MP4 to WMV Converter

MP4 vs WMV — Which Should You Convert To?

Most people reach this page because something on Windows wants a WMV file: an older copy of PowerPoint, Windows Movie Maker, or a locked-down PC that only ships with Windows Media Player. If that is you, convert to WMV. If your video has to play on iPhones, Macs, Android, or the web, stay on MP4 — WMV has no native support outside Windows. This converter uploads your MP4 over an encrypted connection, transcodes it on our servers, and deletes the file automatically after a few hours.

Side-by-side Comparison

When to Pick WMV

• A target machine only has Windows Media Player and cannot install codec packs (common on locked-down corporate or school PCs).
• You are embedding video in PowerPoint 2010 or 2013, where MP4 playback depends on which codecs are installed and WMV is the format Microsoft documented as safe.
• You are feeding an old Windows-only workflow — Windows Movie Maker, Windows Media Services, or a legacy app that rejects MP4.
• You want a single file that plays on a fresh Windows XP/Vista/early-7 install with zero extra software.

When to Pick MP4

• The video has to play on a Mac, iPhone, iPad, or Android device — WMV will not open there without extra apps.
• You are uploading to YouTube, Instagram, a website, or any modern player; MP4/H.264 is the universal baseline.
• You plan to edit the footage later in most cross-platform editors, which handle H.264 far better than WMV.
• You care about size at a given quality with modern codecs — H.265/HEVC in an MP4 can undercut a comparable WMV.

How to Convert MP4 to WMV

1. Upload Your MP4 File: Drag and drop your MP4 (or M4V) onto the page, or click "Add Files" to browse. Multiple files convert in one batch with the same settings.
2. Pick the Video Codec: Open Advanced Options and choose the Video Codec — WMV 2 (Windows Media Video 8) is the default and the most broadly compatible; WMV 1 exists for very old players. Audio defaults to WMA v2.
3. Set Compression or Resolution (Optional): Use File Compression to target a Specific file size or a bitrate, or change Video resolution with a preset or percentage. Leave the Preset on Very High to keep quality close to the source.
4. Convert and Download: Click Convert and download your WMV. No sign-up, no watermark.

Need to shrink the result further? Run it through the Video Compressor. Going the other way later? Use WMV to MP4.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose quality converting MP4 to WMV?

Any re-encode between two lossy formats discards some data, so a WMV made from an MP4 is never bit-for-bit identical to the source. In practice the loss is minor at the Very High preset because the WMV is given a generous bitrate. Avoid converting back and forth repeatedly — each round trip compounds the loss.

Is WMV smaller than MP4 for the same video?

Sometimes. Windows Media Video 9 was marketed with roughly twice the compression efficiency of MPEG-2, and at matched settings a WMV can be a bit smaller than an H.264 MP4. But a modern H.265/HEVC MP4 usually beats WMV on size at the same quality, so do not assume WMV is automatically the smaller file.

Why won't my WMV play on my Mac or iPhone?

WMV has no native support on macOS, iOS, or Android — only Windows plays it out of the box through Windows Media Player. Apple's old QuickTime plug-in for WMV is long discontinued. If the file needs to play on Apple or Android devices, keep it as MP4 instead of converting to WMV.

Does WMV work in PowerPoint?

Yes, and that is one of the main reasons to make a WMV. Older PowerPoint versions such as 2010 and 2013 can be unreliable with MP4 depending on the codecs installed on the playback machine, and Microsoft documents WMV as a supported video format. On a Windows PC, an embedded WMV is the safest bet for guaranteed playback.

What video and audio codecs does the WMV output use?

By default this tool encodes Windows Media Video 8 (the WMV2 codec) inside an ASF container, with Windows Media Audio v2 for sound — the combination old Windows players expect. You can switch the video codec to WMV 1 in Advanced Options for the broadest compatibility with very old software.

Is there a file size limit, and is it private?

Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours — no sign-up, no watermark, never shared or made public. The practical limit is how large a file you can upload over your connection, not your device. A finished WMV that is too big to email (Gmail caps attachments at 25 MB) can be shrunk with the Video Compressor or shared as a link.

How big will the converted WMV be?

It depends on length, resolution, and the bitrate you choose. In our testing, a 60-second 1080p clip converted from MP4 to WMV at the Very High preset landed in the low tens of megabytes — close to the source MP4 rather than dramatically smaller. To force a specific size, set a target under File Compression instead of relying on the preset.