Kinds of MP3 Files

Primary MP3 File Association

.MP3

File Name:	.mp3
Class:	MP3 Audio File

An MP3 file is used to store music and audiobooks with near-CD quality sound, and about 1/10 the size of a .WAV or .AIF file. MP3 uses lossy data compression to encode data using inexact approximations and the partial discarding of data. This allows a large reduction in file size when compared to uncompressed audio.

Created by:	Moving Picture Experts Group
File Category:	Audio Files
Subkey:	HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mp3

Software Programs That Open The MP3 Audio File:

Microsoft Windows Media Player by Microsoft Corporation

	Windows
	Windows Phone

Mac

Apple iTunes by Apple

Windows

	Mac
	iOS

Linux

Google Drive by Google

iOS

Android

Web

Eltima Elmedia Player by Open Source

Mac

Roxio Toast 15 by Roxio

Mac

Microsoft Groove Music by Microsoft Corporation

Windows

Nullsoft Winamp by Nullsoft

Windows

Mac

Android

XMMS by Open Source

Mac

Linux

Foobar2000 by Piotr Pawlowski

Windows

iOS

Android

Adobe Audition by Adobe Systems Incorporated

Windows

Mac

Xilisoft Video Converter Ultimate by Xilisoft Corporation

Windows

olimsoft OPlayer by Apple

iOS

Free Audio Converter by DVDVideoSoft

Windows

Amarok by Open Source

Windows

Linux

Unix

Roxio Creator NXT Pro 6 by Roxio

Windows

antvplayer Media Converter by Open Source

Android

Apple Music by Apple

iOS

Android

Optional Offer for FileViewPro by Solvusoft | EULA | Privacy Policy | Terms | Uninstall

Understanding MP3 Issues

Issues Opening MP3 Files

Microsoft Windows Media Player Isn't There

You encounter an error message such as "%%os%% Can't Open MP3 Files" when trying to open your MP3. When this happens, it is commonly due to Microsoft Windows Media Player missing in %%os%%. The OS won't know what to do with your MP3 file, so double-clicking to load the file doesn't work.

Tip: If you know of another program that can open your MP3 file, you can try opening it by selecting the application from the programs listed.

Obsolete Version of Microsoft Windows Media Player

Sometimes your installed version of Microsoft Windows Media Player won't support your MP3 Audio File file. If you've got the wrong version of Microsoft Windows Media Player installed, you'll need to install the correct version. This problem is predominately due to having a MP3 Audio File file version that was created by a newer version of Microsoft Windows Media Player than what you have installed on your PC.

Tip: Sometimes you can get a clue about the version of MP3 file you have by right clicking on the file, then clicking on "Properties" (Windows) or "Get Info" (Mac OSX).

Ultimately, most of the difficulties opening MP3 files are due to having the wrong version of Microsoft Windows Media Player installed.

Additional MP3 Opening Issues

Although you might already have Microsoft Windows Media Player or another MP3-associated software installed on your computer, you can still encounter problems opening MP3 Audio File files. There can be external issues inside of %%os%% that are causing these errors when opening MP3s. Additional factors include:

• MP3 file references in the Windows Registry are broken
• Mistaken removal of the Windows registry MP3 description
• Corrupt install of Microsoft Windows Media Player or other MP3-related program
• File corruption affecting your MP3 file
• Past or present virus infection has affected your MP3
• Hardware associated with MP3 has outdated drivers
• Your computer does not have the adequate system resources to open the MP3 Audio File format