filetity

MP3 -> WAV · Local tool

MP3 to WAV

Convert an MP3 to uncompressed WAV, for editing software.

Last updated

How do I convert an MP3 to WAV?

Drop the MP3 onto filetity's converter and it is decoded to uncompressed 16 bit PCM and written into a WAV, all inside the browser tab with nothing uploaded. It is fast because there is no encoder on the output side: WAV stores the samples as they come out of the decoder. Two things worth knowing before you start, and the page states both. The file gets much bigger, roughly 10 MB per minute of stereo, so a four minute track is around 42 MB. And converting does not restore anything the MP3 threw away, because that loss is permanent; what you get is exactly what the MP3 plays, now stored without further loss, which is the form editing software and samplers want to work from.

  1. 01 / Your device

    the file stays here

  2. 02 / Browser memory

    the work runs locally

  3. 03 / Back to you

    saved on this device

When you would use this

Situations, not settings.

Importing into editing software that wants uncompressed audio
Convert once and edit from the WAV, so the compression happens at the export rather than on every save.
Loading a sample into hardware
Samplers, drum machines and a lot of embedded audio hardware read WAV and nothing else. This gives you 16 bit PCM at the source's own sample rate.
A tool or script that refuses MP3
Plenty of analysis and speech tooling only accepts PCM. The size jump is real, about 10 MB a minute, and the page shows it before you commit.

How it works / no cloud

A conversion engine, not an upload form.

The MP3 is decoded to raw samples by the decoder your browser already ships, and those samples are written into a WAV container with a 44 byte header. No encoder is involved on the way out, because WAV is uncompressed, which is why this conversion is fast and why nothing further is lost in it.

  • Offline ready
  • Installable app
  • No file limit queue

Straight answers

No accordion. Nothing hidden.

Is it free?
Yes, with no watermark and no page limit.
Does it need an account?
No. There is no account system.
Is my file processed on my device?
Yes. The file is read by your browser and never uploaded. There is no server to send it to.
What formats are supported?
MP3 in. WAV out, 16 bit PCM, at the source's own sample rate and channel count.
What are the limits?
WAV is uncompressed, so expect roughly 10 MB per minute of stereo audio. The size is shown before you convert, because a long album becomes a very large file.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes, on any modern mobile browser. Large files are limited by the memory the phone gives the browser.
Does it work offline?
Yes, once the page has loaded. The tool keeps working with no network connection.
Will this restore the quality the MP3 lost?
No, and nothing can. MP3 compression permanently discards parts of the signal, and decoding it to WAV recovers the file size but not the sound. What you get is exactly what the MP3 plays, stored without further loss, which is what editing software wants to work from.
How large will the WAV be?
About 10 MB per minute for stereo at 44.1 kHz, so a four minute track is roughly 42 MB and an hour long recording is around 600 MB. The estimate is shown before you press anything, because this is the one conversion on the site where the output is dramatically bigger than the input.
Why would I want a WAV at all?
Editing software and hardware samplers often want uncompressed audio, and every extra encode of an MP3 during an edit and export cycle loses a little more. Converting once to WAV and working from that means the compression happens only at the end.
What bit depth and sample rate do I get?
16 bit PCM at whatever sample rate the MP3 was, which is usually 44.1 kHz. That matches what an MP3 actually decodes to, so nothing is invented; writing 24 bit would add zeros rather than detail.
Can my phone open the result?
Yes, though a WAV is a poor choice for a phone. Every mobile player handles the format, but the files are ten times larger than the MP3 you started with and sound identical, so this conversion is for editing rather than for listening.

Keep working locally

3 available · more coming