File Converter is a free, open-source utility that adds file conversion directly to your Windows right-click menu. Right-click any audio, video, image, or document file, select the target format (MP3, MP4, WAV, PNG, JPEG, WEBP, PDF, and more), and the converted file appears in the same folder — no websites, no uploads, no account signups required.
Applies to: Windows 10 (22H2) and Windows 11 (23H2, 24H2, 25H2) | Last updated: April 10, 2026
Key Takeaways
- File Converter integrates directly into the Windows Explorer context menu — right-click a file and pick your output format. No separate app window needed.
- Supports audio (MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG), video (MP4, AVI, GIF, MKV), image (PNG, JPEG, WEBP, ICO), and document (PDF to image) conversions.
- Batch conversion is built in — select multiple files, right-click, and convert them all at once.
- Fully customizable presets let you control output quality, resolution, bitrate, and scale for each format.
- 100% free, open-source, and runs offline — conversions happen locally on your PC using FFmpeg, ImageMagick, and other open-source tools under the hood.
Quick Steps
- Download File Converter from its GitHub releases page or official website.
- Run the installer and follow the setup wizard (Next → Accept → Install → Finish).
- Right-click any file in Windows Explorer, select File Converter, and choose your target format.
- The converted file appears in the same folder as the original.
How to Download and Install File Converter
File Converter is available from its GitHub repository or the official website. I prefer using GitHub because you can see exactly what you are downloading and verify the source. You can also install it through UniGetUI if you already have that set up.
- Go to the File Converter releases page on GitHub.
- Download the latest .msi setup file.
- Run the installer. Click Next, accept the license terms, click Next again, then Install.
- Click Finish when the installation completes.
That is it — File Converter is now installed and ready to use. There is no app to open; it works entirely from the right-click context menu in File Explorer.
How to Convert Files Using the Context Menu
Once installed, converting a file takes two clicks. Right-click the file you want to convert in File Explorer, hover over File Converter, and select the target format. The converted file is saved in the same folder as the original.
For example, to convert an MP3 audio file to WAV: right-click the MP3 file, select File Converter → To Wav, and the WAV file appears in the same directory. A small progress window pops up during conversion and closes automatically when it finishes.
Tip: You can select multiple files at once, right-click, and convert them all in a batch. File Converter handles simultaneous conversions, and you can configure how many run at the same time in the settings.
Windows 11 Context Menu Workaround
If you are using Windows 11 with its default context menu, you will not see the File Converter option immediately. You need to click Show more options first to expand the classic context menu where File Converter appears.
To avoid this extra click, I recommend using Nilesoft Shell to customize your Windows 11 context menu. It replaces the default right-click menu entirely, and File Converter shows up automatically without the extra step.
Common Conversion Examples
File Converter handles dozens of format combinations. Here are some of the conversions I use most often:
MP4 Video to MP3 Audio
Right-click an MP4 video file, select File Converter → To Mp3, and it strips the video and saves just the audio track. This is useful when you want to extract audio from a screen recording or downloaded video. You can also convert to other audio formats like WAV, FLAC, or OGG from the same menu.
WEBP Images to PNG or JPEG
This is one of my most common uses for File Converter. Browsers and websites constantly serve images in WEBP format, but many programs still do not accept WEBP files. Right-click the WEBP file, select File Converter → To Png (or To Jpg), and you get a standard image file instantly. No need for sketchy online conversion websites.
PDF to PNG Images
Right-click a PDF file and select File Converter → To Png. Each page of the PDF is converted to a separate PNG image. This is handy when you need to share a document on platforms like WhatsApp or social media that handle images better than PDFs. The conversion quality is excellent — text and graphics come through cleanly.
Video Compression
You can also use File Converter to compress video files. Right-click an MP4, and you will see options like To Mp4 (Low Quality) which reduces the resolution and bitrate, resulting in a smaller file size. This is useful for quickly shrinking a large recording before sharing it.
How to Customize Conversion Presets
File Converter comes with sensible default presets, but you can fine-tune every conversion setting. To access the configuration, right-click any file, go to File Converter → Configure presets.
From the presets window, you can adjust output quality, audio bitrate, video resolution, and image scale for each format. You can also set the maximum number of simultaneous conversions, enable auto-close after conversion, and choose whether to copy converted files to the clipboard automatically.
Note: I generally leave the default presets as they are. They produce good quality output for most use cases. But if you need specific bitrates or resolutions for a project, the option is there.
What Makes File Converter Different from Online Converters
There are plenty of file conversion websites out there, but File Converter has a few advantages that make it my go-to tool. First, everything runs offline on your computer — your files never leave your machine. Second, it uses proven open-source tools like FFmpeg and ImageMagick under the hood, so the conversion quality is professional-grade. Third, the context menu integration means there is no app to open, no drag-and-drop interface, no upload progress bar. Just right-click and convert.
File Converter is one of those free Windows utilities that every user should know about. Once you install it, you will wonder how you ever managed without it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What file formats does File Converter support?
File Converter supports a wide range of formats including audio (MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG, AAC), video (MP4, AVI, MKV, GIF, MOV, WEBM), images (PNG, JPEG, WEBP, ICO, BMP, TIFF), and documents (PDF to image conversion). The available output formats change based on the input file type — right-click a file and you will see only the formats that are relevant.
Can I convert multiple files at the same time?
Yes. Select all the files you want to convert in File Explorer, right-click the selection, and choose your target format from the File Converter menu. All selected files are converted in a batch. You can configure how many conversions run simultaneously in the presets settings.
Is File Converter safe to install?
File Converter is open-source and hosted on GitHub, so you can inspect the source code yourself. It uses well-known open-source libraries like FFmpeg and ImageMagick for the actual conversions. There is no telemetry, no ads, and no bundled software in the installer.
Does File Converter work on Windows 11?
Yes, File Converter works on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. On Windows 11, you need to click Show more options in the context menu to see the File Converter option, since Windows 11 uses a simplified right-click menu by default. You can avoid this extra step by using Nilesoft Shell to restore the classic context menu.
Does converting a file delete the original?
No. File Converter creates a new file in the same folder as the original. Your original file is never modified or deleted. If you convert photo.webp to PNG, you will end up with both photo.webp and photo.png in the same directory.
