What is a .amr file?
Adaptive Multi-Rate Audio · Audio · 3GPP · 1999
AMR is a speech-optimised audio format used by mobile phones for voice recordings and voicemail. It compresses the human voice heavily, giving tiny files that sound fine for speech but poor for music.
What is a .amr file used for?
An .amr file starts with the header #!AMR and is tuned for the frequency range of speech, which is why voice memos and voicemail on older phones use it. Narrowband AMR is the common variant; AMR-WB is wideband.
Because it is optimised for voice, music in AMR sounds thin. Convert to MP3 or WAV if you need general playback or editing.
What opens a .amr file?
The .amr format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list.
Windows
- VLC
- foobar2000
macOS
- VLC
- QuickTime
Linux
- VLC
- ffmpeg
Open a .amr file step by step
- Confirm the file really is a .amr. Drop it into the WhatFileType identifier, which reads its signature in your browser without uploading anything.
- On Windows, open it with VLC or foobar2000.
- On Mac, use VLC or QuickTime.
- On Linux, try VLC or ffmpeg.
- Still stuck? Convert the .amr to mp3, which opens more widely.
Why can't I open my .amr file?
Almost always because no installed app understands AMR. 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 .amr 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 .amr file
You can convert a .amr file to mp3, wav, aac using a conversion tool or the export menu of an app that opens it.
What is the .amr file signature (magic bytes)?
A .amr file starts with the hex bytes 23 21 41 4D 52, which read as #!AMR in ASCII. Programs identify AMR by those bytes, not by the filename, so a renamed file still gives itself away.
These are the documented signatures for AMR. For a full breakdown, see the AMR speech file signature page.
| Hex signature | Offset | ASCII | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 21 41 4D 52 | 0 | #!AMR | '#!AMR' |
See the full magic-numbers reference for every format.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .amr file?
AMR is a speech-optimised audio format used by mobile phones for voice recordings and voicemail. It compresses the human voice heavily, giving tiny files that sound fine for speech but poor for music.
How do I open an AMR file?
Play it in VLC, which handles AMR directly. To edit or use it elsewhere, convert it to MP3 or WAV.
Why does music sound bad in AMR?
AMR is tuned for the narrow frequency range of the human voice, so it discards the detail that music needs. It is meant for speech, not songs.
How do I convert AMR to MP3?
Use VLC's convert feature or ffmpeg (ffmpeg -i voice.amr voice.mp3).
Related formats
Sources
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