Turn WMV files into AVI
Drop in a WMV and get an AVI back. AVI is an older Windows video file. Your file never leaves your computer.
How to convert WMV to AVI
- 1 Drop your WMV .wmv file onto the page, or click to browse for it.
- 2 Set the quality, or leave the default, which keeps the file small without anything showing.
- 3 Convert. The work happens on your own machine, so how long it takes depends on your computer and the file.
- 4 Download the AVI, or add more files and do the whole set in one go.
Why convert WMV to AVI
- Simple, well documented structure that almost every tool can read.
- Will hold almost anything, including uncompressed capture footage.
- Files inherited from the DivX and XviD era.
- WMV: quality for the file size is far behind anything modern.
WMV compared with AVI
How the two formats differ on the things that decide whether a conversion is worth making.
| Property | WMV | AVI |
|---|---|---|
| File extension | .wmv | .avi |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossy or lossless |
| Typical file size | Smaller | Depends on mode |
| Introduced | 1999 | 1992 |
Quality and what changes
AVI stores the same content under a different set of rules, so what matters here is compatibility rather than picture quality. Convert once from the best source you have rather than through a chain of intermediate files.
- WMV files can be read here but not created, so conversions run one way only.
- Files protected with DRM cannot be decoded and will fail rather than convert.
- One AVI limitation to keep in mind: no browser plays AVI, so web use always needs a conversion.
Questions about WMV to AVI
Can I open an AVI in a browser?
No. No mainstream browser renders AVI natively, so it will download rather than display. That is fine when the file is heading into desktop software or an archive, and a problem if it is going on a web page.
Is my WMV file uploaded anywhere?
No. The whole thing runs inside the browser tab you already have open. Your WMV is read straight from your own disk, converted on your machine and handed back as an AVI. Nothing is sent anywhere, nothing is stored and there is no account.
Is there a file size limit?
There is no server-side limit because no server sees the file. The real ceiling is your device memory, since the input and the output both have to fit in the tab. A few hundred megabytes is usually fine on a desktop machine and considerably less on a phone.
Can I convert several WMV files at once?
Yes. Add as many as you like and they are processed one after another, then offered as separate AVI downloads or as a single ZIP. Speed depends on your own processor rather than on a queue.
Does the converter work offline?
Yes, after the page has loaded once. The engine is cached by the browser, so you can disconnect, reload and keep converting. That falls out of doing the work locally rather than being a separate mode you switch on.