Video conversion
Convert MKV to WMA
Updated Jul 2026
MKV is a video container that can hold video, audio, and subtitle tracks, while WMA is a Windows audio-only format. To convert MKV to WMA, a converter pulls the audio track out and re-encodes it as WMA, dropping the video. Do this on your own computer, and the file never has to leave your machine.
- Extension
- .mkv
- Type
- Video
- Typically
- High-quality video containers
- Extension
- .wma
- Type
- Audio
- Typically
- Windows audio
- Compression
- Lossy
Convert MKV to WMA on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert MKV to WMA
- Open Morphjet and drag in the MKV file you want to pull audio from, or a whole folder at once.
- Choose WMA as the output format.
- Convert. Morphjet extracts the audio track from the MKV and encodes it as WMA.
- The WMA file is written next to your original, and nothing ever leaves your machine.
MKV vs WMA: what actually changes
| MKV | WMA | |
|---|---|---|
| Contains video | Yes, along with audio and often subtitles | No, audio only |
| File size | Large, since it holds the full video plus audio | Much smaller, since only the audio remains |
| Quality | Can be lossless, depending on how the audio was encoded | Lossy, always compressed on export |
| Compatibility | Plays in most modern media players, but not natively in Windows Media Player or QuickTime | Built for Windows, opens natively in Windows Media Player and most Windows apps |
| Multiple tracks | Can hold several audio, subtitle, and video tracks in one file | Holds a single audio stream |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert MKV to WMA when you just want the sound from a video, for example a lecture, commentary track, or concert recording, and you plan to play it back through a Windows app that expects WMA.
Keep the MKV if you still want to watch the video, because converting to WMA throws away every video and subtitle track and keeps only the audio.
Why not just use an online converter?
Pulling audio out of a video file usually means uploading the MKV to an online converter and waiting for someone else's server to open it and hand back a WMA. On-device conversion skips that step. Morphjet reads the MKV and writes the WMA right there on your Mac or PC, so the video and everything in it never gets sent anywhere.
Questions
Will I lose the video when I convert MKV to WMA?
Yes. WMA is audio-only, so the conversion keeps the soundtrack and drops the video and any subtitle tracks entirely. Keep the original MKV if you still need the picture.
Does converting MKV to WMA lose audio quality?
A little. WMA compresses the audio, so there's some quality loss compared to the source, though it's usually hard to notice at normal listening volumes. If the MKV's audio was already compressed, you're mostly just re-compressing it.
Why convert to WMA instead of MP3?
WMA is Windows Media's own audio format, so it opens natively in Windows Media Player and other Windows apps without extra software. If you need it to play on phones or non-Windows devices too, MP3 is usually the safer pick.
Can I convert MKV to WMA without uploading the video?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet processes the MKV on your own computer, so the video file, and whatever it contains, never has to leave your machine.
Does the WMA keep the MKV's chapters or subtitles?
No. Chapters, subtitles, and any extra tracks belong to the MKV container and don't carry over. The WMA ends up with a single audio stream and basic tags like title and artist.
Morphjet converts MKV, WMA, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.