If you are looking for lossless audio file for video or radio show, you can convert MP3 audio file to WAV audio file. The conversion is possible on any Windows or Mac computer using Audacity or iTunes which are both free programs. You can also use a free online converter if you do not have access to these programs.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: With Audacity
Step 1. Open Audacity
Click or double-click on the Audacity app icon that looks like a blue headphones on an orange sound wave. Audacity will display a blank window.
- If you don't have Audacity, you can download and install it for your Windows computer or Mac from this site
- If you're on a Mac, use iTunes instead.
Step 2. Click File
The File option is located in the upper left corner of the Audacity window (on a Windows computer) or in the upper left corner of the screen (on a Mac). Click on it to open a drop-down menu.
- On a Mac, you may need to click the menu instead Audacity at the top left of the screen.
Step 3. Select Open
This option is in the drop-down menu and opens a window to select music.
Step 4. Choose a song
Click on the MP3 song you want to convert to WAV format.
You may need to select your music folder in the left sidebar of the window first or double-click on a folder in the main part of the window
Step 5. Click Open
The audio file will be imported into Audacity and the process may take a few minutes.
Once the audio file is open, you will see a blue sound wave in the middle of the Audacity window
Step 6. Click File again
This will display the drop-down menu again.
Step 7. Select Export
This option is in the middle of the drop-down menu and opens a context menu.
If you have an Export Audio option in the File menu, click on it and then skip the next step
Step 8. Choose Export to WAV
This option is found in the context menu.
Step 9. Select a save location
On the left of the window, click on the folder where you want to save the WAV version of your file.
- If you are using a Mac, expand the Where field and click on the folder where you want to save the file.
- If you have selected Export audio, you will also need to click on Save as type (on a Windows computer) or File type (on a Mac) and then select the WAV option (16-bit or 32-bit, as you like).
Step 10. Click Save
This button is located at the bottom right of the window.
Step 11. Select OK at the command prompt
The audio file will be saved in the desired WAV format in the specified folder.
Method 2 of 3: Using iTunes
Step 1. Open iTunes
Click or double-click the iTunes icon, which looks like a white icon with a multicolored musical note. The iTunes window will open.
Step 2. Make sure iTunes is up to date
Some older versions of iTunes do not allow converting MP3 files to WAV files, but recent versions do. iTunes should automatically check for updates on startup, but you can search manually by clicking Aid then on Check for updates.
- If prompted to download an update, click Download iTunes then follow the instructions. You may need to restart your computer before you can continue.
Step 3. Enable WAV encoding
By default, iTunes does not convert files to WAV format on demand. You can change this by doing the following:
- click on Editing (on Windows) or on itunes (on Mac) at the top left;
- select Preferences … in the drop-down menu then go to the tab General if it is not open;
- choose Import settings;
- expand the box Import with then select WAV encoder;
- click on OK at the bottom of the Import Settings window then on OK at the bottom of the preferences window.
Step 4. Click Songs
This tab is located under the Library heading at the top left of the iTunes window. Click on it to view your songs on iTunes.
Step 5. Select the songs to convert
Click on a song to select it. You can also long press Ctrl (on a Windows computer) or Command (on a Mac) and then click each of the songs to select them independently.
To select a block of songs, click on a song at the top of the list to select it, press the ⇧ Shift key and then click on the song at the bottom of the list. This will select the entire list
Step 6. Go to the File menu
This menu is located at the top left of the iTunes window (on Windows) or at the top left of your Mac screen (on Mac). Click on it to open a drop-down menu.
Step 7. Select Convert
This option is at the bottom of the drop-down menu. It opens a context menu with different conversion options.
Step 8. Choose Create WAV Version
The Create WAV version option is in the context menu and allows you to create WAV copies of the selected songs.
- Once the WAV copies are created, you will be able to delete the original songs from your library.
- To go to the location of a converted WAV file, right click on the WAV version of the song and select View in File Explorer (on Windows) or Show in Finder (on Mac).
Method 3 of 3: Use OnlineConvert
Step 1. Go to OnlineConvert
Open this page in your computer's web browser.
Step 2. Click Choose Files
It's the gray button at the top of the page. Click on it to open File Explorer (on a Windows computer) or Finder (on a Mac).
Step 3. Select your MP3 file
Go to the location of the MP3 file you want to convert and click on it.
Step 4. Choose Open
This option is located at the bottom right of the window and allows you to upload your MP3 file to OnlineConvert.
- On a Mac, you will need to click on To choose.
Step 5. Scroll down to the Start conversion option
You will find this gray button at the bottom of the page. OnlineConvert will convert your MP3 file to a WAV file.
Step 6. Click Download
It's the light green button next to the name of the converted WAV file. Click on it to download the file to your computer.
- Depending on your browser settings, you may need to confirm the download or select a save location before you can download the file.
- The download of the file may start automatically after the conversion is complete.
Advice
- In addition to OnlineConvert, there are many online audio file converters that you can use to convert a song to WAV if you don't want to download iTunes or Audacity. You will find many examples of this by typing in a search engine "convert mp3 to wav for free online".
- Although commonly associated with Windows, WAV files are compatible with audio and video players on most platforms.
