Convert MP3 to WAV
Decode an MP3 into an uncompressed 16-bit WAV for audio editors, CD burning, DAWs or hardware samplers. Free, no sign-up, MP3s up to 50 MB.
Decode an MP3 into an uncompressed 16-bit WAV for audio editors, CD burning, DAWs or hardware samplers. Free, no sign-up, MP3s up to 50 MB.
WAV holds plain PCM samples that need no decoding, so nearly every audio editor, sampler, broadcast system and CD burning program can read it. Some of those tools accept only WAV, and others simply load it faster or more predictably than a compressed file. Turning an MP3 into WAV gives you a version those programs and devices will take.
Your download will be a 16-bit little-endian PCM WAV. The sample rate matches the MP3, which is 44.1 kHz for most music, often 48 kHz for audio pulled from video, and sometimes lower for speech. Mono stays mono and stereo stays stereo. For 44.1 kHz stereo, the data rate works out to about 1,411 kbps.
When an MP3 was created, the encoder threw information away permanently. Decoding to WAV writes out exactly what an MP3 player would play, sample for sample. A 128 kbps MP3 converted to WAV still sounds like a 128 kbps MP3, so don't treat the result as a lossless master. The real benefit is avoiding further loss: if you edit the audio and save several times, working in WAV prevents stacking a new MP3 encode on top of every save.
| MP3 bitrate | MP3 per minute | WAV per minute (44.1 kHz stereo) | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| 128 kbps | 0.96 MB | about 10.1 MB | about 10x |
| 192 kbps | 1.44 MB | about 10.1 MB | about 7x |
| 320 kbps | 2.4 MB | about 10.1 MB | about 4x |
The 50 MB limit applies to the MP3 you upload, which is around 35 minutes at 192 kbps. The WAV you download isn't limited, though, and a 35-minute stereo file comes to roughly 350 MB. Make sure the device you're saving to has room, especially if it's a phone.
Business phone menus, intercoms and alarm panels often demand 8 kHz mono or u-law WAV. This converter keeps the MP3's sample rate and channels and always writes 16-bit PCM, with no option to change them, so its output may not meet those requirements.
The WAV is 16-bit. An MP3 never held 24-bit detail to begin with, so nothing meaningful is lost; if a device insists on 24-bit, it will have to convert.
If the audio you want is still inside an MP4 file, there's no need to make an MP3 first. Converting the video straight to WAV with MP4 to WAV avoids an unnecessary lossy step, since the converter discards the picture and keeps only the sound.
WAV has very limited support for metadata. Expect cover art to be missing and don't rely on artist or album information surviving.
MP3 encoders add padding at the start of the stream. FFmpeg removes it when the MP3 carries gapless information, but files without that data may keep a tiny silence, which can matter when you line up loops or sync to video. Heading the other way? Use WAV to MP3 or the WAV converter.
| MP3 | WAV | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer III | Waveform Audio File Format |
| Compression | Lossy | Uncompressed (PCM) |
| Developed by | Fraunhofer IIS / MPEG | Microsoft and IBM |
| Introduced | 1993 | 1991 |
| File extension | .mp3 | .wav |
| Typically used for | Music libraries, podcasts, everyday listening | Recording, editing, mastering, broadcast |
| Plays on | Virtually every phone, computer, browser, car stereo and media player | All desktop systems and audio editors; most phones and browsers |
| Our output | LAME MP3, 192 kbps CBR, stereo | 16-bit PCM, original sample rate and channels |
No. Detail removed when the MP3 was encoded can't be restored, so the WAV sounds exactly like the MP3. What you gain is an uncompressed file that editors, samplers and burning software accept, and a working copy that won't lose more quality each time you edit and save.
A 44.1 kHz stereo WAV takes about 10.1 MB per minute. That's roughly seven times the size of a 192 kbps MP3, ten times a 128 kbps MP3 and four times a 320 kbps MP3. A 35-minute MP3 at 192 kbps becomes a WAV of about 350 MB, so check you have enough storage.
Yes. Audio CDs use 16-bit, 44.1 kHz stereo, and our WAV output is 16-bit with the MP3's sample rate kept. Most music MP3s are 44.1 kHz, so the WAV already matches CD specs. If your MP3 is 48 kHz, your burning software will need to resample it.
No, there are no settings to choose. The WAV is always 16-bit PCM with the same sample rate and number of channels as your MP3. Systems that need a specific format, such as 8 kHz mono audio for phone menus, may require a separate tool to adjust the file afterward.
The limit is 50 MB per uploaded file rather than a set duration. That's about 35 minutes for a 192 kbps MP3 or about 20 minutes at 320 kbps. The WAV you download can be far larger than 50 MB. The MP3 is deleted after conversion and the WAV within about an hour.
Need detailed information or want to set a different default format? Visit our specific converter pages: