MP3 to WAV converter
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.mp3
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Decode MP3s into uncompressed WAV files for editors, samplers and apps that need PCM.
Some software only takes WAV: older video editors, DJ and sampler software, game engines, phone systems and on-hold music, CD burning tools, and audio exercises that require uncompressed files. This page decodes your MP3s and writes standard PCM WAV files at the original sample rate, 16-bit by default or 24-bit if your project uses it. You can also make them mono and trim them. Every conversion runs in your browser; the audio isn’t uploaded.
How to convert MP3 to WAV
- Add the MP3 files.
- Choose 16-bit (CD standard, what most apps expect) or 24-bit for audio projects; pick Mono for phone systems or voice prompts; set start and end times to cut a part.
- Convert and download the WAV files, or a ZIP.
What happens to quality, size and metadata
Converting MP3 to WAV can’t restore what MP3 compression removed: the WAV sounds exactly like the MP3, it just stores every sample uncompressed. That is the point when software needs PCM, and it also stops any further loss while you edit. Expect large files: about 10 MB per minute at 44.1 kHz 16-bit stereo, roughly ten times the MP3. 24-bit adds 50% more size and no audible benefit for MP3 sources, but avoids rounding in a 24-bit project. The sample rate stays as in the MP3. A WAV file can’t exceed 4 GB (about 6.7 hours of 16-bit stereo at 44.1 kHz); longer audio must be trimmed. ID3 tags are not copied.
- Test files
- 3
- Average input
- 289 KB
- Average output
- 2.1 MB
- Size change
- 7.35× larger
- Time per file
- 126 ms
MP3 vs WAV
| Full name | MP3 | WAV |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | MPEG-1 Audio Layer III | Waveform Audio File Format |
| Introduced | 1993 | 1991 |
| Defined by | MPEG · ISO/IEC 11172-3 | Microsoft & IBM · RIFF WAVE |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless |
| Chrome / Edge | Yes | Yes |
| Safari | Yes | Yes |
| Firefox | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone / iPad | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Typical use | Music, podcasts, voice recordings and any audio that has to play on every device. | Recording, editing and mastering audio, sound effects, and apps that need uncompressed sound. |
MP3 MP3 is the lossy audio format standardised by MPEG in ISO/IEC 11172-3 (1993). Its patents have expired, and practically every player, car stereo, phone and editing app plays it. At 192 kbps most listeners cannot tell it from the original on typical speakers or headphones.
WAV WAV is the RIFF audio format Microsoft and IBM introduced in 1991. It almost always stores uncompressed PCM samples, so nothing is lost, but one minute of CD-quality stereo takes about 10 MB. A single WAV file can’t be larger than 4 GB.
Sources for this table
- www.iso.org/standard/22412.html
- www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3003
- caniuse.com/mp3
- developer.android.com/media/platform/supported-formats
- learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/xaudio2/resource-interchange-file-format--riff-
- www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc2361
- www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000001.shtml
- caniuse.com/wav
Browser support data: caniuse.com, CC BY 4.0.
Without this site
Mac: in the Music app choose Music › Settings › Files › Import Settings, select “WAV Encoder”, then select the song and use File › Convert › Create WAV Version. Windows: Audacity (free) opens MP3 and saves WAV through File › Export Audio. iPhone and Android have no built-in MP3 to WAV conversion; GarageBand on iPhone can import an MP3 and share a project as WAV, but that takes several steps.
Troubleshooting
- The WAV doesn’t sound better. It can’t; it is a lossless copy of the decoded MP3. Use the original recording if you need higher quality.
- Phone system rejects the file. Many telephone systems want 8 kHz mono, 16-bit. Choose Mono here, then check the system’s exact sample-rate requirement.
- A tiny silence at the start. MP3 encoders add a few milliseconds of padding; we remove it when the MP3 records its length (LAME and most encoders do).
- “Too long for one WAV file”. WAV stops at 4 GB. Trim the audio or split it.
Questions and answers
How do I convert MP3 to WAV for free?
Add the MP3 here, keep 16-bit and press Convert. You get a standard PCM WAV at the same sample rate as the MP3, which opens in every audio and video editor. There is no account, no watermark and no limit on the number of files.
Does converting MP3 to WAV improve quality?
No. The WAV contains exactly the sound of the MP3, decoded. What it changes is the format: uncompressed PCM that any software can read, and that won’t lose more quality when you edit and save it again. The original studio quality can’t be recovered from an MP3.
Should I choose 16-bit or 24-bit WAV?
16-bit is the CD standard and what most apps, burners and devices expect. Choose 24-bit only when your project or the receiving studio asks for it; an MP3 source has no extra detail to fill the bits, but matching the project format avoids conversion later.
Why is the WAV file so much bigger than the MP3?
WAV stores every sample uncompressed: 44,100 samples per second, two channels, two bytes each, which is about 10 MB per minute. A 192 kbps MP3 needs 1.44 MB for the same minute. Choosing Mono halves the WAV size, and trimming silence at the start and end saves more. Many apps that need WAV accept 16-bit mono for voice.