WMV to AVI Converter

How to Convert WMV to AVI Online

1. Upload Your WMV File: Drag and drop or click "Add Files" to select.wmv recordings — old Windows Media Encoder exports, camcorder uploads, PowerPoint video exports, screen recordings, or archived Windows Movie Maker projects. Batch is supported; drop in a folder and each file converts in parallel.
2. Pick Quality Preset or Bitrate Mode: Default is the "Very High (Recommended)" Quality Preset, which produces visually-lossless AVI output. Switch to Specific file size to cap output at an exact MB target, Constant Bitrate for predictable streaming sizes, Variable Bitrate for smaller files at the same quality, or Constant Quality to dial CRF (lower = higher quality, higher = smaller file) and Constraint Quality for a capped-VBR ceiling. Choose the AVI video codec separately — Xvid or DivX (MPEG-4 ASP, the classic AVI codec), H.264, MJPEG, MPEG-2, or Huffyuv for lossless.
3. Resize or Trim if Needed (Optional): Under Video resolution, keep original, pick a Preset Resolution (2160p / 1440p / 1080p / 720p / 480p / 360p / 240p), scale by Resolution Percentage, or enter custom Width × Height (aspect ratio is locked unless you choose Width × Height explicitly). Under Trim, pick Time Range and enter a start time and duration in seconds or HH:MM:SS.sss.
4. Convert and Download: Click Convert. 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. Download individually or as a ZIP.

Why Convert WMV to AVI?

WMV (Windows Media Video) is Microsoft's proprietary codec family introduced in 1999, with the modern WMV 9 / VC-1 variant standardized by SMPTE in 2006. AVI (Audio Video Interleave), released by Microsoft as part of Video for Windows on November 10, 1992, is a RIFF-based container that can hold dozens of codecs — Xvid, DivX, H.264, MJPEG, Huffyuv, and uncompressed video among them. WMV is tightly bound to its codec; AVI separates container from codec, so the same.avi file can carry anything from a tiny Xvid encode to a frame-accurate Huffyuv master. Common reasons to switch:

• Editing software compatibility — Avid Media Composer, older Adobe Premiere builds, Sony Vegas, and many DAWs accept AVI but stumble on WMV's proprietary muxing. AVI with Xvid or MJPEG drops into virtually every NLE without a re-import.
• Mac and Linux playback — macOS Sequoia has no native WMV decoder; QuickTime ignores.wmv entirely. VLC plays both, but for users who don't install third-party players, AVI with H.264 or Xvid plays in default Mac (with Perian or via codec packs) and Linux (Totem, MPV, mpv) far more readily than WMV.
• Lossless editing masters — Picking Huffyuv inside AVI produces a mathematically lossless intermediate suitable for color grading, motion graphics, or chroma keying. WMV has no equivalent lossless mode short of WMV 9 Lossless, which most software won't decode.
• Legacy device playback — DVD players, older PVRs, certain digital signage boxes, and some hardware media players from 2005-2015 accept Xvid-in-AVI but reject WMV. Converting preserves the ability to play archive footage on the hardware it was meant for.
• Stable archives — AVI's 32-year track record and open RIFF spec mean today's AVI files will still decode in 30 years with FFmpeg. WMV 9's bit-stream is frozen but tied to Microsoft's decoder lineage; long-term, AVI with a widely-implemented codec is the safer archival container.
• Avoiding DRM-encumbered playback — Some WMV files carry Windows Media DRM that refuses to play on systems without the original license. Re-encoding the visible video and audio streams to a fresh AVI strips the DRM wrapper (only legal for content you own).

WMV vs AVI at a Glance

AVI Codec Quick Guide

Bitrate Mode Quick Guide

If your AVI ends up larger than you wanted, follow up with Compress AVI. Going the other direction? See AVI to WMV. For modern sharing, WMV to MP4 is usually a better choice than AVI.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose quality converting WMV to AVI?

A re-encode is required — WMV's VC-1 / WMV 9 streams can't simply be copied into an AVI container without transcoding because AVI's RIFF index doesn't reliably handle B-frames, which VC-1 uses extensively. With Constant Quality set to a high level (or the default "Very High" preset) the output is visually indistinguishable from the source. Pick Huffyuv if you need a mathematically lossless intermediate; pick Xvid or H.264 for normal viewing copies where minor generation loss is acceptable.

Why won't my WMV play on Mac?

macOS shipped without a built-in WMV decoder for over a decade, and Apple removed Perian-style codec extensions years ago. QuickTime, Apple TV, and most macOS apps ignore.wmv files entirely. VLC and IINA work, but if you're sharing with someone who only has the default macOS tools, converting to AVI with H.264 or Xvid gives them a file that opens in QuickTime or any browser without extra software.

Should I pick Xvid, DivX, or H.264 inside the AVI?

Xvid and DivX are both MPEG-4 ASP encoders — virtually identical output, the choice comes down to which your target player has historically supported. Older DVD/Blu-ray players often list "DivX certified" specifically. H.264 produces ~30% smaller files at the same visual quality but isn't supported by every hardware AVI player from before 2010. For editing in Avid, Premiere, or DaVinci Resolve, MJPEG inside AVI is the most reliable because every NLE can decode it natively without GPU acceleration.

Can AVI files be larger than 4 GB?

Yes, but only with the OpenDML extension (sometimes called AVI 2.0), which lifts the original AVI 1.0 cap of roughly 2-4 GB. XConvert produces OpenDML-extended AVI files when output exceeds 4 GB, which all modern players (VLC, MPC-HC, PotPlayer, Windows Media Player on Windows 7+) handle correctly. Very old DVD players from before 2008 may still cap at 4 GB — for them, keep the file smaller or split it.

Does AVI support subtitles and multiple audio tracks?

Multiple audio tracks: yes, AVI's RIFF spec supports them, and FFmpeg-encoded AVI files with two audio streams play correctly in VLC and MPC-HC. Embedded subtitles: not reliably — AVI lacks a standardized subtitle track format. Stick with external.srt sidecar files, or use a container like MKV or MP4 if soft subtitles matter. XConvert outputs single-audio AVI by default; multi-track is available on request.

What's the difference between WMV and ASF?

WMV is a codec; ASF (Advanced Systems Format) is the container that wraps it. A .wmv file is technically an ASF container holding WMV-encoded video plus typically WMA-encoded audio. The two terms are used interchangeably for end users because Microsoft tied them together at launch, but they're distinct: an.asf file may hold non-WMV codecs, and WMV streams can in principle be muxed into other containers (rare in practice).

Can I trim or cut the video while converting?

Yes. Under Trim, select Time Range and enter a start time and duration. Both accept seconds (12.5) or HH:MM:SS.sss format (00:01:30.500). Trimming first skips unwanted footage and reduces total encoding time substantially on long source clips. For more control over multiple cut points see Video Cutter.

Is WMV still supported in Windows 11?

Yes. Windows 11 ships with native WMV playback through both the new Media Player app and the optional Windows Media Player Legacy feature. The format isn't going away on Windows — Microsoft still uses it internally for some system video — but Microsoft has shifted focus to H.264/H.265 in MP4 for new platforms. Converting WMV to AVI (or MP4) makes sense when you need cross-platform playback, not because WMV is being deprecated on Windows itself.

What's the file size limit?

XConvert handles large WMV files including multi-GB camcorder masters. Conversion happens on our servers, so the practical limit is your upload size and connection speed and your patience for the upload. There's no fixed per-file cap and no quantity limit on batch jobs. For very large 4K WMV archives, expect upload to be the slow step — the encode itself is fast on a modern CPU.