How much smaller will my file get?

Typically 8-12x smaller. A 100MB WAV becomes an MP3 of roughly 9-12MB at the high-quality VBR setting used here.

When should I keep WAV instead?

Keep WAV while you are still editing, layering or mastering audio — every MP3 encode loses a little information. Convert to MP3 only for the final copy you share or publish.

My WAV is 2GB — will it work?

Large files work, limited only by your browser memory. Very large sessions may take a few minutes; the progress bar keeps counting while FFmpeg works.

Does the MP3 keep stereo and the original sample rate?

Stereo is kept. Sample rates up to 48 kHz are kept as they are; a 96 kHz or 192 kHz recording is converted to a standard rate, because the MP3 format does not go higher. Surround channels are mixed down to stereo.

Will my podcast host accept the MP3 from here?

Yes. It is a standard MP3 that any podcast host, media player, phone or car stereo reads. Nothing about the encoding is unusual; variable bitrate has been supported everywhere for many years.

WAV to MP3 — Compress WAV Audio Free (No Upload)

Turn huge WAV files into small, universally playable MP3s — converted privately in your browser.

Convert to

Drop your audio here or click to choose

converted on your device — your recordings are never uploaded

WAV is what you get from anything serious about recording: an audio interface, a field recorder, an Audacity or GarageBand export, a courtroom or council meeting recorder, an old CD rip. Podcast hosts, learning platforms, WhatsApp, a web page's audio player, a car stereo's USB port and most email accounts either reject the file or struggle with it, and a single hour of WAV is around 600 MB. MP3 is the format every one of those accepts, and this page is set to produce it.

The encoder used here writes variable-bitrate MP3 at around 190 kbps, which is well above the point where speech becomes indistinguishable from the original and close to it for music. What is discarded is mostly the very highest frequencies, so a lecture, an interview or a demo loses nothing a listener will notice. A few format facts to know: MP3 is mono or stereo only, so a multichannel WAV is folded down; a 24-bit, 96 kHz session is brought to a standard sample rate, since MP3 stops at 48 kHz; and MP3 adds a few milliseconds of silence at the start, which matters only for gapless loops and sound effects. The conversion runs in your browser with FFmpeg, so a 600 MB file never has to be uploaded, and the time it takes depends on your computer rather than on a queue.

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Frequently asked questions

How much smaller will my file get?: Typically 8-12x smaller. A 100MB WAV becomes an MP3 of roughly 9-12MB at the high-quality VBR setting used here.
When should I keep WAV instead?: Keep WAV while you are still editing, layering or mastering audio — every MP3 encode loses a little information. Convert to MP3 only for the final copy you share or publish.
My WAV is 2GB — will it work?: Large files work, limited only by your browser memory. Very large sessions may take a few minutes; the progress bar keeps counting while FFmpeg works.
Does the MP3 keep stereo and the original sample rate?: Stereo is kept. Sample rates up to 48 kHz are kept as they are; a 96 kHz or 192 kHz recording is converted to a standard rate, because the MP3 format does not go higher. Surround channels are mixed down to stereo.
Will my podcast host accept the MP3 from here?: Yes. It is a standard MP3 that any podcast host, media player, phone or car stereo reads. Nothing about the encoding is unusual; variable bitrate has been supported everywhere for many years.

Related tools

🔒 Your files are processed on your device. This tool runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded.