Windows Media Audio (WMA) files are a commonly used file format on music download services. Since it was created by Microsoft, WMA is compatible with most Windows-based programs which makes it a sensible choice for storing music files on, whether you're storing it on your home computer or on an external hard drive.
Originally, Microsoft claimed that WMA files had the same quality as MP3 files while being half the size, but independent studies have disputed this. At the same time, WMA files are usually slightly higher quality than MP3 files, so why would you want to convert WMA to MP3?
There are three main reasons that you might want to convert your WMA music files over to MP3, which we’ll run through below. If you decide you want to convert your files after reading this, check out our best audio converter software guide to see the best software to use.
MP3 is more widely used
While WMA may well give higher quality music storage, the fact remains that MP3 is more widely used by a larger number of programs. Sure, WMA will still run on most Windows programs, but MP3 will work with a wider range of software or devices
WMA doesn’t work on all Mac programs
This is a continuation of the above point, but WMA compatibility is even more of an issue if you’re using a Mac device, like an Apple iMac or Macbook Pro.
MP3 works better on websites
Another case of MP3 files just playing nice with more things. If you’re uploading music to a website, MP3 is far more likely to work with people’s computers when they visit your website, which means you’ll avoid snubbing users who don’t have the right plug-ins installed to play WMA files.
If you are interested in converting WMA files to MP3, visit our best audio converter software guide to select the program that will help you make the transition.
