WMA to MP3 Converter
A whole generation of CD collections was ripped to WMA because Windows Media Player suggested it. Those files now stall on iPhones, Macs and newer cars; converting them to MP3 brings the collection back into play.
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
Upload the WMA files
Pick up to 20 .wma files, each up to 95 MB. Standard WMA, WMA Pro, WMA Lossless and WMA Voice files are all accepted.
- 2
Choose the MP3 bitrate
The page starts at 192 kbps. If File Explorer shows your WMA at 128 kbps, choose 128 or 160 kbps; for WMA Lossless rips, choose 256 or 320 kbps.
- 3
Convert to MP3
Press Convert to MP3. Download each song or a ZIP of the whole batch; the uploaded WMA files are erased after 30 minutes.
Upload your .wma files, keep 192 kbps or match the source bitrate, and press Convert to MP3: the result plays on iPhone, Mac, Android and almost any car stereo.
Why WMA files stopped playing everywhere
Microsoft introduced Windows Media Audio in 1999 as its answer to MP3, and for most of the 2000s it was the format Windows Media Player proposed when you ripped a CD. Millions of home libraries, voice recorders and early online stores ended up in .wma, stored inside Microsoft's ASF container.
Then the market moved on. The iPod and iPhone never played WMA, Android music apps rarely list it, Microsoft's own Zune player was discontinued, and car head units increasingly test only MP3 and AAC. A WMA folder copied onto a new laptop, phone or USB stick often shows up as silence or unsupported files. Converting to MP3 is the simplest fix because MP3 is the one format every one of those devices still promises to play. The opposite direction, for an old in-car system or a legacy player that only reads WMA, is MP3 to WMA.
- first WMA release by Microsoft
- 1999
- WMA 9 adds Pro, Lossless and Voice
- 2003
- container format inside every .wma
- ASF
- MP3 bitrate this page starts at
- 192 kbps
The four kinds of WMA, and how each converts
WMA Standard
The common lossy type from CD rips and stores. Match its bitrate, usually 128 or 192 kbps, and the MP3 sounds the same to most ears.
WMA Pro
A higher-quality lossy variant that can carry multichannel audio. Surround tracks are mixed down to stereo, since standard MP3 holds two channels.
WMA Lossless
Bit-perfect CD rips, often around half the size of WAV. Converting to MP3 is a lossless-to-lossy step, so keep the originals as your archive.
WMA Voice
A speech codec for dictation and low-bitrate recordings. Choose 64 kbps and Mono; anything higher just makes a bigger file.
WMA to MP3 converter: before and after converting
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Check a few files' Bit rate in File Explorer before choosing a setting | Pick 320 kbps for a 96 kbps WMA expecting better sound |
| Convert unprotected rips from your own CDs | Expect DRM-protected store purchases to decode |
| Keep WMA Lossless originals as the master copy | Delete the only lossless copy after making MP3s |
| Re-add artwork that lived in hidden Folder.jpg files | Assume surround WMA Pro will stay 5.1 in MP3 |
WMA and MP3 format facts
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
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 was Windows Media Player's ripping default for years, yet Apple devices, Android music apps and newer car stereos never adopted it, so old CD rips have to become MP3 before they leave a Windows PC.
Questions about converting WMA to MP3
Why won't my WMA songs play on an iPhone or a Mac?
Apple has never built a WMA decoder into iOS or macOS, so the Music app, Finder previews and QuickTime all reject the files. The old iTunes for Windows offered to convert unprotected WMA during import, but on a Mac or iPhone there is no such step. MP3 plays in every Apple app without extra software.
Can WMA songs bought from an old online store be converted?
Not if they carry Windows Media DRM. Protected files are encrypted and need a license from a store server, and the stores that sold them have closed. No legitimate converter can decode them. Unprotected WMA files, including everything you ripped from your own CDs, convert normally.
How do I find out what bitrate my WMA files use?
In Windows, right-click a file, open Properties and the Details tab, where Bit rate is listed under Audio. Pick the same MP3 bitrate or one step higher. Choosing far more than the source only increases the file size.
Where did Windows Media Player keep the album covers?
Often not inside the WMA at all. Windows Media Player stored artwork as hidden files named Folder.jpg and AlbumArt_{GUID}_Large.jpg in each album folder. Covers that are embedded in the file are copied to the MP3; covers that lived only in those hidden files need to be added again in a tag editor.
Should WMA Lossless files go to MP3 or to something lossless?
MP3 is fine for listening copies. To preserve the lossless rip itself, convert it to FLAC or ALAC with the audio converter instead, then make MP3s from that archive whenever you need them.
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