Audio · .wav
What Is a WAV File?
A .wav file is an uncompressed audio format with full CD-quality sound.
- Extension
- .wav
- Full name
- Waveform Audio File Format
- Type
- Audio
- MIME type
- audio/wav
- Developed by
- Microsoft and IBM (1991)
Free WAV Tools
These run in your browser. Your WAV files are never uploaded.
About WAV Files
WAV stores audio, usually without any compression, exactly as it was recorded. That means perfect quality but large files: about 10 MB per minute of stereo CD-quality audio. Recording studios, voice recorders, sound effects libraries and audio editors use WAV because nothing is lost when it is edited and saved repeatedly. For listening or sharing, converting WAV to MP3 or AAC makes the file around ten times smaller. Mac users may see the similar AIFF format instead.
How to Open a WAV File
- Windows
- Double-click to play it in Media Player.
- Mac
- Open it in Music or QuickTime Player, or press the space bar in Finder.
- iPhone & Android
- The Files app or your file manager plays WAV files.
- Any device
- Drag it into a browser tab or open it in VLC.
WAV File Questions
Why are WAV files so large?
They are usually uncompressed. One minute of stereo audio at 44.1 kHz and 16 bits takes about 10 MB.
Is WAV better than MP3?
WAV is lossless, so it's better for editing and archiving. For listening, a 256 or 320 kbps MP3 sounds the same to most people at a tenth of the size.