Windows Media Audio (WMA) files use a proprietary format developed by Microsoft and used by media players built into Windows, such as Windows Media Player. Many other better players don’t support WMA files, but it’s easy enough to convert them to something else.
Due to the proprietary nature of the WMA format, there is little reason not to convert them to a more widely used format such as MP3. Even if you are using Windows Media Player, it can still play MP3 files. And having your files in MP3 format means you have a lot more options to play them, including across different apps and platforms.
Convert WMA files to MP3 with VLC Player
VLC is a free and open source media player that opens almost any file format and has the ability to convert your audio files. It’s one of our favorites here at How-to Geek because not only is it free, it’s cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS) and highly functional.
After installing VLC, open it, click the «Media» menu, and then click the «Convert/Save» command.
Click the «Add» button to start uploading the files you want to convert.
Find and select the file or files you want to open, and then click the «Open» button.
Click «Convert/Save» to open the following window.
In the «Profile» drop-down list, select «MP3» and then click the «Browse» button to select the folder where you want to save the converted files.