WMV stands for Windows Media Video, Microsoft's format from the era of Windows Media Player. Old presentation recordings, lectures saved by a school and clips from Windows cameras are often WMV files. Many of them will not open on a Mac, a phone or a modern TV, and converting WMV to MP4 is the simple fix.
This page converts Windows Media Video to MP4 in your browser, with no installation and no upload. WMV takes longer to convert than most videos, so we explain what that means, how to keep the wait short and what you will get at the end.
How to convert WMV to MP4 in four steps
- Drop your .wmv file onto the tool above. You can drop several.
- Leave "Convert to" on MP4.
- Pick a Quality: Smaller, Balanced or Best. Balanced is a safe default.
- Press Convert, wait for the conversion to finish, then save your MP4.
This free WMV to MP4 converter adds no watermark. You do not need an account, and video tools do not count toward the free daily limit that applies to document conversions.
Why a WMV file will not play on a Mac or phone
Windows Media Video is tied closely to Microsoft software. A Windows PC can usually open it with the built-in player, but Macs, Android phones and many smart TVs do not include support for it. The file is not damaged. The device just has no way to read it, and no amount of re-downloading will change that.
MP4 with H.264 video is the opposite: nearly every device can play it. That is why converting Windows Media Video to MP4 is the usual answer, rather than hunting for a special player for each device.
Some people install extra players or add-ons to get around this. That can work on your own computer, but it does not help the person you are sending the file to. A converted MP4 solves the problem once, for everyone, wherever the file ends up. It is also easier to keep long term, because the format is so widely understood that it is unlikely to become a problem again.
| WMV | MP4 from this tool | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Microsoft | An open, widely used standard |
| Plays on Mac | Usually not | Yes |
| Plays on Android and smart TVs | Often not | Yes |
| Picture and sound | Windows Media formats | H.264 and AAC |
Why WMV takes longer, and what it means for speed
Browsers cannot read WMV on their own, so a WMV is converted a slower way than an MP4. The work still happens inside the page, on your computer, and it takes files up to 2 GB.
The trade-off is speed: a long WMV will take noticeably longer than an MP4 would. There is no fixed rule for how long, because it depends on the length of the clip, its size and how fast your computer is. A short clip finishes sooner, and a feature-length recording needs real patience. The note beside the Convert button reads "Slower for this file, on this device", so you know before you start.
Keeping the wait short
- Trim the file first with trim video if you need only part of it.
- Choose Smaller when the result is just for watching, not editing.
- Close other heavy tabs and programs.
- Keep this tab open and visible until the file is saved.
What quality to expect
The picture is re-encoded once into H.264, so the Quality setting matters. Many WMV files are standard-definition recordings, and a conversion cannot add detail that was not captured. Balanced keeps the result visually close to the original, while Best keeps the most detail at a larger size. Smaller is a fair pick for a lecture where you care about the words and slides, not the film grain. Each option shows an estimated size, so check it before you press Convert.
Common uses for converted WMV files
People tend to convert WMV files for the same handful of reasons. Most of them come down to a file that was made years ago on a Windows machine and now needs to live somewhere else.
- Watching an old lecture or training recording on a Mac or a tablet.
- Sending a screen capture from an old Windows PC to a colleague on a different system.
- Moving a family video from an old computer to a phone.
- Adding an old clip to a modern editing project that does not open Windows Media files.
- Uploading a clip to a site that lists MP4 as the only accepted type.
Many WMV files are older recordings, so it is worth checking the result once it is saved. Play it from the start, skip to the middle and listen to the sound. Because the conversion works from your original file, you can run it again with a different Quality if you are not happy, and the original stays as it was.
Once the clip is an MP4, other tools are open to you, and the file behaves like any other modern video. Use compress video to make it lighter, or resize video to shrink the frame for a small screen.
Convert WMV to MP4 on a Mac or PC, privately
On a Mac or a Windows PC, open this page in current Chrome, Edge or Firefox and the tool is ready, with nothing to install. It feels like converting WMV to MP4 online, yet the file stays on your computer. Your first WMV takes a moment longer to start than the ones after it.
Old recordings often hold things people would rather keep to themselves, such as meetings, classes and home videos. This WMV to MP4 converter never uploads your file. The server does no video work, and the conversion happens on your own device. That is useful for internal recordings and personal footage. You can read how it works on the privacy page. Nothing is stored on our side, so there is nothing to ask us to delete afterwards, and the MP4 exists only where you save it.
- Works in current Chrome, Edge and Firefox, on Windows, Mac and Linux computers.
- WMV files up to 2 GB.
- No account, no watermark, and no daily limit on video tools.
Get your WMV playing everywhere
To convert WMV to MP4, drop the file into the tool above and press Convert. Allow time for the conversion, and you will have an MP4 that plays on Macs, phones and TVs. Your original WMV is never changed, so keep it if it is the only copy. Try one file first to see how long it takes on your computer, then convert the rest in a batch while you do something else.
Working with older AVI files too? See AVI to MP4, or go back to the main convert video page for other formats.
