Convert OGG to MP3 on Mac

Three routes, all local. Nothing is uploaded.

1. ffmpeg (free, Terminal). Install with brew install ffmpeg, then run the command below.
2. VLC (free, windowed). Media > Convert / Save, add the .ogg file, pick an MP3 profile, choose a destination and start. See the VLC site.
3. Smol (paid app). Drop the .ogg files on Smol, pick MP3, set a bitrate, convert. The MP3 is saved next to the original.

ffmpeg -i song.ogg -codec:a libmp3lame -b:a 192k song.mp3

The -b:a value is the MP3 bitrate. Our audio bitrate guide shows what each setting costs in file size and what it gives back in sound.

OGG is a container, not one codec. Inside, the audio is usually Vorbis, sometimes Opus or FLAC. Games, Linux apps, Wikipedia and some podcast hosts use it. WhatsApp voice notes are Opus audio, which is a related case we cover in our Opus to MP3 guide.

On the macOS build we tested (27.0.1), afconvert decoded a Vorbis .ogg file to WAV, so the system can read it. Older macOS versions and many apps still cannot. VLC plays .ogg on any Mac.

afconvert -f WAVE -d LEI16 song.ogg song.wav

That makes a WAV. For MP3 you still need ffmpeg, VLC or an app, because afconvert does not write MP3.

Open Terminal in the folder and run this. Originals stay untouched.

for f in *.ogg; do
  ffmpeg -i "$f" -codec:a libmp3lame -b:a 192k "${f%.ogg}.mp3"
done

Without Terminal, Smol accepts a whole folder or a mixed selection. The batch audio conversion guide compares the Finder-friendly options.

Ogg Vorbis and MP3 are both lossy. Converting means decoding and encoding again, so some quality is lost. At a bitrate at or above the source, the difference is hard to hear. Keep the original .ogg as your master.

We encoded a 30 second stereo test tone to Ogg Vorbis and compared sizes. A tone is easier to compress than music, so use the numbers as a direction only.

Pick an MP3 bitrate near the OGG bitrate if you want a similar size, or higher if you want extra safety. Past that point you only grow the file. To shrink an MP3 later, see how to compress an audio file on Mac.

Because OGG can hold Vorbis, Opus or FLAC, it helps to know which one you have before you convert. ffmpeg ships a companion tool that prints it in one line.

ffprobe -hide_banner song.ogg

Look for the line that starts with Stream #0:0. If it says vorbis or opus, the audio is already lossy and an MP3 at a similar or higher bitrate is fine. If it says flac, the file is lossless, so choose a higher MP3 bitrate or consider keeping it lossless with our FLAC to MP3 guide.

Tags such as artist and title usually carry over to the MP3 when you use ffmpeg or VLC. Check one file in Music or Finder before you convert a hundred.

For a handful of files, ffmpeg or VLC is enough and free. If the .ogg only needs to play on your Mac, install VLC and skip converting at all. Compare tools in our best audio converter for Mac roundup.

Smol earns its $29 (one payment, one Mac) when you convert audio often, in batches or mixed folders, from the Finder right-click menu, with nothing uploaded. In our test it read an .ogg file and wrote an MP3. See pricing.