OK People.

Windows Media player has option to save files as mp3 instead of WMA as stated by others under options.

Media Player also has an option to disable the DRM protection for files. Won't work on files already ripped, but anything saved after you disable it will not be DRM protected, so you can do what you want with them.

I installed the program called Switch by NCH software. This tool worked great for converting an album that I originally ripped as a WMA file into an MP3 file for use on my jukebox. You can rip the files to the existing directory or a new target directory.

I am trying to figure a way to point it at the entire directory that I have the WMA files in to mass convert them. Right now I am opening one album folder at a time and converting it a a single thread operation.

That is taking almost as long as re-ripping them.

There was an option that said copy original directory structure. I tried using that and pointing to the top directory that the music wma file were in, but that didn't work.

Does anyone here have experience with Switch and can you give me any advice on using switch to mass convert the wma's to mp3s.?

I have the following structure:

Main Music folder

Artist1 folder
AlbumA folder
AlbumB folder
AlbumC folder

Artist2 folder
AlbumD folder
AlbumE folder

Artist3 folder
AlbumF folder
AlbumG folder
AlbumH folder
AlbumI folder
AlbumJ folder

I'd like to point Switch at the Main Music folder and click convert and have switch run until all files were converted.

Thank you . and thanks google for getting me here .

Thank you

I've read through a lot of helpful stuff here, but did not read it all. But ... I think my question is slightly diff. I have downloaded WMP files to my laptop and now want to transfer them to my MP3 player ... and I feel like I'm going crazy. This is not a matter of ripping CD's, so I'm not at all sure how to proceed. Yes, I'm over 50 if that matters. lol. Please help! TIA

there is an alternative, much easier:

How to convert WMA to MP3
http://www.softe.net/eufony_help/convert-wma-mp3.php

Windows Media series includes formats like WMA (Windows Media Audio), WMV (Windows Media Video) and ASF (Advanced Systems Format).

What's the difference between the ASF, WMV and WMA?
ASF could contain audio only or both audio and video stream. It could be encoded by a variety of different codecs just like an AVI file.
WMV contains both audio and video compressed with the Windows Media Audio and Video codecs.
WMA contains audio compressed with one of the Windows Media Audio codecs.

If you have lots of music in WMA (Windows Media Audio) format (e.g. a ton of CDs that you've ripped with Windows Media Player, they are always saved as WMA) but your MP3 player works with MP3 only, or certain corrupted WMA files causes seeking problem, you will need to convert WMA files to MP3.

Eufony supports WMA files with sampling rates as below:
8000hz, 11025hz, 16000hz, 22025hz, 32000hz, 44100hz, 48000hz

Follow the steps below to convert WMA files to MP3. Please be aware Eufony cannot convert DRM protected WMA files.

Converting WMA to MP3 using Eufony WMA MP3 Converter
http://www.softe.net/audio_converter.php

After launch Eufony, In the folders pane, click on the folder contains WMA files you want to convert to MP3. WMA files should be highlighted in violet, if not, they could be probably be DRM protected ones.
In the file list pane, select one or more WMA files.
Right click on the selected WMA files to bring up the context menu and select Convert.
In the Audio Format Conversion window, select MP3 from the Output->Format list.
If you want to change the output quality, select the Custom radio button. (optional)
If you want to change the destination folder for MP3, click on the Browse icon button to change. (optional)
Click Convert to start converting.

I cant get music on to a PHLIPS mp3 player
so how can I do that. Send me an email pleas.

JOHN 2/10/2009.
5:00 A.M

Hey Dave Taylor, I'm a non-techie kinda gal, and I just wanted to say THANK YOU!! for this page. Really helped, and I didn't have to follow thirty five steps, pay for help, stand on my head, curse out loud, and then have my files converted.

Simple and fast...if only everything were like this....

I was searching for an app to do this and nearly tore my hair
out on the search most of the time switch does the trick for me
but i had 2 20mb wma files I wanted to put on my ipod

and none of the above worked for me
not even 2 minutes ago I found an app
and converted my my files at last

heres the link

theres a free trial but that was enough to do
the job for me as I only had 2 small files to convert

if all else fails give it a go
http://blog.bitcomet.com/post/103259/

good luck

Hello Dave,

I came across your website by accident and was really impressed by it. I thought maybe you could help me here.

Recently, when I search Limewire and mp3 rocket for mp3 files, the softwares show me a list of wma files that are protected. I cannot play the files in a normal player nor can I acquire a license through my Windows Media Player. Can you tell me of a software that unlocks these files and also why does Limewire display wma files instead of the normal mp3. This never used to happen before.

Thanks for your help.

Best regards

Pierre

My computer sorta crasahed recently and all of the MP3 files that had been saved as a CD are still on the computer but it does not recognize any of the CD's. Individual files are O.K. I have an MP3 Disc with all of the files on individual CD and I attempt to save the MP3 files on the CD but the computer will not accept them. How may I do that without going through the necessary MP3 conversion and filing. I have about 40 MP3 disc with some 225 to 275 tracks on each one.
Thanks,

it didnt work =[ it says the file is protected. how can i change that ??

OMG...just downloaded switch into my computer....
IT DOESN'T WORK!!!!!!!! WHY????????
When I tried convert my wma's from a cd in Switch it said I needed a program for windows...flip4mac....so I downloaded that...
They still just turn to X.....NO CONVERTION!!!!!!!!!!!!

PLEASE help...what do I do??? This is essential....it's all my music since I was...well my whole life's MUSIC!!! (I'm ONLY 24 hahahhaa)

PLEASE HELP!!!!!
Will I get an email as well with the answer??? =)=)=)=)
THANK YOU

Thanks! The switch works just fine for me!

Hi Dave,

I loved the way you explained it step by step........it made it fantastically easy.

Thanks, Bushra

help, how can i disable drm from my microsoft vista windows media player so i can rip my cds to my sony phones walkman. posted 27/10/09

How do i get to switch cause i guess without that i cant do this and my music still isnt getting onto my PSP

thank you very much :D

flat program= downloaded in few seconds.
worked first try
thanks!

A colleague asking how to convert from WMA to MP3 and this looks like a good one to work with Windows Media Player. So asking my colleague to try this :P

Thanks much!

I have purchased a preowned car which ahs a audio player in it. It plays the audio cds but not the MP3 songs. Is there any hardware which can convert this audio player in MP3 player as Audio CD stores only 8-10 songs whereas MP3 can have more than 100 songs and I have a buch of them. Please help

hey-
does this take up more space on my computer?
i converted some files to mp3, but the wma's are still there, so do i have double the music now?
i don't wanna overload this thing.

Hi Dave

I have audio files in the library of my Windows Media Player which, after a search, I can find nowhere else on my computer. I want to access and transfer these files using Switch, to Mp3, but cannot transfer them out of the WM Player so Switch can pick them up. Can you help?

Hi Dave, to add to my previous query, I am unable to burn onto CD those files on my WM Player, although they play fine on the player itself. Thanks, Ian

wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow

wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow

in WINmedia there is now an option to rip all CDs to a peticular format

Thank you Dave!

Hey that australian mp3 converter worked like a charm.

Thanks for the link!

hey,
Thought I'd say cheers and how good this site has been! all my music files are in wmp format and wouldnt play on my motorola dext as needed mp3. found this site right away and got to work. Easy as that. so thank you!!!! :-)

Very Good Thank you very much!!!!!!!!!

Hi, I needed to change a wma. to mp3. and followed your advice to download Switch. Spybot Search and Destroy didn't like that software at all and suggested it be removed. well, I removed it. Now what? Is there another way of changing the format so I can email to friends who cannot seem to play the wma. ?
Thanks
Dee

Will this program to change from Windows Media Player to MP3 work on Windows 7? If not, is there another program to do this? I have them on the computer, but want to play them on my CD player.

Dave, I was under the impression that the programs that were utilizing "lame encoder" were the best to convert. Am I mistaken and do you have any "front end's" you could suggest that do utilize it?

Dave, this is a great program. Thanks for putting me onto it! Exactly what I've been looking for. Why don't the "big boys" include these cool features in their own stuff?

Hi Dave,
I tried to convert some WMA files which I bought on Napster into mp3 files using Switch but it didn't work because of DRM. Is there a way around it? Thanks.

how do you get a switch

It's a download, Michael. Go here and you'll be able to get the software and try it out: http://www.nch.com.au/switch/

thanx so much for providing easy instructions & a link to a freeware app to do it all with it! this is the best answer i've ever gotten for this question. thank you!!!

hi please help, i have tryed to convert my cd songs from medis player with the switch programme and it keeps sayin file is protectedby DRM. is there anything i can do?
thank you heidi.

I have a MP3 player that is powered by USB only. I download all my music from UTube through realplayer. At first they were through media player, now they are MP3 audio and I have to convert them first or they are flash videos and won't play. Anyway, the player does not seem to acknowledge the original songs, will I have to download them all again? Thanks for this wonderful service.

Hii.. i downloaded this as my music appeared as windows media file. and everytime i dragged music into it to change into mp3. it wouldnt work and kept coming up with crosses. please help me !

why doesn't our psp acept the rip for our cds????

Hello,

I downloaded the file, but the version is not active, so I miss the output format icon and need the Liesne Key to activate it

Thanks for your help on this page

You don't need to download anything fancy! If you click on the little arrow below rip, you go into options and select mp3!! It is easy!!

If you want something easy and hassle free, for Mac & PC to convert WMA, M4A, AAC, OGG and a bunch of other formats, I must recommend RightClickMP3 - it's only a tenner and very easy to use.

www.rightclickmp3.com

just like 2 say thanks a mil ive tried loads of other sites 4 help but this 1 is the best

Thank you so much :) I never thought I'd find something so simple to answer my question! I can now listen to music on the sims 2, yay!

Need your help - I have at least 8000 songs ripped from all my CDs (music fiend) using Windows Media and would like to convert them to MP3 - a common question for this page. What I don't want to do is repeat the same files (eg, having 2 copies of MJ's Billie Jean - one in MP3 and one in WMA). Also don't want to have to go thru each file folder and convert - that would take much too long and then I might miss something too. Any suggestions??

I and Lando have the same question Dave... I have a HUGE library of music that I have been ripping to my computer for the last 15 years. I DO NOT want to convert one folder at a time. This would take another 15 years to complete (actually not, but still a very very very long time). Any Ideas?

Lando and Terry, I don't know of any bulk converter that can handle subfolders and such, but what I would suggest anyway is to email the developers of the conversion program and ask them if that's a possible feature they could add or something for a "pro" version? Please do come back and let us know what you find out!

Or, plan b, move all your music into a single folder, convert it and them import it. Test it, but the tags on the songs should still retain artist and track information...

for those of you pulling your hair out over walmart mp3 purchases, call 1-800-222-8132 and provide the email address used to purchase your music and they will direct you on how to download the licenses - free. Just saved 177 previously purchased songs from deletion- not to mention hours of my time.

is there any software wipe off voice on a music track

i had like to explore dat as well

once again thanks for this web

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!! forever I was looking for something to do this You have saved me from inevitably boring bus rides *hugs and kisses*

How do I stop "AVS media demo" from coming onto my CD's every 15 seconds when it is in the backgroud of CD I am copying off. Also can you direct me to somewhere that I can learn how to put tracks onto long messages when I copy them? Cheers

I added songs to my mp3 a few days a go, now that im trying to add more songs its not working now, and I have 56 songs already. Do you know why it isnt working?

I have a couple dozen FLV files that I would like to convert to MP3. Is there an easy way to do this?

Thanks for the info on converting WMA files...

VERY IMPRESSIVE ,NOW WHERE DO you FIND THE OUTPUT FOLDER IN THE SMART AUDIO CONVERTER PRO AFTER I HAD COVERTED THE FILES?

You can also go to
[url=http://www.oggconvert.com/]OGG converter[/url] to convert OGG files to MP3, AAC, FLAC, OGG, WMA, M4A, WAV online. I hope its big help.

thanks for the information,it means a lot for me.I really love listening music from my mp3.

Im trying to add music to my MP3 Player from RealPlayer..but theres this one song that i cant put up there because of it being a "AAC Plug In" -Advanced Audio Coding File..So how can I change my settings on that one song so that i can Upload it to my Portable Device..?

Just wanted to say thank you very much - great advice and really easy to follow - I can now use my music files!

Hi Dave, I am a independent artist and I am trying to summit my music online using mp3. I have windows media player and I have uploaded my demo. However I am not sure how to change the file to a mp3 so I can send my songs to websites and some radio stations online. What site do I need to use to do this and do I need to buy the program or can I use the free trials to upload the music. I wasn't sure if I could use the free trials for my own professional use. So please help me I am at a loss. My music is copy write protected.
thanks so much Latashia

When it indicates that the conversion is complete, voila, you now have MP3 audio files from your WMA format files. Quickly and easily done.

on wwindow media player i cant download mp3 files. it goes to my play list but then in the sync list it doesnt read my mp3. it only show my mp3 on the window media player when its playing the songs IN the mp3 already. how do i download new songs? it also cant create new playlists. always says error and when i click on webhelp it doesnt do anything.And yes i know how to rip cd's to mp3 files and add them to my mp3.
PLEASE HELP

I have a couple dozen FLV files that I would like to convert to MP3. Is there an easy way to do this?

Thanks for the info on converting WMA files...

Thanks a lot man! This really helps! :)

Hi,Lee. I see your question about converting a dozen flv files to mp3.FYI. you can try flv to mp3 mp4. I am sure you will tackle your problems at great ease. Wish you good luck.

Hi Dave.
Many thanks for this article. I have battled all day trying to load a selection of running music onto my MP3 player. (I've decided to see if the right music will improve my running time!) I used the Switch File Converter which you recommended & it worked a treat!

Thanks again!

This program "Switch" totally took over my win 7 cpu & kept reloading when I tried to uninstall it. I think it needs major work before I would ever try it again!

With the newer versions of Microsoft Windows Media Player, there is an option/setting to allow you to rip directly to mp3 format (instead of wma).

This is still baffling me. Having tried a few wma-mp3 convertors (Jodix, PMC, Fastac) I tried Switch and am still getting no joy.

It tells me that the conversion has happened ok but when I burn a cd with the new mp3 converted tracks and then try and play it on a CD player that reads mp3 files, the CD player says it cannot read it.

What am I doing wrong?

Thank you for this page. I had problems with my HTC legend did not read wmp files. And with your help I could add all music I want to my phone.

iTunes for Windows will convert WMA to MP3 but iTunes for Mac OS X will not.

Thanks Dave!

Used the Aussie free sw and et voila!
it worked
thank you!
more of my hair is now still in my scalp instead of my tearing more it out! lol

Sincerely,

April Braswell

I downloaded the Switch application but it wont convert the songs i downloaded. They say they are protected?

I thought you said this was free??? I downloaded the software so I can add an MP3 to my website only to find out that the AVS Audio Converter is "not activated" and it will put an audio ad into the mp3 file unless you pay them $70 ... what a ripoff! Maybe 4 years ago this was an accurate page but now you need to remove it, this is misleading.

Hello Dave, i have a frustrating situation that i have been this whole day trying to get my music from windows media player in wma format to an mp3 format so i can burn my music in to cd's ii have already downloaded a converter program and yet it did not work.... please help me out man!!! i got the music from; Bearshare website... i'm going nutts here bro!! if you have the solution.... please help!! thanx, God bless

Miguel Angel

dear dave
pls let me know hw to i transfer videos to my i phone

Jabed, the only way I know of to transfer videos to your iPhone so you can watch them is by importing the video to iTunes then sync'ing. Then again, I believe there's a version of VLC or similar that runs on the iPhone so that might offer a different option?

thanks a lot, really helpful and delightfully simple. You're a great help!

Thanks, Dave! Really saved my day~

Hi Dave,
When you convert wav or windows media player music using Switch to MP3 are the original files maintained?
Thanks, Steve

Steve, yes. Any decent conversion app should retain the originals in case something goes wrong or you decide you can work with the original source material.

I have a slight problem with the converter or something. I go to add the file through the converter and it shows an empty folder.. But when I go and check it through my computer, it shows the album/songs I am trying to convert so they are compatible with my phone music player. Any ideas on what I've maybe done wrong or can change? Thanks for your time.

Hello i have a frustrating situation that i have been trying to get my music from windows media player in wma format to an mp3 format so i can burn my music in to cd's i have already downloaded a converter program and it did not work.... please help me out!!! i got the music from; Bearshare website... i'm going nutts !! if you have the solution.... please help!! thanx,

I have windows media player and I purchased an mp3 portable player the ones that look like an ipod. So i sync all my songs but some didnt transfer because windows media player couldnt convert them? can you help me please. Thank you james

Hey I am a Kindle owner and im trying to get background music on to the device. i have installed a audio converter but dont know how to start the converting of WMA to MP3 Plaese help

Hi Dave,
I have sound clips on Windows 7 that I need to change to MP3 format. How do I do this. I am not a computer boffin so please use the most basic language possible!
Regards,
Alan.

Hello... I downloaded the program and went to put the files in the convert... it says the file is copywright protected.
What do I do so I can convert those files to the MP3 format????????
Please answer this as I see there are a few others and it's not been answered before by you...
please tell us how to convert when it says copyright protected
Thank you

Hi Dave, please tell us what we need to do to convert when the files are copyright protected. I have a cd that I burned and it's not letting me convert due to this issue...
So...
COPYRIGHT PROTECTED...
how do we convert when we run into this issue???
Thank you Dave for all ur help.

LISA

worked like a charm! :) thanks for sharing

It should then be playable in iTunes...if you must go one step further and convert all they way to MP3.... Get switch and use that with no problem (Going from WMA to MP3)
http://www.nch.com.au/switch/index.html

Works fine!
MP3 files and a “temp”WAV file for each track are placed where you ask (default = the same folder they originated).
One or two files didn’t convert in the bulk upload.
I just re-ran those separately.

Most likely my fault since I was doing stuff on my system while they were converting.

hey! i just bought a mp3 sony walkman(not sure if its a video player too)but i cant seem to figure out how to download music or anything else onto it correctly.can you help please?i am totally lost!!!

Thank you Dave, you are great!
I'm a mac user and have converted some files form WMA to mp3. After converting, what do i do then? How can I save them again? And how can i put them into the itunes? Many thanks!

Hello..

This is such a cool site...I have alot of reading to do now. At least its' stuff, I am interested in and don't need to be YELLED at twice to improve my reading literature -hehe

Thanks for sharing the information. This is a nice little program. The sound editor works well also, in case anyone wants to know.

you are awesome Dave!