WMV Converter
FileFlip converts WMV files into 31 other formats entirely inside your browser, using WebCodecs and FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly. The WMV file is never uploaded to a server: it is read off your disk, converted on your own machine, and saved back by the browser. There is no file-size limit and no account to create.
How do I convert a WMV file?#
- Drop your WMV file onto the converter at the top of this page, or click it to pick one from your computer.
- Choose the format you want out of it. FileFlip downloads the engine that conversion needs, once, and your browser caches it.
- Conversion starts the moment you pick the format, and the result is yours to download. The work happens in this tab, so nothing is uploaded and nothing is queued.
Is it safe to convert WMV files online?#
Yes, because nothing is uploaded. FileFlip converts WMV files inside the browser tab you already have open, using WebAssembly builds of the same engines a desktop converter would install. Your file is read from your own disk into the page's memory, and no request carrying it is ever made.
You do not have to take that on trust. Open your browser's network panel, run a conversion, and you will see the engine come down and your file go nowhere. There is no upload, no server-side copy, no retention window, and no account tied to what you converted.
How FileFlip works lists every engine, its version and its download size, and shows how to check for yourself that nothing leaves your machine.
What happens to a WMV file#
FileFlip converts WMV into 31 formats with WebCodecs and FFmpeg, all of it inside the browser tab. Each conversion below names the engine it uses, what it downloads, and exactly what that conversion keeps or drops.
| Category | Video Files |
|---|---|
| File extension | .wmv |
| FileFlip support | Read only, so it is a source rather than a target |
| Conversions available | 31 |
| Engines | WebCodecs and FFmpeg |
| Downloaded to your browser | 30.8 MB on the first conversion, then cached |
What is a WMV file?#
A WMV file holds video encoded with one of Microsoft's Windows Media Video codecs inside an ASF container, usually alongside a Windows Media Audio track, and often with Microsoft's DRM applied.
Keep a file as WMV when it is staying on Windows and feeding software that expects it, which is where the format has always worked best.
Convert WMV to MP4 to get the video off Windows, since Macs, phones, browsers and TVs will not play it as it stands.
The WMV file format reference covers the specification, the programs that open one, and what each conversion keeps or drops.
WMV questions people ask#
Why won't my WMV file play on a Mac or iPhone?
WMV was never made to run outside Windows. Apple has no decoder for it, QuickTime has never opened it, and Flip4Mac, the plugin that used to bridge the gap, stopped being maintained around 2015. VLC plays WMV on macOS today because it carries its own decoders. Converting to MP4 is the fix if the file needs to work in Photos, iMovie or on an iPhone.
Is WMV a codec or a file format?
WMV is really a family of codecs, and a .wmv file is an ASF container holding one of them. The version matters: WMV 7, 8 and 9 are all different, and VC-1 Advanced Profile is not backward compatible with WMV 9. That is why a very old WMV can fail in modern software that dropped the earlier decoders while a newer one plays without trouble.
Does converting WMV to MP4 lose quality?
Converting WMV to MP4 re-encodes the video, so a little quality is lost. Nothing can be rewrapped here, because MP4 expects H.264 or H.265 and a WMV holds neither. Encoding at a high enough bitrate keeps the difference invisible, and given most WMV files are low bitrate to begin with there is not much detail left to protect.
What is the difference between WMV and WMA?
WMV is Microsoft's video codec and WMA is its audio counterpart, and they usually travel together, since the audio track inside a WMV file is normally WMA. Both sit in the same ASF container underneath. A .wma file holds audio on its own, which is why it plays in music apps while a .wmv needs a video player.
Why can't I play a WMV video I bought years ago?
A purchased WMV that suddenly refuses to play is almost certainly protected by Windows Media DRM, which checks a licence with a server before letting the video open. Microsoft has moved on to PlayReady and many of the stores that sold WMV content are gone, taking their licence servers with them. Files in that state cannot be converted, because the video inside is encrypted rather than merely wrapped.