Browse Tools Top 100
AVI WMV
File conversion

Convert AVI to WMV

Convert now
Verified by Adam B.· reviewed by FE Editorial ·updated Sep 9, 2026
QUICK ANSWER
Is it possible to convert AVI to WMV?
Yes - AVI converts to WMV.

You can do it right here with our free converter - no sign-up, and your file is deleted right after.

Upload your AVI to the free converter above and download the finished .wmv - it is the quickest route. Keep in mind that every AVI-to-WMV conversion re-encodes the video and audio, so some quality is always lost and cannot be recovered.

Also to WMV: WP3 · 3GPP · MPEG

On this page

Tested on macOS, Windows & Linux
Last verified Sep 2026

More free converters

HEIC, PNG, WEBP, MP3 and more - every tool here is free.

Open the toolbox
AVI → WMV converterFREE

Why convert AVI to WMV?

WMV was Microsoft's dominant video format through the early 2000s, and some older Windows software, corporate presentation systems, or legacy media devices require .WMV and reject AVI. Converting is also useful when a client or employer specifically requests WMV input. Outside those narrow cases, MP4 is a more practical conversion target.

How to convert AVI to WMV

VLC media player FREE

Go to Media > Convert / Save, add your AVI, create a WMV output profile, and click Start.

Freemake Video Converter FREE

Add your .avi, choose WMV as the output format, and click Convert.

Any Video Converter FREE FREE

Import the .avi, select WMV as the target format, and export.

Command line - FFmpeg CLI

Convert with ffmpeg -i input.avi -c:v wmv2 -c:a wmav2 output.wmv.

Programs that convert AVI

Miro Video Converter
Nero Multimedia Suite
Adobe Premiere Pro
Aimersoft DRM Media Converter for Windows
Any DVD Converter
Any Video Converter FREE
ConvertXtoDVD
DVD Ripper+Video Converter Ultimate

About these formats

.AVI Audio Video Interleave

An AVI file is a video container created by Microsoft in 1992. To open one, use VLC media player - it includes the DivX/Xvid codecs old AVIs need and works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android…

Open .AVI details →
.WMV Windows Media Video

A WMV file is a Windows Media Video file from Microsoft, introduced in 1999. On Windows it plays in the built-in Media Player with no setup. On Mac, Linux, Android or iOS, use the free VLC…

Open .WMV details →

Quality & what to watch

  • Re-encoding is always required - AVI and WMV use incompatible codec families, so every conversion introduces some quality loss.
  • WMV does not support multiple audio tracks or embedded subtitles; only the primary video and audio streams are carried over.
  • At the same bitrate, WMV produces similar or larger file sizes than MP4/H.264, so converting to WMV rarely saves space.

Frequently asked questions

Does converting AVI to WMV reduce quality?
Yes - both the video and audio are re-encoded, which always causes some quality loss. At a high bitrate the difference is small but cannot be undone.
Will the WMV file be smaller than the AVI?
Not necessarily. AVI files encoded with Xvid or DivX are already compressed, and WMV at the same bitrate produces a similar file size. For a smaller file with better quality, convert to MP4 instead.
Can I convert AVI to WMV on a Mac?
Yes - install FFmpeg via Homebrew (brew install ffmpeg) and run the same command as on Windows, or use VLC's Convert / Save feature.
Which WMV version should I use?
WMV9 (wmv3 in FFmpeg) compresses slightly better and is the default choice; use WMV8 (wmv2) only if targeting very old devices or players that do not support WMV9.