CUETools 2.2.6

It reads, repairs, and rebuilds CUE sheets, converts between lossless formats without re-encoding artifacts, and verifies rips against the AccurateRip and CUETools DB online databases.

Version 2.2.6 ships as a free Windows download and includes the companion ripper, CUERipper, in the same package.

If your music library lives as .flac + .cue or .ape + .cue pairs, this is the tool that keeps that library consistent when you change formats, fix track gaps, or move files between machines.

Where CUETools Fits in a Lossless Audio Workflow

CUETools is a middle stage in a multi-step pipeline, not a one-stop ripper.

A typical archival chain looks like this:

1. Rip the disc. Use Exact Audio Copy or the bundled CUERipper to read the CD with offset correction and AccurateRip verification.
2. Manage the CUE sheet and convert lossless containers. This is where CUETools takes over - moving from APE to FLAC, fixing gap handling, or rebuilding a broken CUE without going back to the source disc.
3. Encode for playback or distribution. Send the output to X FLAC Encoder for batch FLAC re-encoding, MediaHuman Audio Converter for cross-format batch jobs, or the foobar2000 Free Encoder Pack when you need MP3, AAC, or Opus copies for portable devices.
   
   If MP3 is the target, the WAV to MP3 best-quality settings guide and the breakdown of VBR vs CBR trade-offs in MP3 cover the bitrate and encoder choices that decide whether your portable copies sound transparent or compressed.

This workflow context matters because CUETools' value disappears the moment you treat it as a generic audio converter.

Tools like Audacity edit waveforms; CUETools edits the map of the album.

Supported Lossless Formats

CUETools 2.2.6 reads and writes the formats that matter for CD archival.

Audio must be 16-bit, 44.1 kHz stereo for full feature support - the standard CD-Audio specification.

The tool also handles every CUE sheet style you are likely to encounter: embedded sheets inside FLAC tags, single-file with external .cue, and the three gap variants (appended, prepended, left out).

RAR archives are read directly without extraction, which is unusual and useful when working with downloaded backups.

CUE Sheet Operations You Actually Use

The interface exposes a long list of options, but most users return to the same handful of jobs:

• Convert lossless to lossless while keeping the CUE sheet aligned to the new file structure.
• Split a single-file album into per-track files, with the gaps placed exactly where the CUE sheet says they should be.
• Rebuild a broken CUE when filenames have changed or the original sheet was lost.
• Extract embedded CUE sheets from FLAC files that were tagged but never had an external sheet.
• Verify a rip against AccurateRip and CTDB to confirm bit-perfect accuracy without re-ripping the disc.
• Fetch metadata and album art from FreeDB and MusicBrainz during the convert step.

For users who only need track-level splitting and never touch encoding, the simpler CUE Splitter is a lighter alternative. CUETools is the right pick when conversion, verification, or repair are part of the same job.

CUERipper - The Bundled CD Ripper

Installing CUETools also installs CUERipper, an audio CD ripper aimed at users who find Exact Audio Copy's setup wizard intimidating. CUERipper performs offset detection, AccurateRip checks, secure-mode reads, and metadata lookup with very little manual configuration.

It writes directly to any of the lossless formats CUETools supports and produces a matching CUE sheet on the way out.

For mainstream CD-to-FLAC archival on a modern Windows 11 PC, CUERipper covers the full job in one step. EAC remains the choice for difficult discs, custom drive offsets, or scripted batch ripping.

What's New in CUETools 2.2.6

The 2.2.6 release focuses on encoder updates, drive compatibility, and quality-of-life fixes for users on non-English systems:

• Updated MAC SDK from 10.37 to 10.74 - faster, more reliable Monkey's Audio handling.
• WavPack 5.7.0 with multithreaded encoding - measurably quicker conversions to .wv on multi-core CPUs.
• C2 mode fix for LG GH24NSD5 and LITEON DH-20A4P drives - secure-rip mode now works on two more common optical drives.
• UTF-8 BOM support and UTF-8 filename correction - prevents tag and filename corruption on systems using non-Latin scripts.
• EACPlugin: cover-art search can now be cancelled - no more waiting on a frozen lookup.
• CUERipper: corrected first-track TOC entry plus a new ReadCDCommand setting (0/1/2) for forcing a specific read mode when auto-detect fails.
• Localized EAC log files preserve their original encoding when imported.
• Album art too large for the disc is detected earlier, before the rip completes.

The full changelog is included in the download, but those eight items are the changes most existing users will actually notice.

System Requirements

CUETools 2.2.6 runs on Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11 (32-bit and 64-bit).

The installer is 3.8 MB, the application is freeware, and there is no bundled adware in the official build hosted here.

Who Should Download CUETools

• CD archivists moving an existing APE collection to FLAC without losing CUE-sheet structure.
• Audiophiles who want AccurateRip and CTDB verification on rips they did not produce themselves.
• Music collectors consolidating downloaded lossless rips that arrived with broken or missing CUE files.
• Anyone preparing albums for Audacity, foobar2000, or other editors that prefer per-track files.

If your goal is simple format conversion without any of the above, MediaHuman Audio Converter or X FLAC Encoder will get you there with less friction.

For deeper context on why FLAC has become the default lossless target for tools like CUETools, the guide FLAC vs MP3 in 2026 covers the trade-offs in plain language.