Should I use WMA at all?

Only if something requires it. The encoder behind it is old and basic, and MP3, M4A or Opus all deliver more for the same space on modern hardware. Choose WMA for compatibility with a specific system, not for quality.

Why is the bitrate capped at 192 kbps?

Because the codec stops improving usefully above that point. Higher rates would enlarge the file without a corresponding gain in what you actually hear, so the ladder ends where the encoder's returns do.

Why is there no variable-bitrate switch?

The codec has no meaningful variable mode in the encoder being used, so the option would suggest a setting that does nothing useful. Output stays constant bitrate, which at least makes the file size predictable.

What still plays WMA?

Older Windows software, legacy media playlists, some corporate and archival systems, and portable devices from before about 2010. Modern phones and browsers are poor targets for it.

Can the WMA carry tags or cover art?

No album art is carried, because the tool does not attempt a picture passthrough for this container. If labels and pictures matter, an MP3 or M4A conversion is the practical route.

WMA Converter

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M4A Converter

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Codec Compatibility Reference

Codec compatibility matrix

WMA Converter produces Windows Media Audio files for the software and systems that still require them. It is deliberately a compatibility tool rather than a quality choice.

What is WMA Converter?

Drop a file, choose a bitrate, and convert. The output is a WMA file that legacy Windows software will open without complaint.

The controls:

A bitrate ladder of 64, 128 and 192 kbps, which is shorter than the others here and stops lower.
The shared advanced panel for channel mode, sample rate and metadata.
A reported output size alongside the settings that produced it, so the cost of a rate change is visible before you commit to the file.

The ladder is short for a reason worth knowing. The codec used here, wmav2, stops giving useful returns above about 192 kbps, so pushing higher would mostly grow the file without a matching improvement in what you hear. The ladder ends where the codec does rather than where a marketing table would. Constant bitrate (CBR) is the only mode for the same kind of reason: this codec has no meaningful variable mode in the encoder being used, so offering the switch would imply a capability that does not exist. WMA output is CBR only, which also makes the output size easy to predict from the duration and the chosen rate.

The advanced panel behaves as it does everywhere else on this site. Channel mode can fold a stereo source to mono, which halves the size and is often the right call for a spoken-word file that was recorded in mono anyway. Sample rate can be lowered to the listed values but never raised above the source, because the tool clamps to the file's own rate rather than inventing detail. Metadata preservation is available on the encoder path, though this container is not one the tool attempts to carry album art through, so an embedded picture in the source will not appear in the result. Sizes are easy to reason about at a constant rate: 128 kbps costs about a megabyte per minute, so a forty-minute recording is roughly 38 MB, and the same material at 192 kbps is around 58 MB. Those figures make the ceiling obvious, since nothing below 64 kbps is offered at all, which means a voice-only recording cannot be shrunk as far as a newer codec would allow.

Being straight about the format is part of the job here. This is an older, basic codec, and for almost any modern purpose MP3, M4A or Opus will sound better at the same size. The honest reason to convert to WMA is that something specific demands it: an old Windows Media Player playlist, a corporate or archival system built around the format, or a portable device from before 2010. If none of those applies, another converter on this site is the better answer, and the sibling links below point at them.

Where it stops:

The codec itself is dated, so quality at a given size trails MP3 and M4A.
192 kbps is the ceiling, and there is no lossless WMA output.
No variable-bitrate mode and no album art passthrough.
Support for playback is now concentrated in older legacy Windows software.
One file per run.

How to use WMA Converter

Drop an audio file onto the panel.
Choose a bitrate, accepting that 192 kbps is the practical ceiling.
Adjust the channel mode or sample rate in advanced settings if the target system needs it.
Convert, verify the file opens in the software that required it, and download.

When to use WMA Converter vs related tools

WMA Converter exists for the cases where a legacy Windows system will not accept anything else, such as an old media library or an archival pipeline built around that format. MP3 Converter is the better general lossy choice, M4A Converter sounds stronger at the same size on modern devices, and Codec Compatibility Reference is worth checking before converting a collection to a format this old.

Privacy & Security

This tool runs entirely in your browser — no data ever leaves your device. There is no server round-trip, no upload, no logging, and no account required. Your input is processed locally using client-side JavaScript and is never stored, transmitted, or accessible to anyone else. When you close the tab, everything disappears.