Guide
WMV to MP4: Windows videos that play on a Mac
Drop a WMV file above and get an MP4 that opens on a Mac, an iPhone and in any browser. Nothing is uploaded.
In short
- This converter turns a WMV file into an MP4 with H.264 video and AAC sound.
- It suits old Movie Maker projects, PowerPoint exports and webinar recordings.
- WMV video is always re-encoded, because it cannot go into an MP4 as it is.
- Nothing is uploaded. Everything runs inside this browser tab.
WMV to MP4
Runs in your browser · files never leave this page
Drop a WMV file here
or
The engine reads the file first. An H.264 picture with AAC sound is copied into the MP4 with no re-encode. Anything else is written as H.264 + AAC.
Your file never leaves this page. The engine downloads once, the work happens in this tab, and there is no upload, no account and no storage. Close the tab and the file is gone unless you downloaded it.
More free tools: Video compressor · Video resizer · Video to MP4 · Video to MP3 · Video clipper · all tools
What is a WMV file?
WMV is Windows Media Video, Microsoft's own format from the Windows Media Player days.
- WMV files come from Windows Movie Maker, older PowerPoint exports and webinar tools.
- Inside a WMV you find WMV video with WMA sound, wrapped in an ASF file.
- Macs, iPhones and most social apps will not play a WMV without extra software.
What the converter does
It copies what an MP4 can hold as it is, and re-encodes only what it cannot.
- Copied: H.264 video and AAC sound go into the MP4 untouched. No quality loss.
- Re-encoded: any other video becomes H.264 at a high quality setting (CRF 23).
- Sound: any other sound becomes AAC at 160 kbps.
- Web ready: the MP4 is set up to start playing before it fully loads.
What happens to each part of your WMV file
The first video track and the first sound track are used. The rest is left out.
| Inside the file | What you get in the MP4 | How long |
|---|---|---|
| WMV video | Re-encoded once to H.264 | Minutes for a long file |
| WMA sound | Converted to AAC at 160 kbps | Seconds |
| .asf files | Accepted, handled the same way | - |
| Picture size and length | Kept the same | - |
Inside the file: WMV video
- What you get in the MP4
- Re-encoded once to H.264
- How long
- Minutes for a long file
Inside the file: WMA sound
- What you get in the MP4
- Converted to AAC at 160 kbps
- How long
- Seconds
Inside the file: .asf files
- What you get in the MP4
- Accepted, handled the same way
- How long
- -
Inside the file: Picture size and length
- What you get in the MP4
- Kept the same
- How long
- -
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
How to convert WMV to MP4
Four steps, all in this tab.
WMV to MP4 in four steps
Drop your WMV file
In the box at the top
The engine reads it
Which video and sound it holds
Copy or re-encode
Only what MP4 cannot hold is redone
Download the MP4
Saved to your device
Limits of a browser tool
Everything runs on your own device, so your device sets the limits.
- File size: up to 500 MB runs comfortably. Bigger files may run out of memory.
- Speed: the engine uses one processor core, so a long re-encode takes minutes.
- First run: the engine downloads once, about 32 MB. After that it starts fast.
- Phones: it works, but a laptop is faster and has more memory.
Questions people ask
- How do I play a WMV file on a Mac?
- Convert it to MP4. The MP4 opens in QuickTime, Photos and every browser on a Mac, with nothing to install.
- Is WMV to MP4 lossless?
- No. WMV video cannot go into an MP4 as it is, so it is re-encoded once at a high quality setting (CRF 23). The result looks like the source.
- Does it work on .asf files?
- Yes. ASF is the box WMV video lives in. The converter accepts .wmv and .asf files and handles both the same way.
- How long does WMV to MP4 take?
- Every frame is re-encoded on one core of your device. A short clip is quick; a long webinar recording can take a long time.
- Is my WMV file uploaded anywhere?
- No. The tool runs inside this browser tab, so your WMV file never leaves your device. Only the engine itself is downloaded, about 32 MB, once per visit.
Want a finished video with captions, not just a converted file? Cutroom edits your clip for you. Your first video is free.