What is a WMA file?
How to open, edit and convert WMA files
A file with the WMA file extension is a Windows Media Audio file. Microsoft created this lossy format to compete with MP3.
There are several sub-formats of the WMA format, including WMA Pro, a lossy codec that supports High-Resolution Audio; WMA Lossless, a lossless codec that compresses audio without loss of quality; and WMA Voice, a lossy voice codec for applications that supports voice playback.
Microsoft also developed the Windows Media Video file format, which uses the WMV extension.
How to open WMA files
Windows Media Player is the best program for opening WMA files because it is included with most versions of Windows. However, you can use third party software like VLC, MPC-HC, AllPlayer, MPlayer and Winamp to play WMA files on other operating systems.
If you don’t have any of these programs installed on your computer, TwistedWave Online Audio Editor provides a quick way to play WMA files in your browser.
If you need to play the file on a program or device that doesn’t natively support the WMA format, such as an iPhone, you can convert it to another compatible format using one of the WMA converters described below.
Tip: If you find that an application on your computer is trying to open the WMA file but it’s the wrong application, or you’d rather have another program installed to open WMA files, see my How to Change the Default Program for a Specific File Extension Used to Perform changes in Windows.
Still can’t open the file?
File formats sometimes use the same or similar file extensions and can be confusing. You may think your file is a WMA file, but it may look like a .WMA file extension.
For example, WMF (Windows Metafile), WMZ (Windows Media Player Compressed Skins), and WML (Wireless Markup Language) files share some of the same letters as WMA, but aren’t actually used for the same purpose as WMA. audio file format.
Some other examples include Windows Media Photo files and WAM (Worms Armageddon Mission) files with the .WMP file extension. The GarageBand MagicMentor template file format for .MWAND files also uses some of the same letters.
Other types of WMA file formats
In addition to Windows Media Audio, there are three sub-formats that WMA files can exist in:
Windows Media Audio Professional – This lossy codec is similar to WMA in that it contains most of the same encoding features. However, it also supports better entropy encoding and more efficient stereo encoding.
Windows Media Audio Lossless – This subformat is designed for archiving WMA files as it compresses audio data without loss of quality. Once uncompressed, the audio is the same as the original. Typical compression levels are between 1.7:1 and 3:1.
Windows Media Audio Speech – This codec uses a higher compression rate than standard WMA and competes with other players such as Speex and ACELP. WMA voice is used for low bandwidth voice programs.
