MP3 to WAV Converter
Convert MP3 to uncompressed WAV audio, with your choice of sample rate and bit depth.
🔒 Processed locally — nothing is uploadedMP3 audio files
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MP3 is everywhere, but plenty of software — older samplers, some digital audio workstations, certain video editors, broadcast and archival workflows — expects uncompressed WAV instead. This tool decodes an MP3 with your browser's own audio engine and writes it back out as a standard WAV file, with full control over the sample rate and bit depth of the result.
MP3 vs. WAV: compressed vs. raw audio
MP3 is a lossy format: its encoder analyzes the audio and permanently discards the parts of the signal it calculates the human ear is least likely to notice, which is how it shrinks a song down to roughly a tenth of its raw size. WAV, by contrast, is normally just a thin header wrapped around uncompressed PCM samples — the exact numbers the sound card would output, with nothing removed and nothing guessed at. That's why WAV is the standard interchange format for audio editing: there's no decoding step and no additional generation loss from opening, editing and re-saving it repeatedly.
Choosing a sample rate and bit depth
Sample rate is how many times per second the audio is measured; bit depth is how much precision each measurement gets. Most MP3s are 44,100 Hz (CD quality) or 48,000 Hz, so Keep original at 16-bit is the safe, space-efficient default for most uses. Pick 48,000 Hz if a video editor or DAW specifically expects that rate. Choosing a higher rate or bit depth than the source doesn't add real detail — the extra samples are interpolated from the existing ones, and the extra bits just store the same values more precisely, so the file gets bigger without sounding any better.
When you actually need WAV
- Audio editing software. Some older DAWs, samplers and hardware audio players can't import MP3 directly, or handle it less reliably than WAV.
- Video editing. Video editors commonly want an uncompressed audio track to avoid double-compressing (and further degrading) already-lossy audio during export.
- Broadcast and archival delivery specs. Radio stations, podcast networks and archives often require WAV specifically, sometimes at a mandated sample rate and bit depth.
- Avoiding repeated lossy re-encoding. If a file will be edited and re-exported multiple times, doing that work on a WAV avoids stacking MP3 compression artifacts on top of each other.
Frequently asked questions
What's the actual difference between MP3 and WAV?
MP3 is a lossy, compressed format — it throws away audio detail the ear is less likely to notice in order to shrink the file. WAV is (almost always) uncompressed PCM audio: every sample stored exactly, with no perceptual shortcuts, which is why WAV files are so much larger.
Will converting my MP3 to WAV make it sound better?
No. Whatever detail the original MP3 encoding discarded is gone for good — converting to WAV just stores the MP3's decoded audio losslessly from that point forward. It won't sound worse, but it can't recover quality that was already lost.
What sample rate and bit depth should I pick?
For most purposes, keep the original sample rate and use 16-bit — that already matches or exceeds what a typical MP3 can contain. Pick 44.1kHz/16-bit for CD-style compatibility, 48kHz for video editing, or a higher rate only if a specific piece of software or hardware requires it.
Why is the WAV file so much bigger than the MP3?
WAV stores raw, uncompressed audio, so file size depends only on duration, sample rate, bit depth and channel count — not on how simple or complex the sound is. A 3-minute song at 44.1kHz/16-bit stereo is roughly 30MB as WAV versus 3–5MB as MP3.
Does this tool upload my audio file anywhere?
No. Decoding, resampling and encoding all happen locally in your browser using the Web Audio API — the file never leaves your device.
Can this tool also convert WAV back to MP3?
Not this one — it converts MP3 to WAV only. Browsers can decode MP3 but don't include an MP3 encoder, so encoding back to MP3 would need a separate encoder bundled into the page — and it would be a second round of lossy compression. Use desktop software (such as Audacity) if you need an MP3.