What is a .3gp file?
3GPP Multimedia File · Video · 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) · 2001
3GP is a lightweight cousin of MP4, designed for early mobile phones with slow connections and little storage. It shares MP4's underlying container format but favours older, lower-bandwidth codecs, which is why so many old phone-recorded videos and MMS clips carry this extension.
What is a .3gp file used for?
3GP is a trimmed-down cousin of MP4, built for early mobile phones with slow connections and small storage, which is why old phone-recorded videos and MMS video messages so often carry this extension.
It uses the same underlying ISO base media file format as MP4, so a 3GP is technically an MP4 variant, but it favours older, lower-bandwidth codecs, H.263 or lower profiles of H.264, with AMR audio, and drops features a full MP4 supports.
The exact codec allowed depends on the ftyp brand inside the file, such as '3gp4' or '3gp6', each corresponding to a specific 3GPP standards release, which is why one 3GP file does not always play exactly like another.
Because modern phones now record in full MP4, 3GP has become mostly a legacy format, met in old video archives and very basic feature-phone software rather than in anything new.
What opens a .3gp file?
The .3gp format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list.
Windows
- Media Player
- VLC
macOS
- VLC
- QuickTime (with codecs)
Linux
- VLC
- mpv
Web
- Not natively, convert first
Open a .3gp file step by step
- Confirm the file really is a .3gp. Drop it into the WhatFileType identifier, which reads its signature in your browser without uploading anything.
- On Windows, open it with Media Player or VLC.
- On Mac, use VLC or QuickTime (with codecs).
- On Linux, try VLC or mpv.
- Still stuck? Convert the .3gp to MP4, which opens more widely.
Why can't I open my .3gp file?
Almost always because no installed app understands 3GP. Install one of the apps above, or convert the file to a format your existing software already reads. If double-clicking opens the wrong program instead of nothing at all, the file association is set to the wrong app rather than the file being broken.
The other possibility is that the file is not really a .3gp at all. Drop it into the file identifier to check it by its bytes instead of its name. Nothing is uploaded.
How to convert a .3gp file
You can convert a .3gp file to MP4, AVI using a conversion tool or the export menu of an app that opens it.
What is the .3gp file signature (magic bytes)?
A .3gp file carries the hex bytes 66 74 79 70 33 67 70 at offset 4, which read as ftyp3gp in ASCII. Programs identify 3GP by those bytes, not by the filename, so a renamed file still gives itself away.
These are the documented signatures for 3GP. For a full breakdown, see the 3GP file signature page.
| Hex signature | Offset | ASCII | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 66 74 79 70 33 67 70 | 4 | ftyp3gp | ftyp brand starting '3gp' (for example '3gp4', '3gp5' or '3gp6') |
See the full magic-numbers reference for every format.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .3gp file?
3GP is a lightweight cousin of MP4, designed for early mobile phones with slow connections and little storage. It shares MP4's underlying container format but favours older, lower-bandwidth codecs, which is why so many old phone-recorded videos and MMS clips carry this extension.
Why won't my 3GP file play?
Older 3GP files use codecs like H.263 or AMR audio that some modern players do not include by default. VLC bundles wide codec support and plays almost any 3GP; otherwise convert the file to MP4.
Should I convert 3GP to MP4?
For anything you want to keep or share today, yes. MP4 uses more efficient, current codecs and is far better supported by editors, phones and websites.
Related formats
Sources
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