ASF File - What Is an ASF File and How do I Open It?

Mac and Windows PCs come baked with their own media players. For example, Windows users can open an ASF file (Microsoft developed) using Windows Media Player. But the same can't be said about Apple QuickTime Player. Because it supports a limited number of formats, Mac users must convert ASF to MP4 or MOV to open this file format. Also, you must do the same to open ASF on Android or iOS devices. So, this post reviews some excellent ASF multimedia players for Mac/Win and how to encode ASF to MP4 and other formats quickly and losslessly.

Part 1. What is an ASF file?

ASF (Advanced Systems Format) is a video container released by Microsoft in 1996. ASF is meant for streaming digital audio/video, and it has a .asf filename extension. That aside, ASF is not a media format per se. Instead, it's a container for WMA (Windows Media Audio) and WMV (Windows Media Video). ASF can also contain metadata like genre, year, artist, etc.

Unfortunately, ASF isn't compatible with open-source licenses. In other words, you need to get a license from Microsoft to distribute files in ASF. Also, Mac, iPhone, and Android don't offer native support for ASF. This container-based format is common for distributing files over the internet using RTSP or MMS protocol.

Part 2. How to open an ASF file on Mac/Windows

1. UniConverter ASF Player

Wondershare UniConverter is a nice ASF file player for Mac and Windows. With this professional all-in-one program, you can open an ASF file and other 1,000+ formats. It supports MP4, MOV, DV, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, VOB, etc. The media player tool is modern and supports playback of local subtitles and audio files. Also, you can change the video playback speed and even take a screenshot of your favorite movie moments. And best of all, UniConverter doubles up as an ASF converter for transcoding ASF to MP4, MOV, MTS, VOB, DV, and more. It's almost a 10/10!

Wondershare UniConverter — All-in-one Video Toolbox for Windows and Mac.

Try It Free Try It Free

Security Verified. 3,591,664 people have downloaded it.

Edit videos on Mac by trimming, cropping, adding effects, and subtitles.

Converter videos to any format at 90X faster speed.

Compress your video or audio files without quality loss.

Excellent smart trimmer for cutting and splitting videos automatically.

Nice AI-enabled subtitle editor for adding subtitles to your tutorial videos automatically.

Download any online video for teaching from more than 10,000 platforms and sites.

2. VLC Media Player

VLC Media Player is a cross-platform all-in-one media player for Mac, Windows, Android, iPhone, and Linux. With this free, open-source tool, you can open ASF and any other video format or codec you can think of. It supports H.262, , , DivX, DVD, Blu-ray, etc. Besides local media, VLC can also stream online content and radio stations with lossless quality. Moreover, you can convert ASF to MP4, MOV, WebM, 3GP, and other video formats. Note, however, that VLC doesn't support 8K playback, which is a shame.

3. CheeryPlayer

Third, use CheeryPlayer to play almost any media format you may have, including ASF. It's quick and straightforward to use, even for the most novice computer user. In addition to local media, CheeryPlayer also allows you to stream media from Twitch, YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, and other video-sharing platforms. Also, it features inbuilt music charts of Billboard, BBC, and Last FM. Unfortunately, there's no Mac version of this software.

4. IQmango Media Player

Have you ever heard of IQmango Media Player before? If not, you're missing out big time. IQmango is a sleek-looking multimedia player for opening ASF and other standard media formats. It plays videos with brilliant quality and without any bugs. Also, IQmango boasts a DVD ripper for flawlessly ripping DVD files. However, that's just about it, as it's a pretty basic program.

5. ShedWorx Smart Converter

Lastly, use this lightweight and intuitive ASF player to open any video/audio file. On the drag-n-drop UI, you can open AVI, MOV, MP4, and many others. Also, ShedWorx can convert ASF to standard video formats, including device-optimized options like iPhone, iPad, Xbox, Apple TV, Smart TV, and so on. In addition, you can auto-add the converted files to iTunes with a simple click. Sadly, this software is only for Mac computers.

Part 3. How to Convert an ASF File

Now let's learn to convert ASF to MP4 for playback on all mobile and PC media players. In this guide, we'll use Wondershare UniConverter, which is fast, simple, and supports lossless conversions. Also, this ASF converter supports quick edits like trimming, cropping, merging, applying filters, and so on. Follow me:

Run Wondershare UniConverter and then tap Converter on the left pane. Then, press Add Files to browse and upload your ASF files. Or, simply drag-n-drop the ASF file on the workspace.

After loading your video successfully, click the Crop, Effect, or Trim buttons on the small video screen. Now you can retouch the clip by trimming, splitting, copying, deleting, adding filters, adjusting volume, etc.

Last but not least, set MP4 as the Output Format and then select a File Location for the converted video. Finally, tap Start All to encode ASF to MP4 losslessly.

Part 4. FAQs about ASF file

Conclusion

See, there is nothing complex about the ASF file format. It's simply a container for the popular WMV and WMA formats. Although it's only supported on Windows systems, you can use a program like Wondershare ASF Player or VLC to open it on Mac. But for the best ASF playback experience, convert it to MP4 or any other Mac/Win supported format. Any questions?

* Some of the above codec formats may need to be supported by system.