There are many sub-formats of WMA, including WMA Pro, a lossy codec that supports high-resolution audio; WMA Lossless, a lossless codec that compresses audio without loss of quality, and WMA Voice, a lossy codec for applications that support voice playback.
The Windows Media Video file format was also developed by Microsoft, using the WMV extension.
Note : ASF is a video and audio container format also developed by Microsoft that typically contains WMA or WMV data.
How to open WMA . files
Windows Media Player is the best program used to open WMA files as it is included with most versions of Windows. However, you can play WMA files in other operating systems using third-party software such as VLC, MPC-HC, AllPlayer, MPlayer, and Winamp.
Note : If you want to play WMA files with Windows Media Player on your Mac, you must install Flip4Mac because v9 (the latest version of WMP released for Macs) doesn't support them.
TwistedWave Online Audio Editor provides a quick way to play WMA files in the browser if you don't have any of them installed on your computer. It works on any operating system.
If you need to play the file in a program or device (like an iPhone) that doesn't support the WMA format, you can simply convert the file to another supported format by using one of the WMA converters. .
Note : If you find that an application on your computer tries to open the file but it is the incorrect application or you want another installed program to open it, see How to change default applications. specified in Windows to make that change in Windows.
How to convert WMA . files
Various free file converters can be used to convert WMA files to other audio formats like MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A or M4R, etc. Some of them must be installed. installed on your computer before you can use them, while other tools can run entirely in a web browser.
Freemake Audio Converter is a program you must install in order to use it. Because it supports batch file conversion, Freemake Audio Converter can be used to easily save multiple WMA files to another format.
You may prefer an online WMA converter because they work through a web browser, meaning you don't have to download the program before you can use it. However, this means that you have to download the converted file back to your computer.
Zamzar is an example of an online WMA to MP3 converter, but it can also convert files to WAV and several other formats, just like a converter requires installation.
While most audio conversions involve converting the file to another audio format, it is also possible to "convert" a WMA file to text. This is useful if the file is made from a recording of someone talking. Software like Dragon can convert speech into text.
Other WMA file formats
There are 3 sub-formats in which WMA files can exist, in addition to Windows Media Audio:
Windows Media Audio Professional : This lossy codec is similar to WMA in that most of the same encoding features are included. However, it also supports entropy encoding and more efficient stereo encoding.
Windows Media Audio Lossless : This sub format is used to store WMA files, as it compresses audio data without any loss of quality. After decompression, the sound will be the same as the original. Typical compression levels fall between 1.7:1 and 3:1.
Windows Media Audio Voice : This codec uses higher compression than standard WMA and competes with other codecs like Speex and ACELP. WMA Voice is used for low bandwidth voice programs.
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