Browser edition: files stay on your device. Up to 100 MB total and 10 minutes. First use downloads a 32 MB engine. Some formats depend on codec support. Public-link downloading is not ready on this free deployment.
What is a WMV file?
Microsoft's Windows Media format, common in older PowerPoint presentations and Windows Movie Maker projects.
Pros
- Works in old versions of PowerPoint and Windows Media Player
Cons
- Poor support on Mac, iPhone and Android
- Outdated compression
How to open WMV files
VLC Media Player (free, Windows/macOS/Linux/Android/iOS) opens WMV files with almost any codec. If a specific app won't open it, convert it to MP4.
Is WMV lossy or lossless?
WMV is a container, not a codec — whether it is lossy depends on the streams inside (WMV video with WMA audio). In practice almost all WMV files use lossy compression.
When should you convert WMV?
Microsoft's Windows Media format, common in older PowerPoint presentations and Windows Movie Maker projects. If the app or device you need doesn't accept WMV, convert it to MP4 — the most widely supported alternative.
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WMV at a glance
- Full name
- Windows Media Video
- Developed by
- Microsoft
- Introduced
- 1999
- Contains
- WMV video with WMA audio
- MIME type
- video/x-ms-wmv
- Best for
- legacy Windows software and presentations