WAV file format: what it is and how to use it
WAV is uncompressed audio in a RIFF wrapper: every sample exactly as recorded, the working format of studios and the baseline everything compresses from. Learn when to use it and what to choose instead.
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What is a WAV file?
A .wav file is audio in the Waveform Audio Format, Microsoft and IBM's 1991 RIFF container holding raw PCM samples: a small header (format, sample rate, channels) then the audio itself, uncompressed and unprocessed. It is the working format of recording and editing: what DAWs capture, what tools exchange, and what every lossy encode was made from.
When should you use WAV?
- Recording and editing: the capture format of studios and DAWs.
- Lossless interchange: bit-exact audio between tools, no codec involved.
- Short sounds and assets: game SFX, UI sounds, anything played raw.
When is another format a better fit?
For storage and libraries FLAC halves the size with zero loss, the obvious upgrade for keeping audio. For delivery AAC or MP3; for long archives at scale, FLAC again. WAV is for working, not for keeping.
The short version: WAV is raw audio in a box. Work in it, then FLAC it for storage or MP3 it for sharing.
How to open a WAV file
On Windows
Double-click the file, or open it with Foobar2000.
On macOS
Any media player opens WAV files on macOS.
In your browser
Open WAV files right in a browser tab or with the dexrr viewer. No install, no upload.
Also opens in
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Any media player -
Audacity -
VLC -
Foobar2000
View or convert WAV files
A quick preview or a new format. No install, no upload.
WAV technical details
- Full name
- Waveform Audio File
- Extensions
- .wav .wave
- MIME type
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audio/wav, audio/vnd.wave, audio/x-wav - Magic bytes
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52 49 46 46 … 57 41 56 45 (RIFF…WAVE) - Compression
- None (uncompressed)
- Developer
- Microsoft & IBM
- Specification
- www-mmsp.ece.mcgill.ca
WAV questions, answered
How do I open a .wav file?
Everything plays WAV: OS players, DAWs, browsers. dexrr plays and converts wav files directly in your browser.
Can I convert WAV files online?
Yes, dexrr converts wav locally in your browser: WAV to MP3 for sharing, WAV to FLAC for storage or WAV to AAC for modern delivery.
Is WAV better than FLAC?
They hold identical quality, and FLAC compresses it to ~half with zero loss. For storage, FLAC wins; for scratch work, WAV is simpler.
Why is my WAV file so big?
It stores raw PCM: ~10 MB per stereo minute at CD quality. That is the price of uncompressed audio, and FLAC solves it losslessly.
Is the WAV format outdated?
No, it remains the working format of audio production, even if FLAC owns storage and AAC owns delivery.