Reduce a WAV Audio to a Target Size
Enter a maximum size in megabytes: the tool calculates the sample rate (and, if needed, switching to mono) needed to fit your WAV file within that limit, then applies the reduction.
How it works
The size of an uncompressed WAV file is entirely predictable: it depends on its duration, sample rate, number of channels, and bit depth. The tool starts from this formula to compute the lowest sample rate that achieves your target size, then resamples the file accordingly. If the minimum rate (8,000 Hz) still isn't enough in stereo, it also suggests switching to mono to cut the size in half again.
Is this real compression like MP3?
No. Real lossy compression (MP3, OGG…) reduces size by intelligently removing the least audible information to the human ear, with nearly equivalent listening quality. Here, the reduction is done by lowering the sample rate (thus losing the highest frequencies) and, if necessary, removing an audio channel. The result remains a standard WAV, readable everywhere, but with reduced sound fidelity compared to the original.
Why a minimum frequency of 8,000 Hz?
Below 8,000 Hz, sound becomes hard to understand even for speech (it's already the frequency used by old telephone networks). The tool never goes below this threshold, even if it means not exactly hitting the target size when that target is unrealistic for the file's duration.
What if the target size remains unreachable?
If even 8,000 Hz mono isn't enough, consider shortening the file duration beforehand (with our audio cutting tool): at the same frequency, reducing duration proportionally reduces the size.
100% local processing: analysis and resampling happen entirely in your browser via WebAssembly—your file is never sent to a server.