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Windows Media Audio (WMA) files use a proprietary format that was developed by Microsoft and is used by Windows embedded media players, such as Windows Media Player. Many other more powerful players do not support WMA files, but they are light enough to convert them into 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 use Windows Media Player, it can play MP3 files. And if you have your files in MP3 format, it means you have many more possibilities to play them, including different applications and platforms.
Understanding Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player is a Microsoft tool designed to play a wide variety of digital file types, including popular audio formats such as its own WMA format and MP3 files. However, it does not by itself convert music and other sound files from one format to another, although you may find extension software that can perform the conversions for you.
As the name implies, Windows Media Player comes with modern versions of Microsoft Windows. If you can’t find it on your computer, consult Microsoft’s documentation to find out where to find it, or activate it from your computer’s Start menu. If you are using a computer with Apple macOS, you can download a free program called Windows Media Components for QuickTime that plays Windows Media format files on your computer.
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How to Convert WMA files to MP3 in Windows Media Player
In what follows, I will guide you through each step of converting the WMA file to MP3 in Windows Media Player using Switch.
Step 1 You must first bring the WMA file from the CD to your computer. Insert the CD and open it in Windows Media Player, click Tools > Options and select the Rip Music tab. Then specify where you want to rip the music and select the MP3 format. Then click OK to continue.
Step 2 As mentioned earlier, you will need a third-party tool to convert a WMA file to MP3. Here we recommend Switch, a popular audio converter for Windows and Mac, which allows you to support Windows Media Player for conversion to MP3. Install it on your PC and run it.
Step 3 Click Add Folder in the Switch main interface and select the folder where you saved your extracted music in .wma format. Usually the default location is in the local My Music folder.
Step 4 Click the drop-down list next to Output Format and select MP3 as the destination format.
Step 5. Now select all the files you want to convert to MP3 from the list on the Switch interface. Click the Convert button to start converting WMA files to MP3.
Converting from WMA to MP3 with Third Party Tools
Although the format works well with Windows Media Player, it is not the best for other media players, many of which do not support the format. Therefore, users prefer to convert the WMA file format to MP3, which is supported by most third-party music players.
Another reason for converting the file type is that the WMA file format does not work with built-in music players for iOS, Android and Linux. Since many alternative media players can’t play WMA files either, converting the format to MP3 is very useful. If you want to listen to music on your Android or iOS phone, the conversion is required. Here are the 5 most convenient free WMA to MP3 converters for Windows 10 :
- Zamzar
- VSDC
- MediaHuman Audio Converter
- Switch
- Online Convert
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CCNA, Web Developer, PC Troubleshooter
I am a computer enthusiast and a practicing IT Professional. I have years of experience behind me in computer programming, hardware troubleshooting and repair. I specialise in Web Development and Database Design. I also have a CCNA certification for Network Design and Troubleshooting.