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Audio format

WMA converter

A .wma file contains Windows Media Audio, Microsoft's proprietary compressed format, wrapped in the same ASF container as WMV video. It shipped with every copy of Windows for a decade, so ripped CDs and store purchases from that era survive as .wma libraries.

Private for supported formats — processed in your browser

Convert supported files

Runs on your device

Drop WMA files here

Batch files can each use a different output. Nothing uploads for local conversions.

Working inputs include camera RAW, browser-local audio/video, PDF, CBZ/CBR comics, office documents, ebooks, markup, 3D models, structured text, images, and archives.

Where WMA comes from

Microsoft introduced WMA in 1999 as an MP3 rival, once claiming CD quality at 64 kbps, a boast independent listening tests never upheld. WMA Pro, Lossless, and Voice variants followed, but the ecosystem faded after Windows Media Player lost relevance and the Zune failed against the iPod.

How WMA works

  • The standard codec is a lossy transform coder supporting up to 48 kHz stereo
  • WMA Pro extends the family to multichannel audio at up to 24-bit/96 kHz
  • A rarely used WMA Lossless variant exists within the same wrapper
  • ASF-level DRM (later branded PlaysForSure) locked store purchases to licensed devices
  • Hardware decoding was once a checklist feature on 2000s MP3 players

When to use WMA

  • Converting old ripped-CD libraries to MP3 or FLAC
  • Recovering voice recordings made with legacy Windows tools
  • Playing archival corporate media that never left the format

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • Respectable quality at mid bitrates for its era
  • Still opens on any Windows PC without extra software
  • DRM-free files convert cleanly to modern formats

Limitations

  • Proprietary and effectively abandoned
  • DRM-locked purchases from defunct stores are permanently unplayable
  • No browser, and neither macOS nor Android, plays it natively

Compatibility

Windows continues to play .wma through its bundled apps, but macOS, iOS, Android, and all web browsers lack native support. Files protected by Windows Media DRM will not play anywhere now that their license servers are gone.

ASF attributes mirror ID3 basics such as title, artist, album, and artwork, and Windows Media Player wrote extended library fields on top.

Convert WMA to another format

Convert other formats to WMA