ASF to AVI Converter

What happens when you convert ASF to AVI

• The video is re-encoded to MPEG-4 Part 2 video with MP3 audio.
• Re-encoding in a browser is slow: expect several times the video's length for HD footage on a laptop, and longer on a phone. Short and low-resolution clips finish much sooner.

How to convert ASF to AVI online

1. Press "Choose ASF files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. You can add files of any size your device can hold in memory.
2. Adjust the settings if you need to: resolution and quality control the size of the result. The defaults suit most people.
3. Press "Convert to AVI". The first audio or video conversion downloads the converter engine, about 32 MB, which your browser then keeps for next time.
4. Save each AVI with its download button. Close the tab and every trace of the files is gone from memory.

Why convert ASF to AVI?

ASF files usually come from security cameras, DVRs and old Windows streams. People convert them to AVI because AVI is still the format some older editors, set-top players and industrial software insist on.

In short, ASF is good at what it was made for, and AVI is the more practical choice when the file has to play, upload or edit somewhere else. ASF does not play in browsers; plays in Windows Media Player, while AVI does not play in browsers; plays in VLC and Windows players.

How to convert ASF to AVI on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android

On Windows

Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your ASF files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each AVI is saved to your Downloads folder. If you prefer a desktop program, VLC can also convert ASF to AVI: choose Media, then Convert / Save.

On a Mac

Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the ASF files from Finder onto the drop zone and the AVI files land in Downloads.

On iPhone and iPad

Open the page in Safari and tap Choose ASF files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted AVI appears in Files, in the Downloads folder; to put it in your photo library, open it there, tap Share and choose Save Video.

On Android

Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose ASF files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The AVI is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it. Keep the screen on while a long video converts, because Android may pause a tab in the background.

Best settings for ASF to AVI

AVI is written as MPEG-4 Part 2 video with MP3 audio. The Resolution setting is the one to reach for: 1080p keeps full HD detail, 720p is plenty for phones and laptops and roughly halves the size, and 480p suits email and old devices.

The quality levels map to the H.264 CRF scale where the target uses H.264, and to fixed high-quality settings for older codecs such as MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Part 2, WMV and Theora. Re-encoding always costs a little detail, so convert from the best copy of the ASF you have.

ASF vs AVI: the differences

About ASF and AVI files

What is an ASF file?

ASF is the container behind WMV and WMA. Many CCTV systems and DVRs still export ASF files, which few programs outside Windows will open.

What is an AVI file?

AVI dates from Windows 3.1 and predates the codecs most people use today. It is still readable by almost every desktop editor, which is why some older software asks for it.

ASF to AVI not working? Common problems

• The conversion is slow. Audio and container changes take seconds, but re-encoding video runs on your own processor. Lower the resolution to 720p, close other tabs, and keep the device plugged in.
• The tab stops or reloads on a very large file. Browsers limit how much memory one tab can use, around 2 GB and less on phones. Split long recordings or convert them on a computer.
• The AVI will not play on an old device. Try the other formats offered for ASF, or choose 720p, which older players handle more reliably.

Convert ASF to AVI with ffmpeg

This converter runs ffmpeg inside your browser. If you would rather use the ffmpeg command line on your own computer, this command produces an equivalent AVI with the same kind of settings:

ffmpeg -i input.asf -c:v mpeg4 -q:v 4 -vtag xvid -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 192k output.avi

Replace input.asf with the name of your file. For a whole folder of ASF files, run the command in a loop, or drop them all on the converter above, which processes them one after another.