WMV to WAV converter
Convert WMV to WAV in your browser. No upload and no account: the file never leaves your device, so the only size limit is your device’s memory.
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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.
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Related conversions
Convert other formats to WAV
Read more about the WMV format and the WAV format, or see every video tool and all video conversions.
Should you convert WMV to WAV?
Yes, when you only need the sound: a song from a music video, the audio of a lecture, or a voice recording to transcribe. The picture is left out and the soundtrack is saved as WAV.
WMV is the Windows Media video format from the Windows XP era; WAV is uncompressed, studio-quality audio. Use WAV while editing and for systems that demand it, such as phone systems, samplers and some broadcast tools.
| Property | WMV | WAV |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The Windows Media video format from the Windows XP era | Uncompressed, studio-quality audio |
| Audio inside | WMV2 or WMV3 video with WMA audio | 16-bit PCM, 44.1 or 48 kHz |
| Plays on | Windows Media Player and VLC; not Macs, iPhones, browsers or most websites | Every computer, audio editor and DAW, and most phones |
| Best for | Old Windows presentations and players | Editing, mastering and software that insists on WAV |
How to convert WMV to WAV
- 01
Add your WMV
Drop your WMV 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 WAV. Change the bitrate if you want to; the defaults suit most files.
- 03
Save the WAV
Press convert and save the WAV. Several files come back together as a ZIP.
What changes when WMV becomes WAV
WAV is lossless, the soundtrack usually isn’t
The audio inside a WMV is almost always compressed already, usually as WMA. WAV preserves it exactly but makes a much larger file without sounding better. Choose it for editing software; choose MP3 or M4A for listening.
Video files without sound
Screen recordings and some exported clips have no audio track at all. The file is checked as soon as you add it, and you’ll be told before converting if there’s nothing to extract.
This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of WMV and WAV, so every pairing states the same facts the same way. How these pages are made.
Why it doesn’t upload
Uploading a whole video to keep only its sound wastes time and data, and hands over the footage too. The audio track is read and saved right here, and the file never leaves your device.
How to check for yourselfWorth knowing
- About the WMV. WMV files from old DRM-protected downloads can’t be converted by any tool; only unprotected ones will work.
- About the WAV. A WAV made from an MP3 is ten times bigger but sounds exactly like the MP3; the lost detail doesn’t come back.
- AVI, WMV, FLV and other older formats use the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download.
Questions
Does extracting WAV from a WMV lose quality?
No. WAV stores the soundtrack exactly as decoded, although it can’t improve on the compression already in the video.
Can I get the audio from only part of the video?
Yes. Set a start and end time before converting, and only that section is saved as WAV.
Read more about this
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- Trim Video Cut the start and end off a clip without re-encoding it.