WMV Video — Windows Media Video format by Microsoft.
Quick facts
What is .wmv
A .wmv file is a WMV Video — Windows Media Video format by Microsoft.
In the mime-db registry it maps to video/x-ms-wmv, and it is marked as non-compressible. When serving .wmv over HTTP, set the Content-Type header as shown in Developer info below.
Related entities: it maps to video/x-ms-wmv — and is delivered over HTTP via the Content-Type header.
How to open .wmv files
Developer info
When served over HTTP, responses should set the following header:
Content-Type: video/x-ms-wmv
Common software that reads/writes .wmv:
Relation chain
Related extensions
Related MIME types
Common uses
How to edit .wmv files
How to create .wmv files
Frequently asked questions
Common options include Windows Media Player, VLC. You can also open many of these files with built-in viewers or a browser.
Create a new file in any text editor or the app that owns the format and save it with the .wmv extension.
video/x-ms-wmv is the media type identifier used for .wmv files during network transfer (for example in the HTTP Content-Type header).
Sources & standards
Updated 2026-08-18
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