Unless you’re using WMA for a particular reason, it’s probably best to convert your WMA files into something a little more widely used-like MP3-especially if you’re not using Windows or want to share files with non-Windows users. VLC also supports pretty much every file format out there and is a highly capable player. It’s fast, open-source, free and you can use it on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.
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Instead, you’ll need to download a third-party app. If you’re using macOS or Linux, things aren’t that easy since those platforms don’t have built-in apps with WMA support. If for some reason that doesn’t work, you can right-click the file, point to the “Open With” menu, and then click “Windows Media Player” or whatever other supported app you prefer.
Double-click your WMA file, and it should open right up in Windows Media Player unless you have installed another program that’s set as the default for WMA files. Since WMA is a proprietary Microsoft format, you won’t be surprised that Windows can open them easily with built-in apps. If you plan to open your WMA files on anything but Windows, you’ll either have to download a third-party application or convert it into a different format. When compared to MP3 format, WMA maintains a higher level of quality at a lower bitrate, especially when comparing bitrates less than 64 kbps.īecause WMA is a proprietary format, very few programs support it compared to the widely used MP3. RELATED: What Lossless File Formats Are & Why You Shouldn't Convert Lossy to Lossless Since then, WMA has expanded from its initial lossy format into a wide range of sub-formats including low-bandwidth voice audio to lossless multi-channel surround sound. Initially created in 1999, Microsoft designed WMA to combat MP3 and Apple’s AAC compression methods.