foobar2000 is an audio player built for large local libraries, with precise format support, gapless playback, ReplayGain, and deep tagging tools. It also rips CDs and converts audio, and its component architecture lets the interface and feature set be reshaped.
foobar2000 is an audio player that prioritizes accuracy and control over spectacle. You point it at folders, it watches them and indexes the tags into a media library, and from there tracks are organized with playlists, album list views, and search syntax rather than fixed menus. Playback is gapless, volume is normalized with ReplayGain, and output can be sent through dedicated drivers to an external audio interface. The same application handles metadata: tags are read from any supported format, edited in bulk, and reused in title-formatting patterns that rename files and folders consistently. Conversion and CD ripping use the same engine, so export settings mirror playback settings.
Nothing about the default layout is fixed. Panels such as the playlist, album list, artwork viewer, and spectrum analyzer can be split, stacked, and resized, and third-party interface components replace them wholesale when a different workflow is wanted. Components also cover functionality the core does not: statistics tracking, advanced library browsers, encoder integrations, scrobbling, and hardware-specific output. That modularity is why foobar2000 stays lean on a fresh install yet can be rebuilt into something closer to a production tool. Listeners who came from a mainstream player such as Winamp usually notice the difference in library handling first: queries, formatting patterns, and bulk tag operations replace manual scrolling through long playlists.
foobar2000 wins on the details that matter once a collection grows past a few hundred albums. Format coverage is broad without add-ons, and extra decoders can be added for legacy or specialist files, so an archive does not need converting just to be played. Gapless playback keeps continuous recordings intact, ReplayGain analysis writes track and album gain values that keep volume steady, and noise shaping with dithering protects quality when sample rates or bit depths must change. Tagging is where it pulls ahead of simpler players: properties can be edited across thousands of files at once, values can be generated from filenames or written into them, and the title-formatting language drives consistent renaming, moving, and playlist reporting. The converter reuses those patterns to transcode a library into another format with the same folder structure, while CD ripping pulls track data and verifies discs against a public database. Add a network renderer or serve the library to other devices and the same install covers the whole house.
Key capabilities and highlights.
MP3, AAC, ALAC, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, Opus, WavPack, Musepack, WMA, AIFF, WAV, Speex, and audio CDs play without extra downloads, and decoders can be added for archive and legacy formats such as Monkey's Audio, AC3, DTS, and SACD. A mixed collection therefore needs no conversion just to be listened to.
Track transitions are seamless, which matters for live albums, DJ sets, and classical works where a gap between movements breaks the performance. ReplayGain scanning calculates track and album gain values that hold loudness steady across a library, avoiding the volume jumps that force listeners to keep reaching for the dial.
Properties can be edited across an entire selection at once, values can be derived from filenames or copied into them, and the title-formatting language turns any tag field into custom text for renaming, moving, copying, or reporting. That combination keeps a large library consistent without a separate tag editor.
Panels in foobar2000 for playlists, the album list, album art, and visualizations can be split, stacked, rearranged, and resized in a layout editing mode, then saved as different configurations. Interface components can replace those panels entirely, so the player can be shaped around a specific workflow instead of a fixed design.
The converter transcodes supported formats through external command-line encoders, with presets that carry the same naming and folder patterns used elsewhere in the player. Conversion can run over several threads, and the original files stay untouched, which makes format migration or phone-friendly copies a repeatable batch operation.
Audio CDs can be played, ripped to a chosen format, and burned, with track information retrieved automatically and disc identification checked against a public database for confidence in the results. Metadata, tags, and the listening library end up in one place instead of being split across a separate ripping tool.
Built-in digital signal processing covers equalization, crossfading, resampling, and further processing, with additional effects available as components and third-party audio effects loadable through an adapter. Output can be directed to a specific device or driver, including ASIO for external interfaces, which suits listeners using dedicated audio hardware.
foobar2000 watches folders for changes and keeps metadata indexed, while network features let the player act as a renderer, server, or controller for other devices on the network. Internet radio stations can be searched and added through an integrated directory, so streaming and local playback share a single application.
Browse historical releases and previous builds.
Common questions about foobar2000.
It plays and organizes local audio libraries, with strong support for tagging, tag-driven file naming, gapless playback, ReplayGain volume leveling, and format conversion. It also rips audio CDs, streams internet radio, and can stream to or from other devices on the network, which makes foobar2000 a complete tool for maintaining a large music collection.
It handles MP3, AAC, ALAC, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, Opus, WavPack, Musepack, WMA, AIFF, WAV, Speex, and audio CDs natively, plus FLAC files stored inside Ogg containers. Additional decoder components add formats such as Monkey's Audio, AC3, DTS, SACD, and DVD-Audio when those files appear in a collection.
Yes. Selecting a group of tracks opens a properties dialog where fields can be written, replaced, or removed for the whole selection in one action, and values can be derived from filenames or written back out to them. Combined with title-formatting patterns, that makes bulk tag correction and consistent renaming practical.
It does. The converter component re-encodes any format the player can read, using external command-line encoders, and it applies the same naming and folder patterns used elsewhere. Presets can be saved for repeatable tasks such as creating portable copies or migrating a collection to a lossless format.
Yes. It can work as a renderer, media server, or controller for UPnP and DLNA devices, so music stored on one machine can play on another device, or a second foobar2000 instance can be controlled remotely. Internet radio streams can also be searched and added through an integrated station directory.
foobar2000 is an audio player built for large local libraries, with precise format support, gapless playback, ReplayGain, and deep tagging tools. It also rips CDs and converts audio, and its component architecture lets the interface and feature set be reshaped.
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