What is WMV and why convert to it?

WMV (Windows Media Video) is a codec and container developed by Microsoft. It is natively supported by Windows Media Player and integrates well with older Windows applications. Converting to WMV is useful when the target system expects this format or when embedding video in Office documents.

Will I lose quality when converting MPEG to WMV?

Quality loss depends on the encoder settings. FFmpeg encodes WMV using the wmv2 codec by default. Use a lower -b:v bitrate for smaller files or a higher value (e.g. 2M) to preserve quality. There is no lossless WMV option, so some quality reduction is expected.

Does FFmpeg support WMV output?

Yes. FFmpeg includes the wmv1 and wmv2 encoders. Use -c:v wmv2 for WMV2 (more compatible) and -c:a wmav2 for the Windows Media Audio codec. Both are included in standard FFmpeg builds with no extra codecs needed.

Can I convert MPG to WMV on macOS or Linux?

Yes. FFmpeg is cross-platform and produces WMV files on any OS. The resulting .wmv file will play on Windows Media Player or VLC on any platform.

What bitrate should I use for WMV?

A video bitrate of 1500k–2000k produces good quality at 1080p. For 720p, 1000k is sufficient. Audio at 128k with wmav2 is standard. Use the command builder below to tailor the settings to your file.

Is there a way to batch convert MPEG files to WMV?

Yes, using a shell loop with FFmpeg. On macOS/Linux/Git Bash: for f in *.mpg; do ffmpeg -i "$f" -c:v wmv2 -b:v 1500k -c:a wmav2 "${f%.mpg}.wmv"; done. On Windows Command Prompt: for %f in (*.mpg) do ffmpeg -i "%f" -c:v wmv2 -b:v 1500k -c:a wmav2 "%~nf.wmv".

MPEG to WMV Converter

Name: MPEG to WMV Converter
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Use FFmpeg or VLC to convert any MPEG or MPG file to WMV for Windows Media Player compatibility.

Choose Your Conversion Tool

Both tools are free. FFmpeg gives you the most control via the command line; VLC offers a graphical interface.

Install FFmpeg

Windows: Download from ffmpeg.org/download.html, extract the archive, and add the bin/ folder to your PATH.
macOS: Run brew install ffmpeg in Terminal.
Linux: Run sudo apt install ffmpeg (Debian/Ubuntu) or sudo dnf install ffmpeg (Fedora).

Run the conversion command

Open a terminal (Command Prompt on Windows) in the folder containing your MPEG file and run one of these commands:

Standard WMV2 conversion

ffmpeg -i input.mpeg -c:v wmv2 -b:v 1500k -c:a wmav2 -b:a 128k output.wmv

Higher quality (2 Mbps video)

ffmpeg -i input.mpeg -c:v wmv2 -b:v 2000k -c:a wmav2 -b:a 192k output.wmv

Batch convert all .mpg files (macOS / Linux / Git Bash)

for f in *.mpg; do ffmpeg -i "$f" -c:v wmv2 -b:v 1500k -c:a wmav2 "${f%.mpg}.wmv"; done

Batch convert all .mpg files (Windows Command Prompt)

for %f in (*.mpg) do ffmpeg -i "%f" -c:v wmv2 -b:v 1500k -c:a wmav2 "%~nf.wmv"

Verify the output

Open output.wmv in Windows Media Player or VLC. If it plays correctly, the conversion is complete. Replace input.mpeg with your actual filename.

Video Bitrate Reference

800k

Small file
480p / web

1500k

Balanced
720p default

2000k

Higher quality
1080p

MPEG vs WMV — Format Comparison

Property	MPEG / MPG	WMV
Developer	ISO / IEC standards body	Microsoft
Container format	MPEG Program Stream (.mpg, .mpeg)	ASF (Advanced Systems Format) (.wmv)
Common codecs inside	MPEG-1, MPEG-2 video; MP2 audio	WMV2 / WMV3 video; WMA audio
Windows Media Player	Limited / requires codec pack	Native support, no extras needed
PowerPoint embedding	Not directly supported	Supported natively in Office
Cross-platform support	Broad (older standard)	Windows-primary; VLC on other platforms

FFmpeg Command Builder

Fill in the fields below to generate a ready-to-run FFmpeg command for your MPEG to WMV conversion.

Input filename

Output filename

Video codec

Video bitrate

Audio bitrate

Generated command

ffmpeg -i video.mpeg -c:v wmv2 -b:v 1500k -c:a wmav2 -b:a 128k video.wmv

Copied!

Summary

Use FFmpeg or VLC to convert any MPEG or MPG file to WMV for Windows Media Player compatibility.

How it works

Choose a free tool: FFmpeg (command-line) or VLC (graphical interface).
Install the tool on Windows, macOS, or Linux using the links provided.
Follow the step-by-step instructions for your chosen tool.
Run the conversion command or use the export dialog to produce a WMV file.
Open the output in Windows Media Player or any compatible player to verify.

Use cases

Convert old MPEG/MPG recordings to WMV for playback on Windows Media Player.
Prepare videos for Windows-only corporate environments that require WMV format.
Share video files with colleagues who use legacy Windows software expecting WMV.
Embed video content in PowerPoint presentations, which natively support WMV.
Reduce file size by re-encoding older MPEG-1/MPEG-2 video to the WMV codec.
Archive camcorder footage in WMV for long-term storage on Windows file servers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-06-11 · Reviewed by Nham Vu