How to open .LOAS files on Windows
To open .LOAS files on Windows, try playing the file with an FFmpeg-based player or toolchain (for example, a player that relies on FFmpeg demuxers).
Step-by-step instructions
- Try playing the file with an FFmpeg-based player or toolchain (for example, a player that relies on FFmpeg demuxers).
- If it will not play directly, use FFmpeg to remux/convert the LOAS/LATM stream into a common container (for example .m4a) and then open the converted file in your regular player.
Common issues
The file won’t play in common music players
Many players expect audio inside a standard container (MP4/M4A) and may not recognize or support LOAS/LATM demuxing by extension.
- Try an FFmpeg-based player/toolchain that can handle LOAS/LATM demuxing.
- Convert/remux the stream to a standard container (for example .m4a) using FFmpeg, then play the converted output.
You get audio glitches, wrong duration, or no audio
Transport streams can be sensitive to corruption, truncation, or missing/incorrect configuration carried in the stream, which can lead to decode issues.
- Re-download or re-copy the file to ensure it is complete and uncorrupted.
- Use FFmpeg to inspect/probe the stream and then convert it; conversion can sometimes recover playable audio even when direct playback is unreliable.
The file opens, but the app misidentifies it as AAC/unknown data
LOAS is a transport format for MPEG-4 audio (often AAC). Some software recognizes the codec but not the LOAS/LATM transport wrapper, or relies on file extension sniffing.
- Do not just rename the extension; instead, convert/remux with FFmpeg to a container your app reliably supports.
- If you control the workflow that produced the file, consider outputting to a standard MP4/M4A container for maximum compatibility.
Still can’t open your .LOAS file?
Recover a deleted or lost .LOAS file
If the file was deleted by mistake or the drive was formatted, data recovery software may be able to get it back. Stop writing to that drive right away, because new data can overwrite what you want to recover.
Windows software that recovers deleted or lost files from PCs and external drives such as HDDs, SSDs, USB drives and memory cards, after deletion, formatting or a crash.
Wondershare RecoveritWindows and Mac software that recovers deleted or lost files from computers and external drives such as HDDs, SSDs, USB drives and SD cards.
We may earn a commission when you use affiliate links. This supports our free file extension guides.
Security note
A .LOAS file is not a scriptable document format, but it can still exploit bugs in media parsers/decoders; open unknown .LOAS files only in well-maintained media tools and keep them updated.