# Looking for a simple free WMA to MP3 converter **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 22, 2015, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-simple-free-wma-to-mp3-converter/720575 "2015-05-22T07:27:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bessdana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9de0a6/32.png) [@bessdana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bessdana)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-simple-free-wma-to-mp3-converter/720575/1 "2015-05-22T07:27:39Z")
Can anyone recommend a good, simple & free utility that can convert DRM protected WMA files to MP3? I have found a few, but they are all trial versions & will only convert the first few mins of a track. I am looking to just convert a few DRM WMA tracks into MP3 format so they can play on my Sansa player. Therefore, I don’t want to purchase the whole software in order to convert only about 6 tracks. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-simple-free-wma-to-mp3-converter/720575/2 "2015-05-22T12:23:51Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-simple-free-wma-to-mp3-converter/720575/3 "2015-05-22T12:28:20Z")
[VLC can do it.](http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/2719/how-to-convert-video-files-formats-to-mp3-with-vlc/) It can do most things. [Get VLC here.](http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-simple-free-wma-to-mp3-converter/720575/4 "2015-05-22T16:10:23Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > [VLC can do it.](http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/2719/how-to-convert-video-files-formats-to-mp3-with-vlc/) It can do most things. > > [Get VLC here.](http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html) Your first link is about converting video files, not audio files, which is what WMA is. (WMA is Microsoft’s audio encoding format, a “rival” to MP3.) I can’t tell from your second link whether VLC can break the DRM, which is the OP’s main problem. Sansa players should be able to play DRM-free WMA-format files. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-simple-free-wma-to-mp3-converter/720575/5 "2015-05-22T16:47:27Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Your first link is about converting video files, not audio files, which is what WMA is. It works the same way for all files. I thought that would be obvious. > [@](#): > > I can’t tell from your second link whether VLC can break the DRM, which is the OP’s main problem. DRM might be a concern. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-simple-free-wma-to-mp3-converter/720575/6 "2015-05-22T21:23:02Z")
Hope this isn’t against the rules, but for such few tracks it might be easiest to merely use the ‘analog hole’. IOW play and re-record the tracks at the same time with two different apps (one that plays DRM WMAs and another that records MP3s)… ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2015, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-simple-free-wma-to-mp3-converter/720575/8 "2015-05-25T08:31:40Z")
Reported