The xwma file extension is associated with the xWMA audio compression format. xWMA is a subset of the Windows Media Audio (WMA) Professional compression format. Both XAudio2 and XACT3 support xWMA decoding in software.
Files with the XWMA extension are found in Windows operating systems. XAudio2 is a very common application as a tool for handling XWMA files. In addition, XAudio2 can be used to open files with the XWMA extension.
The data in the XWMA files are saved in the manner characteristic for Audio Files. XWMA files are very similar to .WAV, .WMA, and .XMA files, which are also saved using Microsoft-developed codecs.
On rare occasions, files saved using the xWMA codec are saved with the .xwma file extension. More commonly, they are saved as .XWM files. XWMA files, however, are used only in video games.
The Microsoft xWMA format is an audio container/codec format used by XAudio 2, based on the RIFF container format. According to Microsoft, “xWMA is a subset of the Windows Media Audio (WMA) Professional compression format. […] xWMA uses the WMA bit-stream format in a lightweight wrapper, and provides a greater compression ratio than XMA.”
When Windows does not recognize a filename extension, you receive the message: Select an app to open this .xwma file. It means that the operating system does not have a default app associated with the .xwma file type.
You need to update the application that you normally use to open .XWMA files. Only the latest version of the software supports the current .XWMA file format. You need to check the .XWMA file for viruses using a popular antivirus.
Microsoft DirectX SDK
VLC Media Player
FFmpeg