GIF to WMV converter
Convert GIF to WMV in your browser. No upload and no account: the file never leaves your device, so the only size limit is your device’s memory.
Fit Meter
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Video has no transparency, so see-through parts of the GIF are filled with this color.
Bytes of your files sent anywhere: 0 B · nothing leaves this tab
Every request this page makes is listed as it happens. You’ll see our own code loading, and for some formats a codec engine, but never your file going out.
- Waiting for network activity…
Check it yourself: open your browser’s developer tools on the Network tab, or turn off Wi-Fi once the page has loaded. The tools keep working.
Related conversions
Other ways to convert GIF
Read more about the GIF format and the WMV format, or see every video tool and all video conversions.
Should you convert GIF to WMV?
Almost always. The same animation as WMV is typically a tenth of the size of the GIF, plays smoothly, and keeps full color. Choose it wherever video is accepted.
GIF is a 256-color image format best known for short looping animations; WMV is the Windows Media video format from the Windows XP era. Choose WMV only for an old Windows PC or presentation that won’t take anything else.
| Property | GIF | WMV |
|---|---|---|
| Usually contains | — | WMV2 or WMV3 video with WMA audio |
| Support | Opens everywhere | A legacy format |
| Plays on | Every browser, chat app, phone and computer | Windows Media Player and VLC; not Macs, iPhones, browsers or most websites |
| Best for | Short, silent loops and reaction images | Old Windows presentations and players |
| Introduced | 1987 | 1999 |
How to convert GIF to WMV
- 01
Add your GIF
Drop your GIF video onto the box, or click to choose it. It is read from your disk and stays there.
- 02
Check the settings
The output is already set to WMV. Change the quality if you want to; the defaults suit most files.
- 03
Save the WMV
Press convert and save the WMV. Several files come back together as a ZIP.
What changes when GIF becomes WMV
Much smaller, same motion
GIF compresses each frame on its own; WMV stores only what changes between frames. A 10 MB GIF often becomes a 1 MB video with no visible difference.
No sound to carry
GIFs are silent, so the WMV has a picture track only. Loops don’t repeat inside a video file; most players and sites loop short clips themselves.
Expect a much smaller file
GIF: A five-second animation can easily pass 10 MB. WMV: Larger than MP4 for the same quality. Shrinking the file is often the main reason to make this conversion.
This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of GIF and WMV, so every pairing states the same facts the same way. How these pages are made.
Why it doesn’t upload
Your browser can already decode GIF frames and encode video with your device’s hardware. Uploading the GIF would only add a wait, so it stays on your device.
How to check for yourselfWorth knowing
- About the GIF. A few seconds of video as GIF is often ten times the size of the same clip as MP4, because GIF compresses each frame as a separate picture.
- About the WMV. WMV files from old DRM-protected downloads can’t be converted by any tool; only unprotected ones will work.
- Browsers with WebCodecs convert to MP4, WebM, MOV and MKV instantly. Other formats, and older browsers, use the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download.
Questions
Will the WMV loop like the GIF?
Video files don’t store a loop setting. Websites, chat apps and players loop short clips themselves, and video players have a repeat option.
Will a WMV play on my phone?
WMV a legacy format: Windows Media Player and VLC; not Macs, iPhones, browsers or most websites. Windows Media Player and VLC play WMV files; on a Mac, use VLC.