Best mp3 to wav converter for offline use on Windows 11

LAME (MP3 Encoding/Decoding). This is a high-quality, open-source command-line tool primarily used for MP3 encoding and decoding.

While its main purpose is creating optimized MP3 files, it can also convert MP3 to WAV via the --decode option. LAME is widely respected for its audio quality and customization options, supporting variable bitrates (VBR), constant bitrates (CBR), and advanced psychoacoustic tuning. Though it requires command-line usage, its simple syntax makes it a lightweight, efficient choice for offline audio conversion on Windows.

For single .mp3 to .wav conversion:

lame --decode "input.mp3" "output.wav"

For batch .mp3 to .wav conversion:

for %i in (*.mp3) do lame --decode "%i" "%~ni.wav"

Preserve original sampling rate:

lame --decode --strictly-enforce-ISO "input.mp3" "output.wav"

Overwrite files without prompting:

lame --decode --quiet "input.mp3" "output.wav"

Troubleshooting

"LAME is not recognized": Add LAME to your system PATH or run commands from its install folder (e.g., C:\Program Files (x86)\LAME).

Output folder: Specify a full path (e.g., "C:\output.wav") if saving elsewhere.