WAV

WAVe PCM Sound, standard Windows sound format

File type: Mobile ringtone file, Audio and sound file

Files with wav extension are audio files in the common PCM audio - Wave Form Audio format.

What is wav file?

File type category:
Mobile ringtone file
Audio and sound file

Date updated: July 13, 2025

File extension wav is traditionally used for one of the most common audio files - WAV.

Windows uses the Wave Form Audio (WAV) file format to store sounds as waveforms. One minute of Pulse Code Modulation (PCM)-encoded sound can occupy as little as 644 kilobytes (KB) or as much as 27 megabytes (MB) of storage.

This size of the storage space depends on the sampling frequency, the type of sound (mono or stereo), and the number of bits that are used for the sample.

Similar to the AVI and ASF format, WAV is only a file container. Audio content that is compressed with a wide variety of codecs and that is stored in a wav file can be played back in Windows Media Player if the appropriate codecs are installed on the computer.

The most common audio codecs that are used in wav files include Microsoft Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation (MS ADPCM) and uncompressed Pulse Code Modulation (PCM).

MIME types:
application/x-wav
audio/wav
audio/x-wav

How to open wav file?

WAV format is supported by all current media players.

How to convert wav file?

WAV format is supported by all modern audio converters.

Suggested software to open wav file:

Media Player

Microsoft Windows Media Player

Apple iTunes for Windows

Associated software actions with the wav file

Open

Software applications that can open wav files:

RipEditBurn (Microsoft Windows)

MediaMonkey (Microsoft Windows)

Awave Studio (Microsoft Windows)

Nero WaveEditor (Microsoft Windows)

WavePad (Microsoft Windows)

Apple Logic Pro (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Edit

Software applications that can edit wav files:

RipEditBurn (Microsoft Windows)

Awave Studio (Microsoft Windows)

Nero WaveEditor (Microsoft Windows)

WavePad (Microsoft Windows)

Apple Logic Pro (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Save

Software capable of saving wav files:

RipEditBurn (Microsoft Windows)

Awave Studio (Microsoft Windows)

Nero WaveEditor (Microsoft Windows)

Apple Logic Pro (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Play

Apps designed for playing wav files:

Media Player (Microsoft Windows)

Microsoft Windows Media Player (Microsoft Windows)

jetAudio (Microsoft Windows)

Winamp (Microsoft Windows)

Audacity (Microsoft Windows)

ALLPlayer (Microsoft Windows)

Apple iTunes for Windows (Microsoft Windows)

VLC media player (Microsoft Windows)

MediaMonkey (Microsoft Windows)

DJ Mix Pro (Microsoft Windows)

Helium Music Manager (Microsoft Windows)

WavPlayer (Microsoft Windows)

Windows Media Player for Mac OS X (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Apple iTunes for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Apple Logic Pro (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

VLC media player for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Audacity for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Elmedia Player (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

VLC media player for Linux (Linux/Unix)

Audacity for Linux (Linux/Unix)

UltraMixer (Multiplatform)

KORG AudioGate (Multiplatform)

VLC media player for Android (Google Android)

Music Player & MP3 Player (Google Android)

Create

Software apps that create wav files:

Apple Logic Pro (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Record

Software apps that record to wav files:

RipEditBurn (Microsoft Windows)

Apple MainStage (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Convert

Software apps that convert wav files:

Freemake Audio Converter (Microsoft Windows)

Switch Audio File Converter Software (Microsoft Windows)

TAudioConverter Audio Converter (Microsoft Windows)

SUPER (Microsoft Windows)

fre:ac (Microsoft Windows)

Aimersoft DRM Media Converter for Windows (Microsoft Windows)

FormatFactory (Microsoft Windows)

Any Audio Converter (Microsoft Windows)

Acez All Audio Converter (Microsoft Windows)

MediaMonkey (Microsoft Windows)

Icecream Media Converter (Microsoft Windows)

Helium Music Manager (Microsoft Windows)

ImTOO DPG Converter (Microsoft Windows)

dBpoweramp family suite (Microsoft Windows)

xrecode (Microsoft Windows)

Xilisoft iPod Rip (Microsoft Windows)

Xilisoft Video Converter (Microsoft Windows)

Wondershare Video Converter for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Xilisoft iPhone Ringtone Maker for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

All2MP3 for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Mobile Media Converter for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Translator Professional (Multiplatform)

Import

Software apps that import wav files:

AVS Audio Converter (Microsoft Windows)

RatHole (Microsoft Windows)

Microsoft Expression Encoder (Microsoft Windows)

iPad Video Converter Factory Pro (Microsoft Windows)

CrazyTalk (Microsoft Windows)

ReCycle (Microsoft Windows)

Power Karaoke (Microsoft Windows)

FMOD Ex Programmer's API (Microsoft Windows)

Nero Video (Nero Vision Express) (Microsoft Windows)

Nero Recode (Microsoft Windows)

X Lossless Decoder (XLD) (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Tiny Audio Converter (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

DaVinci Resolve (Multiplatform)

KORG AudioGate (Multiplatform)

Export

Software apps that export wav files:

Modem Spy (Microsoft Windows)

Audio Record Expert (Microsoft Windows)

Jam2Wav (Microsoft Windows)

ZVRConvertor (Microsoft Windows)

Audacity (Microsoft Windows)

MusiGenesis (Microsoft Windows)

XA2WAV (Microsoft Windows)

Nero Video (Nero Vision Express) (Microsoft Windows)

Nero Recode (Microsoft Windows)

Movavi Audio Converter (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

EasyWMA for Mac (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

X Lossless Decoder (XLD) (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

DM1 - The Drum Machine (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

Tiny Audio Converter (Apple macOS / Mac OS X)

KORG AudioGate (Multiplatform)

messages.fburn

messages.fburn_description:

MediaMonkey (Microsoft Windows)

Nero Multimedia Suite (Microsoft Windows)

Helium Music Manager (Microsoft Windows)

Other actions

Software applications that handle other tasks involving wav files:

Microsoft Expression Encoder (Microsoft Windows)

MediaMonkey (Microsoft Windows)