Video conversion
Convert WMV to WAV
Updated Jul 2026
WMV is a Windows video format that bundles picture and sound together. WAV is an uncompressed audio format used for editing and playback. Converting WMV to WAV pulls out just the audio track and saves it as a WAV file, and you can do it on your own computer without uploading the video anywhere.
- Extension
- .wmv
- Type
- Video
- Typically
- Windows video
- Compression
- Lossy
- Extension
- .wav
- Type
- Audio
- Typically
- Uncompressed audio, recording
Convert WMV to WAV on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert WMV to WAV
- Open Morphjet and drag in the WMV file, or a whole folder of them, that you want to pull audio from.
- Choose WAV as the output format. Morphjet extracts the audio track from the video automatically.
- Convert. The WAV file is written next to your original, and nothing leaves your machine.
WMV vs WAV: what actually changes
| WMV | WAV | |
|---|---|---|
| Contains | Video and audio together | Audio only |
| File size | Smaller, compressed | Much larger, uncompressed |
| Quality | Lossy, compressed video and audio | Lossless, an exact copy of the audio samples |
| Compatibility | Mostly Windows Media Player and Windows software | Opens in nearly any audio player or editor, on any OS |
| Best for | Storing or playing back the full video | Editing, mixing, or archiving the sound |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert WMV to WAV when you only need the sound from a video, say a recorded lecture, voiceover, or screen capture, and want to edit, transcribe, or clean it up in audio software.
Keep the WMV if you still need the picture, since converting to WAV throws the video track away for good.
Why not just use an online converter?
A WMV file might be a recorded meeting, an interview, or a home video with sound you'd rather not hand to a stranger's server. Many online audio extractors require uploading the whole video file just to get the audio out of it. Converting on your own computer keeps the recording, and everything said in it, on your machine the whole time.
Questions
Does converting WMV to WAV lose any audio quality?
No, WAV stores the audio uncompressed, so the conversion itself adds no further loss. The audio was already compressed once inside the WMV, though, so you won't recover any detail that was lost at that earlier stage.
What happens to the video when I convert to WAV?
It's dropped. WAV is an audio-only format, so if you still need the picture, keep the original WMV alongside the extracted WAV.
Why is the WAV file so much bigger than the WMV?
WAV stores every audio sample uncompressed, while WMV compresses both video and audio to save space. Extracting even a few minutes of audio as WAV can produce a file larger than the whole source video.
Why convert to WAV instead of MP3?
WAV is the standard format for editing and mixing because it's uncompressed and lossless. MP3 is smaller but lossy, which is fine for listening but not ideal if you plan to edit the audio further.
Can I pull the audio out of a WMV without uploading it anywhere?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet extracts the audio on your own computer, so the video file never has to travel over the internet.
Morphjet converts WMV, WAV, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.