What is a .ogg file?
Ogg Vorbis / Ogg container · Audio · Xiph.Org Foundation · 2000
OGG is an open, royalty-free audio container, usually holding Vorbis or Opus audio. It offers quality on par with or better than MP3 without licensing fees, which makes it popular in games, open-source software and the web.
What is a .ogg file used for?
The Ogg container most often carries Vorbis, and increasingly Opus, both free codecs designed to rival or beat MP3 and AAC on quality per kilobyte.
Because it costs nothing to use, OGG shows up widely in game audio, Wikipedia media and open-source projects.
Apple devices have historically lacked native OGG support, so converting to MP3 or AAC helps there.
How to open a .ogg file
The .ogg format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list. For a step-by-step walkthrough, see how to open a .ogg file.
Windows
- VLC
- foobar2000
macOS
- VLC
Linux
- VLC
- Rhythmbox
- mpv
Web
- Firefox, Chrome and most browsers
How to convert a .ogg file
You can convert a .ogg file to MP3, WAV, AAC, FLAC using a conversion tool or the export menu of an app that opens it.
.ogg file signature (magic bytes)
Programs recognise a .ogg file by the bytes at the start of the file, not by its name. These are the signatures for OGG. For a full breakdown, see the OGG file signature page.
| Hex signature | Offset | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 4F 67 67 53 | 0 | 'OggS' |
See the full magic-numbers reference for every format.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .ogg file?
OGG is an open, royalty-free audio container, usually holding Vorbis or Opus audio. It offers quality on par with or better than MP3 without licensing fees, which makes it popular in games, open-source software and the web.
How do I play an OGG file?
Most browsers and VLC play OGG directly. On an iPhone, convert it to MP3 or AAC first.
Related formats
Sources
Details on this page were checked against authoritative references: