Convert HEVC to WMA — Free Online Tool
Convert HEVC/H.265 video files to WMA audio by extracting and transcoding the audio stream using the wmav2 codec. This tool strips the video entirely and delivers a Windows Media Audio file — ideal for pulling audio from high-efficiency H.265 video content for use in Microsoft-ecosystem apps and players.
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FFmpeg Command
Copy this command to run the same conversion locally with FFmpeg on your desktop. Download FFmpeg
Drop your HEVC file here
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Note: Browser-based encoding uses approximate quality targets. For precise CRF compression, copy the FFmpeg command above and run it on your desktop.
Estimated output:
Conversion Complete!
DownloadHow It Works
HEVC (.hevc) files contain a raw H.265 video stream, which may or may not carry an audio track. During this conversion, FFmpeg discards the video stream entirely and extracts whatever audio is present, then transcodes it into WMA format using the wmav2 codec at 128k bitrate. Because WMA is a container and codec format developed by Microsoft with no video component, the output is a pure audio file. The wmav2 codec applies lossy compression, so the audio is re-encoded rather than copied — meaning there is a generation loss compared to the original, though at 128k it is generally transparent for most listening purposes.
What Each Flag Does
| Flag | What it does |
|---|---|
ffmpeg
|
Invokes the FFmpeg tool, which in this browser-based tool runs via FFmpeg.wasm compiled to WebAssembly — no server is involved and your HEVC file never leaves your device. |
-i input.hevc
|
Specifies the input file — a raw HEVC/H.265 elementary stream. FFmpeg will probe this file for any available audio streams to extract and transcode into WMA. |
-c:a wmav2
|
Sets the audio codec to wmav2 (Windows Media Audio Version 2), the encoder that produces the WMA output. wmav2 is the standard modern WMA codec, offering better compression efficiency than the older wmav1 at equivalent bitrates. |
-b:a 128k
|
Sets the audio bitrate to 128 kilobits per second, which is the default quality level for this conversion. This is a reasonable balance between file size and audio fidelity for WMA — increase to 192k or 320k for higher quality, or reduce to 64k for voice-only content. |
output.wma
|
Defines the output filename and tells FFmpeg to write a WMA container. The .wma extension signals FFmpeg to use the ASF (Advanced Systems Format) container that WMA files are built on, which is required for Windows Media Player and compatible devices to recognize the file correctly. |
Common Use Cases
- Extracting a narration or commentary track from an H.265 screen recording to share as a standalone WMA audio file in a Windows corporate environment
- Pulling background music or ambient audio from an HEVC-encoded drone footage clip for use in a Windows Media Player playlist
- Converting audio from HEVC surveillance or security camera footage into WMA for archival in Microsoft-based document management systems that expect WMA attachments
- Stripping the audio from an H.265 video interview or lecture capture to create a lightweight WMA file for distribution via older Windows-based intranet portals
- Preparing audio content from HEVC source files for digital distribution on platforms that specifically require WMA format, such as certain legacy Microsoft Zune or Windows Phone media libraries
Frequently Asked Questions
Raw .hevc files are primarily a video-only container for the H.265 bitstream, and audio presence depends entirely on how the file was muxed. If your HEVC file does contain an audio track, FFmpeg will extract and transcode it to wmav2. However, WMA does not support multiple audio tracks, so only the first (default) audio stream will be included in the output. If your file has no audio track, the conversion will produce an empty or invalid WMA file.
Yes — this conversion involves lossy transcoding. The audio is decoded from its original format and then re-encoded using the wmav2 codec at 128k bitrate. If the source audio was already lossy (e.g., AAC or AC3), this represents a second generation of lossy compression, which can introduce subtle artifacts. The default 128k bitrate is adequate for speech and general listening, but if you need higher fidelity you can increase it to 192k or 320k using the -b:a flag.
Replace the value after -b:a in the command. For example, to encode at 192k, use: ffmpeg -i input.hevc -c:a wmav2 -b:a 192k output.wma. Available options range from 64k for low-bandwidth use up to 320k for near-CD-quality WMA output. Higher bitrates produce larger files but better audio fidelity, while 64k is suitable for voice-only content like narration.
Yes — wmav1 is the older Windows Media Audio codec and is supported on legacy devices like original Xbox, early Windows CE hardware, and first-generation Portable Media Centers. To use it, change the codec flag: ffmpeg -i input.hevc -c:a wmav1 -b:a 128k output.wma. That said, wmav2 offers better quality at the same bitrate and is supported on virtually all devices that support wmav1, so it is the better default for most use cases.
It depends on the source. Raw .hevc files typically carry very little metadata. FFmpeg will attempt to map any existing metadata tags to the WMA container, which supports standard fields like title, artist, album, and year. However, if the HEVC source has no embedded tags, the WMA file will also be untagged. You can manually inject metadata by adding flags like -metadata title='My Title' to the FFmpeg command.
Yes, you can adapt the command for batch processing in a shell script. On Linux or macOS, use: for f in *.hevc; do ffmpeg -i "$f" -c:a wmav2 -b:a 128k "${f%.hevc}.wma"; done. On Windows Command Prompt, use: for %f in (*.hevc) do ffmpeg -i "%f" -c:a wmav2 -b:a 128k "%~nf.wma". The browser-based tool on this page processes one file at a time, so the FFmpeg command is especially useful for bulk jobs.
Technical Notes
The raw .hevc container is essentially a bare H.265 elementary stream with minimal container overhead — it is distinct from .mp4 or .mkv files that happen to contain H.265 video. Because of this, audio track support in .hevc files is uncommon and non-standard; most HEVC files with audio are wrapped in MKV or MP4. FFmpeg's wmav2 encoder produces WMA Version 2 output, which is widely supported across Windows XP and later, Windows Media Player, and many hardware media players sold in the 2000s and 2010s. The WMA format supports DRM (Digital Rights Management) in principle, but FFmpeg does not apply DRM — the output will be a standard unprotected WMA file. WMA does not support surround sound beyond stereo in the wmav2 profile, so multichannel audio from the source will be downmixed. The -x265-params log-level=error flag in the FFmpeg build suppresses verbose H.265 decoder output but does not affect output quality.