — chase lossless files and capable hardware if hi-res is truly the point, and reach for compact MP3 when what you actually want is your music everywhere, effortlessly.
