freeTunes 5 — Help

freeTunes runs on Windows 10 and Windows 11 as well as on macOS from Monterey (12). On Windows, 64-bit Intel/AMD and ARM 64-bit are natively supported, on macOS Apple Silicon and Intel — the installer automatically detects your architecture. For CD functions, you need a drive that your system recognizes; a USB drive is sufficient.

15 days with full functionality — without registration and without payment details. You can see how many days are left at any time in the top right of the program window. After this period, the view and settings remain usable; a license key is then required for converting, ripping, burning, and recording.

freeTunes is signed with an EV code-signing certificate. During the first installations, Microsoft SmartScreen may still display a precautionary warning because the reputation for a new program version has yet to build up. Click "More info" in the warning and then "Run anyway". After several thousand installations, this warning will disappear by itself.

This is normal for programs downloaded from the internet. freeTunes is notarized by Apple — confirm the notice once, and the program will then start without further prompting.

For recording, macOS additionally asks for permission to record audio. Without this permission, the recording will remain silent. You can find the setting under System Settings → Privacy & Security.

On Windows, in %AppData%\com.engelmann.freetunes\, on macOS, in ~/Library/Application Support/com.engelmann.freetunes/. The log file freetunes.log is also located there, provided you have enabled logging.

No — and this is by design. If you start freeTunes a second time, the already open window will come to the front. This prevents two copies from simultaneously writing to the same settings or accessing the same drive.

Nine formats are available as targets: MP3, AAC, FLAC, ALAC, Opus, OGG, WAV, AIFF and M4B (audiobook with chapter markers).

All common audio and video files serve as sources. freeTunes automatically extracts the audio track from videos — practical if you only want to keep the music.

Drag and drop any number of files or an entire folder into the window. freeTunes processes the list and can handle multiple tracks simultaneously — you can adjust the number of parallel operations in the settings. This significantly reduces waiting time on computers with many processor cores.

Using the naming scheme. The placeholders {artist}, {album}, {title} and {track} are available. A preview below the field immediately shows what the result will look like. Without a custom scheme, freeTunes retains the original file name.

Turn on loudness normalization according to the broadcast standard EBU R128. The audio track itself remains unchanged: The normalization is stored as additional information in the file and is taken into account by most playback programs. Thus, there is no loss of quality, and you can remove the normalization at any time.

Insert the CD and select Rip CD. freeTunes reads the table of contents and automatically retrieves album, artist, and title names from the music databases MusicBrainz and gnudb. Then, as usual, select the format and destination folder.

Multiple drives are supported: You can rip from one drive while the next CD is already waiting in another.

In this mode, freeTunes reads each track multiple times and compares the passes using a checksum. If a pass deviates, it is reported instead of silently accepting the read error. The process therefore takes about twice as long — it's worth it for scratched or older CDs.

Not every CD is recorded in the music databases — this applies especially to self-productions and very rare releases. In this case, you can manually enter the album, artist, and title before you start ripping.

Audio CD: plays in any CD player, including in the car. Your tracks are automatically converted to the appropriate format (16 bit, 44.1 kHz, stereo). Depending on the type, about 74 to 80 minutes fit on one blank.

MP3 CD: holds many times more music. The tracks are numbered and stored so that car radios play them in the correct order. This requires a device that supports MP3 CDs.

Select the desired tracks, click Burn and choose between Audio or MP3 CD. Select your drive from the list — if there are multiple burners, the respective device name will be shown. The capacity display shows you beforehand whether the selection fits on the blank disc. You will then see the progress in percent.

Tip: Insert the blank disc before opening the burn window, or wait a moment — freeTunes continuously checks the drive and indicates as soon as it has recognized the disc.

In most cases, the blank disc is already written or finalized. An audio CD requires an empty blank disc; rewritable CD-RWs must be erased first.

Also, close all windows in which the CD is open. As long as another program is accessing the disc, writing is not possible — freeTunes will notify you with a plain text message in this case.

In a simulation, the drive goes through the entire process without turning on the laser — the blank disc remains unwritten. This is suitable for checking if your selection fits. Not every drive supports this mode; it is not available under Windows, where freeTunes will inform you about it.

freeTunes records what can be heard on your computer — including audio from streaming services, media libraries, internet radio, or video portals. You select the audio source, start the recording, and play your music.

If desired, recording can start automatically as soon as audio is detected and stop when there is prolonged silence — so you don't have to sit there and monitor it.

Yes. If freeTunes detects a track change, it splits the recording at that point and takes the title and artist from the information that the playback program reports to the operating system. Additionally, tracks can be determined later via an acoustic fingerprint — helpful for internet radio without clean title information.

For a fixed order and clean folder structure, use the Playlist Template.

Recording one's own playback is permitted in Germany as a private copy according to § 53 UrhG. freeTunes exclusively records the audio that is already played through your speakers and does not circumvent any copy protection.

Please use the recordings exclusively for private purposes and do not share them. The terms of use of some streaming services contain their own regulations, and the legal situation may differ in other countries.

So that your recordings don't end up as "Part 01, Part 02". freeTunes compares each recording with your list and automatically assigns number, clean file name, and a separate folder with the name of the playlist — regardless of the order in which you actually played the tracks.

In the recording bar, click Template. Three ways are available:

• Deezer link: paste the address of a public playlist, click Load, done.
• Paste track list: one line per track in the format "Artist - Title". Leading numbers are recognized.
• Load file: CSV, M3U, or a simple text file.

In the template window, you can always see which tracks have already been assigned. The button also shows the counter.

Yes — by means of a file. Export your playlist with an export tool of your choice as a CSV file and load it into freeTunes. This works regardless of which service you use, as freeTunes only reads your own file.

freeTunes makes fuzzy comparisons and ignores additions like "(Live)" or "feat.". If no match is found, the recording retains its original name — so nothing is lost. You can then rename the title manually.

Via the cover search. freeTunes searches MusicBrainz, the Cover Art Archive, iTunes and Deezer and shows you the results to choose from. Alternatively, you can select an image from your hard drive.

Yes, with Automatic. freeTunes groups the selected tracks by album, searches once for each album, and then applies the appropriate image to all associated tracks. At the end, you'll see how many tracks could be provided with covers.

freeTunes combines the files into a continuous audiobook in M4B format and creates chapter markers. This way, your playback device remembers where you left off. Very long recordings can also be automatically divided into chapters during speech pauses.

It writes your music to a USB stick in the desired order — with short file names and a flat folder structure. This works even with older car devices that have problems with long names or nested folders. If desired, the volume is adjusted at the same time.

After purchase, you will receive an email with your license key in the format FTU-STD-DIR-XXXXX-XXXXX-CC. In the program, click Activate in the top right, copy the key from the email into the input field, and confirm. Activation takes place online via app.engelmann.com.

That depends on the edition purchased: freeTunes is available for one device and for three devices. If you change devices, you can release old devices in your customer account at engelmann.com/account — your license will not be lost.

No. You purchase freeTunes 5 once and can then use it indefinitely — there is no term, no renewal, and no ongoing costs. Your license does not expire.

Frequent causes:

• Typo: Copy the key directly from the purchase confirmation if possible. Confusing 0 and O is the most common cause.
• Check internet connection: Activation requires an active connection to app.engelmann.com.
• Device limit reached: Release an old device in your customer account.
• Firewall: Some corporate firewalls block app.engelmann.com. If necessary, your administrator can whitelist this domain.

If this doesn't help, please enable logging in the settings, repeat the process, and send us the file.

freeTunes checks in the background, at most once a day, whether a newer version is available. If there is one, a subtle notification appears in the program. Before each installation, the checksum and code signature are verified to ensure that no manipulated package can be installed.

The authenticity check cannot be disabled — it is part of the security architecture. However, you can temporarily postpone a notification about a new version. Security-relevant updates cannot be skipped.

We follow the scheme 5.YY.MMDD.HH. Example: 5.26.0723.14 corresponds to a release from July 23, 2026. You can find the exact version in the program under About freeTunes.

By default, none. Your music files never leave your computer — all conversion, recording, and burning processes run exclusively locally.

Data transfers only occur in clearly defined cases: during activation (key, a randomly generated device ID, operating system version), during update checks, and when retrieving title information and cover images, if you use these functions.

These are off by default. If you enable them in the settings, only technical information will be transmitted: program version, language, and which functions are used — never file names, file contents, license keys, or personal data. You can change your decision at any time.

At engelmann.com/policies/privacy-policy — also linked directly from the program.

Give the drive a few seconds to spin up. Empty blank discs are not mounted by the operating system as data carriers — this is normal and not an error. If the display remains blank, check whether the drive appears in the system and whether another program is accessing it.

Copy-protected titles from online stores cannot be converted — freeTunes does not bypass copy protection. In this case, use the recording of the playback.

Conversion also aborts with damaged files. Check whether the file can be opened in a playback program.

First, check whether the correct audio source is selected. On macOS, additional permission is required under System Settings → Privacy & Security. Also, make sure that playback is actually running and not muted.

Enable the log in the settings, repeat the process, and open the file via the button in the settings. It is located at %AppData%\com.engelmann.freetunes\freetunes.log (Windows) or ~/Library/Application Support/com.engelmann.freetunes/freetunes.log (macOS).

The log contains no personal data and can be safely sent to our support.

Since freeTunes accesses audio devices and optical drives, some antivirus programs heuristically flag it. Our signed setup is gradually learned by reputation filters. You can safely add freeTunes to the exclusion list. If you have a specific suspicion, please send us the name of the antivirus software manufacturer and the exact warning message.