How to play a .WAV file online
Three steps, no player to install.
Choose your file
Drop your .WAV file on the box above, or click Choose file. Big files are fine.
It opens right away
Your .WAV file plays straight from your device, with its title, artist and cover art shown when they are inside.
Play, loop, capture
Use the waveform to jump around, loop a section, change the speed or save any frame as a PNG image.
What is a .WAV file?
Everything worth knowing about Waveform Audio File Format.
A WAV file is an uncompressed digital audio file introduced by Microsoft and IBM in 1991. Double-click one and it plays in Windows Media Player, macOS Music/QuickTime, or VLC on any system. The main concern is size, about 10 MB per minute at CD quality, so most people eventually convert WAV to MP3 or FLAC to save space.
Programs that open .WAV files
- Windows
- VLC media player, Audacity, Media Player (Windows 11)
- macOS
- VLC media player, Audacity, Music / QuickTime Player
- Linux
- VLC media player, Audacity
- Android
- VLC for Android
- iOS
- VLC for Mobile / Files app
| Full name | Waveform Audio File Format |
|---|---|
| Developer | Microsoft & IBM |
| First released | 1991 (Windows 3.1 / Multimedia PC) |
| Category | Audio & Video |
| MIME type | audio/wav |
| Signature | 52 49 46 46 ("RIFF" ... "WAVE") |
Related viewers
Other free tools to open and preview your files.
Is my .WAV file uploaded anywhere?
No. Your .WAV file is played for you. Waveforms, tags and snapshots are all computed on the fly,.
Why does a file show audio but no picture (or not play at all)?
A container like MP4, MOV or MKV can hold many codecs. If your browser lacks the codec inside (for example H.265 or AC-3 audio), the player tells you and offers the Media Converter, which can turn it into a format that plays everywhere.
Can I play AVI, WMV, FLV or MKV files?
Browsers don't play these old or exotic containers natively. Open them in the Media Converter: it inspects every track and converts the file to MP4, WEBM or MP3.
How do I loop part of a song for practice?
Press A at the start of the part, B at its end, and the section repeats. Combine it with a slower speed (0.5× or 0.75×) to learn tricky passages.
How do I save a still image from a video?
Pause on the frame you want and press the camera button (or S). The frame is saved as a full-resolution PNG image.
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