Free online WEBM to WMV converter

Legacy Windows software, media players, and editing systems may accept WMV but reject WEBM, so browser recordings and downloaded web videos sometimes need conversion before they can be opened or edited. WMV can also suit delivery to older Windows hardware, although modern platforms usually support MP4 more broadly.

What the WEBM format is

WEBM is an open container designed mainly for web video. It commonly stores VP8 or VP9 video with Vorbis or Opus audio and is supported by browsers including Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.

Browser recording tools, web applications, OBS Studio, and some video editors can create WEBM files. They commonly appear after recording a browser tab, downloading web media, or exporting video for browser playback.

What the WMV format is

WMV usually refers to Microsoft’s Windows Media Video codecs, commonly stored in an ASF container with a .wmv filename extension. WMV works well with Windows Media Player and many older Windows applications, devices, and editing systems.

WMV is useful when compatibility with legacy Microsoft software matters more than open standards or modern browser support. It can produce smaller files than uncompressed video, but H.264 and H.265 generally provide better quality at the same bitrate.

How to convert a WEBM file

Using FFmpeg

FFmpeg is a free desktop converter for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Install it, open a terminal in the folder containing the source file, and run:

ffmpeg -i input.webm -c:v wmv2 -b:v 2M -c:a wmav2 -b:a 192k output.wmv

Replace input.webm and output.wmv with the required filenames. This command re-encodes the video as WMV2 and the audio as Windows Media Audio 2, using a 2 Mb/s video bitrate and a 192 kb/s audio bitrate. Increase -b:v 2M for better quality or reduce it to 1M for a smaller file; the suitable value depends on the source resolution and motion.

For a source without audio, use:

ffmpeg -i input.webm -c:v wmv2 -b:v 2M -an output.wmv

FFmpeg keeps the source dimensions and frame rate unless you specify replacements. To create a 1280-pixel-wide file while preserving the aspect ratio, add -vf scale=1280:-2 before the output filename.

Using 101convert

To convert without installing software, upload the file to 101convert.com, choose WMV as the output format, start the conversion, and download the resulting file. Do not upload confidential recordings or copyrighted material when you lack permission to use an online service.

Quality and compatibility limits

WEBM codecs such as VP8, VP9, and Opus differ from WMV2 and WMA codecs, so the conversion requires re-encoding rather than a lossless container change. Re-encoding can reduce detail and introduce audio or video artifacts; keep the original WEBM and use a sufficiently high bitrate when quality matters.

WMV output may not play correctly in every modern player, particularly on macOS, Linux, mobile devices, and browsers. If the destination accepts another format, H.264 video with AAC audio in an MP4 container is usually more widely compatible.

Files containing multiple audio tracks, subtitles, variable frame rates, or transparency may need extra FFmpeg options. FFmpeg’s default command generally selects one video stream and one audio stream; explicit stream mapping with options such as -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:0 is required when selecting particular tracks.