Convert your audio and video files to the universally compatible MP3 format using our fast and free online tool. You can convert from various formats like WAV, FLAC, M4A, AAC, OGG, WMA, AIFF, and many video formats directly to high-quality MP3. Our MP3 converter is 100% free, requires no registration or software installation, respects your privacy, and automatically deletes your files from our servers within about an hour. Our converter writes MP3 at 192 kbps CBR, with surround sources downmixed to stereo.
Converting your files to the MP3 format is incredibly simple with our converter:
MP3 is selected from the 'Convert to:' dropdown menu.MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is the most popular and widely supported lossy audio compression format in the world. Developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), it revolutionized digital music distribution by significantly reducing audio file sizes while maintaining reasonably good sound quality.
MP3 achieves its compression by removing parts of the audio signal that are less audible to the human ear, based on psychoacoustic models. This process is 'lossy' because data is permanently discarded, meaning the original quality cannot be perfectly restored from the compressed file. However, at higher bitrates (like 192 kbps or 320 kbps), the quality is often indistinguishable from the original for most listeners.
You almost certainly already have multiple ways to open MP3 files. They are supported by default by:
Essentially, any device or software capable of playing digital audio will support MP3.
| Full name | MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer III |
|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy |
| Developed by | Fraunhofer IIS / MPEG |
| Introduced | 1993 |
| File extension | .mp3 |
| Typically used for | Music libraries, podcasts, everyday listening |
| Plays on | Virtually every phone, computer, browser, car stereo and media player |
| Our output | LAME MP3, 192 kbps CBR, stereo |
Every MP3 is encoded with the LAME encoder at a constant 192 kbps (CBR). There is no bitrate picker, so all MP3 output uses this one setting. At 192 kbps most listeners can't tell the result apart from the source for music or speech, and a constant bitrate gives you a predictable file size and dependable seeking in older players.
At 192 kbps an MP3 takes about 1.44 MB per minute, no matter what format you started from. A 4-minute song comes out around 5.8 MB and a 30-minute podcast around 43 MB. Converting a 44.1 kHz stereo WAV file typically shrinks it to roughly one seventh of its original size.
A little, yes. Those formats are already lossy, so turning them into MP3 means decoding and encoding again, which adds a small amount of extra loss. At 192 kbps that loss is usually inaudible, but the MP3 can never sound better than the file you uploaded. Keep the original if you might need the best possible copy later.
Yes. Upload an MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, AVI, WMV, FLV, MPEG or 3GP file and choose MP3. The video track is discarded and only the audio is written. If the video has several audio tracks, the default one (usually the first or main track) is used. The upload limit is 50 MB per file.
MP3 output is mono or stereo, so 5.1 or other surround sources are downmixed to stereo. The sample rate is kept when it is 48 kHz or lower; higher rates such as 88.2 or 96 kHz are resampled to 48 kHz, since MP3 doesn't support them. Mono recordings stay mono.
Almost certainly. MP3 is the most widely supported audio format: phones, computers, web browsers, car stereos, smart TVs, game consoles, portable players and video editors all handle it. If you are not sure what device or app will open the file, MP3 is the safest choice.
Need detailed information or want to set a different default format? Visit our specific converter pages: