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About this tool
Convert WMA files to MP3 and get a music library you can actually use again. Windows Media Audio was Microsoft's own format, and for most of the 2000s it was everywhere: the default when you ripped a CD in Windows Media Player, the format Zune devices spoke, the extension that filled the My Music folder on Windows XP and Vista machines.
Then the world moved on and left WMA behind. Modern phones will not play it, car head units do not recognise it, iTunes never wanted it, and most media apps have quietly dropped support. Which means those folders full of ripped albums are effectively locked, not lost. Converting them to MP3 unlocks them, because MP3 plays on every device ever built with a speaker.
The audio is decoded and re-encoded at 192 kbps, a bitrate that comfortably preserves what a legacy WMA rip contains. One caveat worth knowing before you start: files bought from the old DRM-protected music stores carry usage restrictions that no converter can lift.
File size: The MP3 comes out close to the size of the WMA source, since 192 kbps is comparable to the bitrate most WMA files were encoded at. A 4 MB track typically stays around 4 MB.
Quality: Audio is re-encoded at 192 kbps. Converting cannot add back detail the original WMA never captured, so a file ripped at 64 kbps will sound exactly as thin as it did before, in a format that plays.
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How to convert
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Upload your WMA file: up to 100 MB per file.
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The Windows Media Audio stream is decoded and re-encoded as a 192 kbps MP3.
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Download an MP3 that plays on any phone, car stereo, computer or media player.
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FAQ
Will every WMA file convert?
Every DRM-free file will. WMA tracks bought from the music stores of the 2000s often carry Digital Rights Management, and that protection has to be removed at the source before any conversion is possible. A CD you ripped yourself is almost certainly DRM-free.
Will my music sound worse?
Slightly, in theory. Both formats are lossy, so re-encoding always costs a little. In practice the 192 kbps output sits at or above the bitrate most WMA libraries were ripped at, and the difference is inaudible on phone speakers, car systems and ordinary headphones.
Why does nothing play WMA any more?
It was a Microsoft format tied to the Windows ecosystem, and streaming replaced local libraries before it ever won cross-platform support. MP3 and AAC won because they play everywhere, so hardware makers stopped bothering with WMA.
Will my track names and album art survive?
Basic tags such as title, artist and album carry over. Some Windows Media specific fields have no MP3 equivalent and are dropped, so it is worth checking a converted album in your player before deleting the originals.
Can I put the result on an iPhone?
Yes, and that is one of the main reasons to convert. iOS has never supported WMA. Once the files are MP3 they import into the Music app, iTunes or any third-party player without complaint.
About the same as the WMA in most cases, since 192 kbps is close to what typical WMA rips used. Expect a few percent either way rather than a dramatic change.
No. Your upload and the MP3 we return are both deleted automatically within two hours. No account, no library, nothing retained. Files up to 100 MB are accepted.
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Common use cases
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Reviving a CD collection ripped in Windows Media Player on an old XP or Vista machine
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Moving an inherited WMA music library onto an iPhone or an Android phone
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Playing old albums through a car stereo that only reads MP3 from a USB stick
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Rescuing voice recordings and lecture captures produced by legacy Windows software
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Converting WMA audiobooks so they work in a modern audiobook app with bookmarks
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