# WAV to MP3 converter: free, in your browser, no upload

> Convert WAV to MP3 in your browser. Recordings and exports from audio editors become MP3 at 128, 192 or 320 kbps, small enough to send. Nothing is uploaded.

URL: https://cutfac.com/tools/wav-to-mp3  
Last updated: 2026-10-28  
Language: [한국어](https://cutfac.com/ko/tools/wav-to-mp3)

Drop in a WAV from a recorder, microphone or audio editor and get an MP3 small enough to send, upload or put in a video. The file never leaves your browser.

Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

## How to use it

1. **Add the WAV.** Drop the file or choose it.
2. **Pick a bitrate.** The hint shows the MP3's size per minute at each bitrate.
3. **Convert and download.** Play the MP3 to check it, then download it.

## How much smaller it gets

WAV stores audio uncompressed: CD-quality stereo takes about 10 MB a minute, and 24-bit or 48 kHz recordings more. An MP3 at 192 kbps takes about 1.4 MB a minute, around a seventh, and in most listening the difference is hard to hear.

Keep the WAV as your master if you'll edit the audio again. Encode to MP3 last, once, for sharing.

## Choosing the bitrate

320 kbps is the highest MP3 allows and the closest to the WAV. 192 kbps suits most music. 128 kbps is plenty for speech, such as a voice-over or an interview.

## With ffmpeg

FFmpeg's guide recommends variable bitrate for MP3. -qscale:a 2 averages about 190 kbps; lower numbers give higher quality.

- ffmpeg -i take.wav -codec:a libmp3lame -qscale:a 2 take.mp3

## Sources

- [MDN: Web audio codec guide](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Media/Guides/Formats/Audio_codecs)
- [FFmpeg Wiki: MP3 encoding guide](https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/Encode/MP3)

## Questions

### Is my audio uploaded?

No. The WAV is read and the MP3 is written in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere.

### How big will the MP3 be?

About 1 MB a minute at 128 kbps, 1.4 MB at 192 kbps and 2.4 MB at 320 kbps, whatever the WAV's size.

### Which bitrate should I pick?

192 kbps for music, 128 kbps for speech, 320 kbps when the MP3 has to stand in for the WAV.

### Does it work with 24-bit or 32-bit float WAV?

Yes. The audio is decoded at its own sample rate and encoded to MP3, which doesn't keep bit depth.

### Can I convert a WAV back from the MP3 later?

You can, but the detail the MP3 dropped doesn't come back. Keep the original WAV if you'll need it.