MP3 to WMA Converter
Very few people need WMA today, and the ones who do usually have a specific reason: a Windows program, a kiosk or an older device whose manual names WMA and nothing else. This page makes standard Windows Media Audio from your MP3s, the variant every WMA player since the early 2000s can read.
Audio Converter
or drop MP3, WAV, M4A … files here ·
Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes
Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.
Constant bitrate (CBR) gives a predictable size and works on every player. Variable bitrate (VBR) spends bits where the music needs them and is usually smaller at the same quality.
Keep the source rate unless a device asks for one. 44.1 kHz is CD standard, 48 kHz is video standard, 8 kHz is used by phone systems and AMR.
Mono halves the size of lossless files and is fine for voice recordings.
16-bit is CD quality. 24-bit keeps headroom for editing and mastering; converting a 16-bit source up does not add detail.
Optional. Seconds (e.g. 75) or minutes:seconds (1:15). Leave empty to start at the beginning.
Optional. Same format as the start time. Leave empty to keep everything up to the end.
How to use this tool
- 1
Add your MP3 files
Upload up to 20 MP3s, up to 95 MB each. A whole album folder converts in one pass.
- 2
Match the bitrate
Bitrate starts at 192 kbps. Set it to the MP3's own bitrate or higher; a lower value saves space but adds audible loss on top of the MP3's.
- 3
Convert to WMA
Press Convert to WMA. Download each file or a single ZIP; uploads are deleted after 30 minutes.
Upload MP3s, keep Bitrate at or above the source's, and press Convert to WMA. You get standard Windows Media Audio with your tags, playable in Windows Media Player and in older devices that only list WMA.
When converting MP3 to WMA makes sense
Microsoft launched Windows Media Audio in 1999 and pushed it hard, advertising near-CD quality at 64 kbps, half the bitrate MP3 needed. Windows Media Player saved CD rips as WMA by default for years, and many car stereos and portable players from that decade carry an "MP3/WMA" logo. Nearly all of them read MP3 too, so check the manual before converting a library you do not need to convert.
Real cases do exist: an in-house Windows application or training package that loads only .wma, a digital signage or kiosk player built around Windows Media, a presentation template that references WMA sound files, or a collection you keep consistent inside Windows Media Player. For those, a one-time conversion is simpler than changing the software. Going the other way is far more common, and WMA to MP3 explains that route.
What WMA gives you
- Plays in every version of Windows Media Player
- Accepted by software that ignores .mp3
- Tags and cover art in a format Windows displays
- About the same size as the MP3 at a matching bitrate
What it costs
- A second lossy pass on audio that was already compressed
- No built-in playback on Macs, iPhones or most Android apps
- Many web upload forms reject .wma
- No sound improvement over the MP3
MP3 to WMA bitrate: matching the source
- 64 kbps
Speech, audiobooks and voice notes
- 128 kbps
Match a typical older MP3 download
- 192 kbps
Preset here; music from 160–256 kbps MP3s
- 320 kbps
Only for 320 kbps sources
Find the source bitrate first: in Windows, right-click the MP3, choose Properties and open the Details tab. Matching it, or going one step above, keeps the second round of compression inaudible for most listeners. Going lower is reasonable for spoken word, where 64 kbps WMA is clear and a long lecture fits easily on an old player.
Bitrate mode does not apply to WMA, so every file is constant bitrate, which is also what older hardware handles best. Sample rate stays as the source unless a device's manual asks for 44.1 kHz. To check every format you could make instead, open the audio converter.
MP3 and WMA: how the formats differ
MP3
MP3 audio
MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer III) is a lossy audio format developed largely at the Fraunhofer Institute and standardised by MPEG in 1993. It removes sounds the ear is unlikely to notice, shrinking music to about a tenth of CD size at 128–320 kbps. All patents have expired, and every phone, car stereo, browser and media player supports it. Quality loss is audible at low bitrates and accumulates with re-encoding.
- Compression
- Lossy
- Transparency
- –
- Animation
- –
- Introduced
- 1993 · Fraunhofer IIS / MPEG
WMA
Windows Media Audio
WMA is Microsoft's audio format, introduced in 1999 to compete with MP3. It includes standard lossy, Pro, Voice and Lossless variants, and older purchased tracks may be DRM-protected. It was common in Windows Media Player libraries and older music stores, but it is rarely used today. Apple devices, Android phones and browsers generally do not play WMA without conversion.
- Compression
- Lossy or lossless
- Transparency
- –
- Animation
- –
- Introduced
- 1999 · Microsoft
MP3 is turned into WMA only when a legacy Windows program, a Windows Media based system or an older player was built to accept WMA alone; the conversion buys compatibility with that one destination, not better sound.
Making WMA files from MP3: questions
Which kind of WMA does this make?
Standard WMA, the original lossy codec that Windows Media Player, older car stereos and portable players all decode. It is not WMA Pro, WMA Lossless or WMA Voice, which many devices that advertise WMA support cannot play.
Will the WMA sound better than my MP3?
No. The MP3 has already removed part of the sound, and a second lossy encoder cannot restore it; at best the WMA sounds the same. Pick a bitrate at or above the source to keep the extra loss below what you can hear.
Can a Mac or an iPhone play the WMA files?
Not with Apple's own apps. Macs lost easy WMA playback when the Flip4Mac plug-in was discontinued, and the Music app on iPhone never supported it. If the files must also play on Apple devices, keep the MP3 copies alongside them.
Does the converted WMA have copy protection?
No. Files made here carry no DRM, so they play on any computer or device with a WMA decoder. DRM was something old music stores added to WMA downloads, not a property of the format itself.
What happens to the album art and ID3 tags?
With Keep tags and cover art on, title, artist, album, track number and the embedded picture are copied into the WMA's own attribute fields, which Windows Media Player and File Explorer display. Lyrics and unusual custom ID3 frames may not have a WMA equivalent.
- WMA to MP3 ConverterConvert WMA rips from Windows Media Player, including WMA Pro and Lossless, to MP3 that plays on iPhone, Mac, Android and car stereos. No account needed.
- MP3 to M4A ConverterConvert MP3 songs, lectures and recordings to M4A (AAC) for Apple apps, upload forms and smaller files. Pick the bitrate, keep tags and cover art.
- MP3 to AAC ConverterConvert MP3 to AAC (.aac) for car stereos, playout tools and upload forms that ask for AAC. Pick 64 to 320 kbps, CBR or VBR, up to 20 files at a time.
- MP3 to OGG ConverterConvert MP3 music and sound effects to Ogg Vorbis for Godot, Unity, RPG Maker, Minecraft resource packs and HTML5 games. Batch of 20, free, online.
- MP3 to WAV ConverterDecode MP3 to uncompressed 16-bit WAV for audio CDs, samplers, DAWs and broadcast tools. Choose 44.1 or 48 kHz, up to 20 files, no account needed.