WordPress supports the following audio formats for uploading (as of 4 May 2024, anyway):
- mp3, ogg, wma, m4a, wav
That said, security plug-ins, the hosting company, etc., may block certain formats from being easily uploaded to our WordPress Media Library (which those with site credentials have seen already). This is currently the case with .m4a files.
ALSO! Not all .mp3 generators are created equal. We have first-hand experience of someone making an .mp3 file in one program and WordPress still not seeing it as an .mp3 file that is safe to upload onto the site. The .mp3 file only worked as an .mp3 on the site by converting that “bad” .mp3 file into a “good” .mp3 file with an online conversion tool.
Generally – if you are NOT working with an .mp3 file, you will (for now) have to wait for the webmaster to do the uploading or processing. If you want to immediately get a post together, perform a site audio update, etc., and not have to wait, your best bet is to simply convert your audio file from whatever-it-is-right-now to .mp3 format. This can be done quickly and easily from the convertio.co website. A brief walk-through is provided below.
The Procedure
Step 1 – go to the (currently available) convertio.co website, click “Choose Files,” and select the audio you want to convert – or just drag-and-drop the file over “Choose Files.”
Step 2 – with the file selected, you need to pick the output format from the “to -” box in the upper middle of the next screen. Click on that box to select “MP3.”
Step 3 – If the screen looks similar to the image below (file name and size likely being different!), click on “Convert.”
Step 4 – Hang loose for several seconds.
Step 5 – When completed, you’ll have a blue “Download” button at your right. Click that to download a copy of the converted file to your computer, then use that new .mp3 file on the site.
