Video conversion
Convert WMV to MP4
Updated Jul 2026
WMV is a Windows video format that most Macs, phones, and web browsers can't open directly. MP4 is the format that plays natively on nearly all of them. To convert, open the file in a converter and export it as MP4. Doing that on your own computer means the video never has to be uploaded anywhere just to get it into a usable format.
- Extension
- .wmv
- Type
- Video
- Typically
- Windows video
- Compression
- Lossy
- Extension
- .mp4
- Type
- Video
- Typically
- The universal video format
- Compression
- Lossy
Convert WMV to MP4 on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert WMV to MP4
- Open Morphjet and drag in the WMV file you want to convert, or a whole folder of them at once.
- Choose MP4 as the output format.
- Convert. The MP4 is written next to your original, and nothing leaves your machine.
WMV vs MP4: what actually changes
| WMV | MP4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Plays on Mac, phones, and in browsers | No, built around Windows Media Player | Yes, opens natively across platforms |
| File size for similar quality | Larger, older compression | Smaller, more efficient compression |
| Quality | Lossy | Lossy, comparable at a smaller file size |
| Accepted by editing software | Limited, many current editors don't import it | Broad, the standard import format |
| Uploads to social media or web forms | Often rejected or converted automatically | Accepted directly |
| Keeps recording date and other metadata | Yes | Mostly, a few Windows-specific fields may not carry over |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert WMV to MP4 when you need to play an old Windows video on a Mac or phone, upload it somewhere, or bring it into video editing software that doesn't recognize WMV.
Keep the WMV original if it's your only copy and you don't need it anywhere else yet, since converting between two lossy formats adds a small extra generation of quality loss you can't undo.
Why not just use an online converter?
WMV files are often old home videos or screen recordings that people don't think twice about dropping into a free online converter. That means uploading the whole video to a server you don't control, waiting for it to process, and trusting a stranger to actually delete it afterward. Converting on your own computer keeps the footage on your machine the entire time, with nothing sent anywhere.
Questions
Does converting WMV to MP4 lose quality?
A little. Both formats are lossy, so re-encoding adds a small second round of compression on top of whatever the WMV already had. At normal viewing sizes it's hard to notice, but it's a real, one-way loss.
Why won't my WMV file open on my Mac or phone?
WMV was built around Windows Media Player and never gained much support outside Windows. MP4 is the format most phones, browsers, and editors expect by default, which is why converting fixes playback.
Will the audio stay in sync after converting?
Yes, a straightforward conversion keeps the video and audio tracks aligned as they were in the original. Sync problems usually come from editing the file afterward, not from the conversion itself.
Does the MP4 keep the original recording date?
Usually, yes, basic date and time metadata carries over. A few Windows-specific fields in the WMV don't have an equivalent slot in MP4, so a small amount of detail can be dropped.
Can I convert WMV to MP4 without uploading the file?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet converts the file locally on your computer, so the video never travels over the internet. It works the same with your wifi off.
Morphjet converts WMV, MP4, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.