by Tammy Clevenger

Created on: June 06, 2009

To convert WMA (Windows Media Audio) files to MP3 files for free is a very straightforward process. To convert any audio file type to another, a simple audio conversion program is used. Trial version software will come in handy for a quick audio conversion. NCH Software provides a trial version of their audio conversion utility, Switch. Other audio conversion utility programs are available as freeware or shareware on the internet. Shop around and choose one that suits you. To obtain a trial copy of NCH Software's Switch, download from the

NCH website.

NCH Switch

To use Switch, first download and install the software. Once installed, open the program. Click 'Add Files'. Navigate to the WMA file to convert. To assist filtering the music files, select the '.wma' file type from the File Type dropdown menu on the Add Files dialog box. Select the desired WMA file. Choose an output folder by clicking on the 'Browse' button and navigating to the desired folder.

Select the output file type. In this case, select '.mp3' from the dropdown menu in the lower left side of the window. Click the 'Convert' button. Once the file has finished the conversion process, click the 'Open Output Folder' button. Verify the new .mp3 file has been converted and saved.

Media-Convert

A second option for converting WMA files to MP3 files for free is to use an online audio conversion program. One popular online audio conversion program, Media-Convert, is offered for use free of charge. The only requirement is that you have internet access. Surprisingly, Media-Convert provides several file type options and is highly configurable.

To use Media-Convert to convert a WMA file to an MP3 file, open a browser and navigate to the Media-Convert application. The WMA file to be converted will be entered into the input box on the left side of the window. Click the Browse button and navigate to the source file. In the Input Format box on the right side of the window, the input file type should display automatically according to the source file type listed in the input box.

On the bottom left side of the window, select the Output file type as MP3. This is the file type for the newly converted file. Configure additional settings, if needed, in the Advanced Settings box under the file input boxes. Click OK on the bottom right side of the window, under the Input Format box. A progress bar will display while the file is being converted and saved. Once the new converted file has been saved, a success message will appear. Navigate to the new file and test in the appropriate audio player.

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