foobar2000 - Free Download (2026)

Name: foobar2000
Availability: InStock
Author: Peter Pawlowski

foobar2000 - Free Music Player

foobar2000 is a free music player by Peter Pawlowski, a former developer at Nullsoft (the team behind Winamp). It plays pretty much every audio format: MP3, FLAC, WAV, AAC, Vorbis, Opus, WavPack, APE, DTS, and more. The interface is deliberately minimal and customizable.

It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Playback and audio

foobar2000 plays tracks gaplessly, meaning there is no silence between songs in albums that are meant to flow continuously. ReplayGain scans your library and adjusts volume levels so quiet and loud albums play at the same perceived volume. The DSP system includes an equalizer, a limiter, and a resampler, and you can load VST plugins for additional effects.

Customization and metadata

The interface is blank by default and you build it up yourself through the layout editor. You can create anything from a minimal playlist view to a full album art browser. Metadata editing handles ID3 tags (MP3), Vorbis comments (FLAC/OGG), and APE tags directly. Over 100 community built components add features like CD ripping, format conversion, WASAPI output, and remote control.

Advantages

Plays every common audio format without extra codecs
Gapless playback and ReplayGain done right
Extremely lightweight on system resources
Completely free with no ads

Drawbacks

The default interface looks bare - you have to invest time customizing it
Steep learning curve for advanced configuration
No built in streaming service integration
AIMP or MusicBee are friendlier alternatives if you want a ready made interface

Who it is for

foobar2000 is for people who care about audio playback quality and want full control over their player. If you listen to FLAC albums and want gapless playback with ReplayGain, this is the player. If you just want something that looks good and works out of the box, AIMP or MusicBee are easier starting points.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is foobar2000 free?

Yes. foobar2000 is freeware with no ads or paid version. The mobile apps for Android and iOS are also free.

Can foobar2000 play FLAC files?

Yes. foobar2000 plays FLAC, WAV, MP3, AAC, Vorbis, Opus, WavPack, APE, DTS, and many other audio formats natively without extra codecs.

Is foobar2000 better than Winamp?

foobar2000 has better audio format support, gapless playback, and ReplayGain. Winamp has a more familiar interface and built in visualization. foobar2000 is more capable but requires more effort to set up.

Features & How-To Guide

#	Feature	How to use
1	Adding music to library	File › Add Folder › Choose music folder › Foobar indexes files and displays in Library › Browse by Album/Artist/Genre.
2	Gapless album playback	Enabled by default. Check: File › Preferences › Playback › Output › Enable WASAPI (event) for best quality › Full-File Buffering enabled.
3	Track volume equalization	Select tracks › Right-click › ReplayGain › Scan Per-File Track Gain › Foobar calculates and saves volume tags. Enable: File › Preferences › Playback › ReplayGain › Source mode: Track.
4	Music tag editing	Select tracks › Right-click › Properties › Edit fields (Title/Artist/Album/Track/Year/Genre) › OK saves. Supports ID3v2 (MP3) and Vorbis Comments (FLAC).
5	Equalizer and audio presets	View › DSP Manager › Click Available DSPs › Add Equalizer › Active DSPs › Click Equalizer › Adjust frequency sliders. Add Resampler/Limiter similarly.
6	Player appearance configuration	View › Layout › Enable Layout Editing Mode › Right-click on panels › Replace/Insert › Choose elements (Playlist/Album Art/Spectrum/Tabs) › Layout Editing Mode off.
7	Polish localization installation and language change to Polish	Download .fb2k-component file › File › Preferences › Components › Install › Choose file › Restart foobar. Popular: foo_out_wasapi (WASAPI) and foo_cdda (CD ripping).
8	Playlist creation 6	File › New Playlist › Drag tracks. Autoplaylists: Library › Menu › Create Autoplaylist › Type condition (e.g. %genre% IS Rock) › Playlist auto-updates.
9	Audio format conversion 4	Select tracks › Right-click › Convert › Choose Output format (FLAC/MP3/AAC/WAV) › Set encoder/bitrate › Destination folder › Convert.
10	Last.fm integration	Install foo_scrobble component › File › Preferences › Tools › Scrobbler › Type Last.fm login › Authorize › Played tracks automatically scrobbled.