What is a 3GP file?
3GP is the small, low-resolution video that old mobile phones recorded and sent by message. Quality is limited by what was captured, but converting to MP4 makes the clip play on anything modern. You can convert 3GP files here, both into the format and out of it.
Specification
| Full name | 3GPP Multimedia File |
|---|---|
| Extensions | .3gp, .3g2 |
| Media type | video/3gpp |
| Compression | Lossy |
| Transparency | — |
| Animation | — |
| Multiple pages | — |
| Colour depth | — |
| Size limits | — |
| Introduced | 2001 |
| Developed by | 3GPP |
| Standard | Open |
| Browser support | Not displayed by browsers |
What 3GP is used for
- Video recorded on older mobile phones
- MMS attachments and low bandwidth clips
- Dashcam and cheap embedded camera output
Strengths and limitations
What 3GP does well
- Very small files suited to constrained networks
- Structurally MP4, so conversion is straightforward
Where 3GP falls short
- Low resolution and heavily compressed by design
- Modern players and browsers usually refuse it
Convert 3GP to
Every target this format can be written out as, each on its own page.
Convert to 3GP
Everything that can be turned into a 3GP file.
Tools that accept 3GP
Questions about 3GP
What is a .3gp file?
3GP is the small, low-resolution video that old mobile phones recorded and sent by message. The extension .3gp or .3g2 identifies it, and its media type is video/3gpp.
How do I open a 3GP file?
Browsers do not display 3GP natively, so you either need software that understands it or you convert it to something more common first. Converting is usually the faster route when you only need to look at the contents once.
Is 3GP lossy or lossless?
Lossy. That means detail is discarded during encoding and each re-save compounds the loss, so keep an untouched master where quality matters.
What is 3GP good for?
Very small files suited to constrained networks. Structurally MP4, so conversion is straightforward. In practice that makes it a good fit for video recorded on older mobile phones, and MMS attachments and low bandwidth clips.
What are the drawbacks of 3GP?
Low resolution and heavily compressed by design. Modern players and browsers usually refuse it.