What is a WMA file?

WMA — Windows Media Audio

What is it?

WMA is Microsoft's audio format, the one Windows Media Player produced whenever you ripped a CD on a PC back in the 2000s.

Several variants exist — lossy, lossless, variable bitrate — all sharing the same extension, which doesn't make things easy to sort out.

Microsoft launched WMA in 1999 as a direct rival to MP3, bundling it with a digital rights management system meant to win over the record industry.

That very lock-in is what doomed it: the public never warmed to it, and the iPod, which wouldn't play it, settled the matter for good.

Decent compression, and seamless integration with the Windows ecosystem.

Its lossless variant delivers full, uncompromised quality.

Poor compatibility outside Windows: Mac, iPhone and many players simply reject it.

Some older files are locked behind digital protections that flatly prevent playback or conversion.

Convert your WMA files to MP3 or AAC to get a library that plays everywhere.

A DRM-protected WMA file won't convert: that's a deliberate lock, not a tool failure.

Convert your WMA in seconds, on our secure servers in France.