Audio converter · Windows 10 and 11
Convert MP3 to WAV
Drop in one MP3 or a folder of hundreds and get WAV files that every audio editor, sampler and CD burner accepts. It all happens on your own computer, so there is no upload, no queue and no file-size limit.
How to convert MP3 to WAV
- 1
Open Convert sound files
Open Converters from Octoolo's home screen and pick Convert audio. The first time, Octoolo fetches FFmpeg, the engine it converts with (a one-time 77 MB download).
- 2
Add your MP3s
Drop MP3 files, or a whole folder, onto the window. Folders are searched three levels deep, up to 500 files at a time.
- 3
Choose WAV
Pick WAV. Leave the settings as they are for CD-quality files, or open More settings for the bit depth, sample rate and channels.
- 4
Convert
Each WAV is saved next to its MP3 under the same name, or in a folder you choose. Nothing is ever written over: a second copy becomes “song (2).wav”.
MP3 and WAV compared
| Detail | MP3 | WAV |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | MPEG-1 Audio Layer III | Waveform Audio File Format |
| Compression | Lossy: leaves out what the ear notices least | None: uncompressed PCM |
| Size | About 1 MB a minute at 128 kbps, 2.4 MB at 320 kbps | About 10 MB a minute at CD quality (44.1 kHz, 16-bit, stereo) |
| Best for | Playing and sharing music anywhere | Editing, mixing, samples, sound effects and burning CDs |
| Plays in | Every phone, player, car stereo and browser | Every audio editor and music app, Windows and Mac |
| Since | 1993, Fraunhofer and MPEG | 1991, Microsoft and IBM |
Why people turn MP3s into WAV files
MP3 is made for listening: small files that play anywhere. WAV is made for working with sound. Most of the time you convert because a program or device asks for WAV:
- Audio and video editors. Many work faster and cut more precisely on uncompressed audio, and some older ones import only WAV or AIFF.
- Samplers, DJ gear and game engines, which often load sound effects and loops as WAV.
- Burning an audio CD. CD audio is 44.1 kHz, 16-bit stereo PCM, exactly what Octoolo writes by default from a 44.1 kHz MP3.
- Phone systems, announcements and lab software that list WAV as the only format they take.
If you only want to listen, keep the MP3: the WAV will sound the same and take about ten times the space.
What converting can and cannot do
An MP3 is lossy: when it was made, the encoder threw away detail it judged you would not hear. Converting to WAV writes the sound out in full, sample by sample, but it cannot bring that detail back. The WAV is a perfect copy of the MP3 as it plays, not of the original recording.
That is also why there is nothing to gain from a “higher” setting than your source. A 44.1 kHz MP3 saved as a 96 kHz WAV is only bigger. Octoolo keeps the MP3's own sample rate and channels unless you choose otherwise, and writes 16-bit samples, which is what an MP3 decodes to without loss of anything audible.
Need the opposite, a small file to share? Use WAV to MP3.
Which WAV settings to choose
| For | Bit depth | Sample rate |
|---|---|---|
| Audio CDs, most music apps | 16-bit (as it is) | 44.1 kHz |
| Video projects | 16-bit or 24-bit | 48 kHz |
| More processing in a studio app | 32-bit float | As it is |
| Voice for phone systems | 16-bit, Mono | 16 kHz or as the system asks |
All of these are under More settings: bit depth (16-bit, 24-bit or 32-bit float), sample rate (48, 44.1, 32, 22.05 or 16 kHz) and channels (as it is, stereo or mono). WAV files bigger than 4 GB are written as RF64 on their own, so long recordings do not get cut off.
Octoolo or an online converter?
| Detail | Octoolo | A typical online tool |
|---|---|---|
| Your files | Stay on your computer | Usually uploaded to the site's server |
| Without internet | Works | Does not work |
| File size | No limit | Often capped on free use |
| Many files | Whole folders at once | Often a few at a time |
| Watermarks and ads | None | Common on free plans |
| Cost | $4.99 a month, all 17 apps | Free with limits, or a plan per site |
Questions, answered
Does converting MP3 to WAV improve the sound?
No. The WAV holds exactly what the MP3 plays, uncompressed. It is easier for editors and devices to handle, but detail the MP3 left out cannot come back.
How big will the WAV files be?
At CD quality (44.1 kHz, 16-bit, stereo) a WAV takes about 10 MB a minute, so a four-minute song becomes about 40 MB. A 128 kbps MP3 of the same song is about 4 MB.
Can I convert a whole music folder at once?
Yes. Drop the folder onto Convert sound files: Octoolo finds the sound files in it, up to 500 at a time and three folders deep, and converts several at once. Each WAV lands next to its MP3, or in one folder you pick.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. Octoolo converts on your own computer with FFmpeg. Your music never leaves it, which also means there is no size limit and no waiting for uploads.
Do the tags and cover art come along?
WAV has little room for tags, and players rarely read them from WAV. If you need the title, artist and cover kept, convert to FLAC instead: it is lossless too, about half the size of WAV, and Octoolo carries the cover art over.
MP3 to WAV, and 16 more apps.
Download for Windows7 days free, then from $3.99 a month for all 17 apps. Windows 10 and 11.