WAX File Extension

What is the .WAX file type?

The .wax filename extension stands for the Windows Media Audio (WMA) Redirector (.wax) file type. WMA is a family of proprietary digital audio compression formats developed by Microsoft, part of the larger multimedia framework Windows Media (WM) integrated into the Microsoft Windows platform.

A .wax file is a pointer to a Windows Media Audio (WMA) resource hosted on an HTTP, RTSP, or other network server. It is a small (~1 kilobyte) text file with an XML-style description of the target stream, including its URL(-s). Once clicked upon, the .wax file is quickly downloaded by the browser and passed on to Windows Media Player (WMP) for handling. WMP then attempts to open and play the WMA stream specified in the .wax file.

WAX files are metafiles, and as such, they do not include any actual sound or music data. Without reference to external WMA files, WAX files themselves cannot be played or converted, just opened in a text editor for the URL's they point to.

On Microsoft Windows, the .wax file type is pre-associated with WMP. Besides WMP, .wax redirectors can be properly processed by several other media players.

Software to open or convert WAX files

KMPlayer by PandoraTV

 

PotPlayer by Kakao Corp.

 

RealPlayer

 

AIMP3 by AIMP DevTeam

 

MediaMonkey by Ventis Media Inc.

 

Free File Viewer Pro

Download