Video conversion
Convert WMV to AVI
Updated Jul 2026
WMV is a compressed video format built for Windows Media Player, and it isn't always readable in older editing programs or on devices outside the Windows ecosystem. AVI is an older, plainer container that most video software still opens without complaint. To convert WMV to AVI, open the file in a converter and export it as AVI, right on your own computer, without uploading it anywhere.
- Extension
- .wmv
- Type
- Video
- Typically
- Windows video
- Compression
- Lossy
- Extension
- .avi
- Type
- Video
- Typically
- Legacy Windows video
Convert WMV to AVI on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert WMV to AVI
- Open Morphjet and drag in the WMV file or a whole folder of them.
- Choose AVI as the output format.
- Convert. The AVI file is written next to your original, and nothing leaves your machine.
WMV vs AVI: what actually changes
| WMV | AVI | |
|---|---|---|
| File size | Smaller, built for compression | Larger, often several times the WMV size |
| Quality | Lossy, some detail discarded to shrink the file | Lossless container, keeps whatever quality the source had |
| Compatibility | Best on Windows and Windows Media Player | Wide support across older and newer editing software alike |
| Editing software support | Patchy in older and non-Windows programs | Broadly recognized, including by legacy editing tools |
| Age of format | Introduced in the late 1990s | Older still, dating back to the early 1990s |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert WMV to AVI when you need to open old home movies or recordings in editing software that doesn't read WMV, or on a device that only recognizes older, plainer video containers.
Keep the WMV if file size matters, since AVI files are typically much larger for the same footage and WMV was built specifically to keep that size down.
Why not just use an online converter?
WMV files are often old home videos, screen recordings, or footage you'd rather not hand to a stranger's server just to change the container. An online converter uploads the whole file before giving anything back. Converting on your own computer means the video stays on your machine the entire time, and you can even do it with your wifi off.
Questions
Does converting WMV to AVI lose quality?
No further quality is lost in the conversion itself, since AVI is a lossless container. But WMV already compressed the video when it was created, so any detail lost at that point isn't recovered by converting.
Why would I need AVI instead of WMV?
AVI is an older, simpler format that's built into a wide range of editing programs, including older ones that never supported WMV properly. If a program is choking on your WMV file, AVI is usually the safer bet.
Will the AVI file be much bigger than the WMV?
Usually, yes. WMV was designed to compress video efficiently, so converting to AVI often produces a file several times larger for the same footage.
Can I convert WMV to AVI without uploading it anywhere?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet converts the file on your own computer, so the footage never travels over the internet.
Morphjet converts WMV, AVI, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.