MP3 to WAV
Convert MP3 to WAV when an editor, a CD burner or a piece of hardware wants uncompressed audio.
How the files you choose are handled is set out in the privacy policy.
How to convert MP3 to WAV
- Tap Choose an MP3 file and pick the file.
- To keep only a section, type its start and end under Part to save.
- Press Convert to WAV, listen to the result, then save or share it.
What converting MP3 to WAV does, and does not do
An MP3 is small because it leaves out parts of the sound that most listeners do not notice. Converting to WAV decodes what remains into plain, uncompressed samples. The WAV sounds identical to the MP3. It does not sound better, because what the MP3 left out is gone for good.
The file gets about five to ten times larger. That is the cost of being uncompressed, and for the uses below it is worth paying.
When a WAV is needed
- Editing. Cutting, fading, adding effects or mixing with other tracks. Work on a WAV so that each save does not compress the sound again.
- Burning an audio CD. CD players read uncompressed 16-bit sound at 44.1 kHz. Burning software wants WAV, or converts to it for you.
- Hardware. Samplers, drum machines, some DJ decks, phone systems, toys and announcement players read WAV only.
- Software that refuses MP3. Some game engines, scientific tools and speech systems accept WAV and nothing else.
- Precise timing. MP3 files carry a short silence at the start, which makes loops stutter. A WAV has no such padding.
The WAV you get
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Bit depth | 16-bit |
| Sample rate | The same as the MP3, most often 44.1 kHz |
| Channels | The same as the MP3 |
| A 4 minute song, stereo | About 40 MB |
The sample rate of the MP3 is kept, so nothing is resampled on the way.
Sizes compared
| MP3 quality | MP3, per minute | WAV, per minute |
|---|---|---|
| 128 kbps | 1 MB | 10 MB |
| 192 kbps | 1.4 MB | 10 MB |
| 320 kbps | 2.4 MB | 10 MB |
A WAV is the same size whatever the quality of the MP3 it came from, because it stores every sample in full. A low-quality MP3 makes a large WAV that still sounds like a low-quality MP3.
Keeping only a part
To take one section, such as a sample or a ringtone, type its start and end under Part to save. Times can include tenths of a second. Song title, artist and cover art are not carried into the WAV.
For other audio formats, the audio converter reads FLAC, OGG, M4A and more.
Questions
Does converting MP3 to WAV improve quality?
No. It sounds the same as the MP3. Detail removed when the MP3 was made cannot be restored.
Why is the WAV so much larger?
WAV stores every sample uncompressed, about 10 MB a minute in stereo.
Is the WAV suitable for burning to CD?
Yes if the MP3 is 44.1 kHz stereo, which most music is. The WAV keeps that rate at 16 bits.
Are the song title and artist kept?
No. Tags and cover art are not carried over.
Is there a size limit?
MP3 files up to 400 MB can be converted.
Related converters and guides
- Audio converterConvert audio files, or the sound of a video, to WAV or M4A.
- FLAC to WAVUnpack lossless FLAC audio into a WAV that any program opens.
- MP4 to WAVPull the sound out of an MP4 video as an uncompressed WAV.
- Video to audioSave the sound from a video as M4A or WAV. AAC sound is copied without re-encoding.