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Common fix · Audio

Convert a WhatsApp voice note to MP3

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What you’ll end up with

The voice message as an MP3 that plays on any phone, computer or car stereo.

WhatsApp records voice messages in Opus, a format that sounds good at tiny file sizes. When you export or share one it arrives as a file ending in .opus, or .ogg from some versions — and Windows Media Player, many car stereos and older apps won’t open it.

Converting to MP3 fixes that. A voice note is small, so it converts in a second or two, and nothing about the message leaves your device.

What to do

  1. Save the voice note from WhatsApp

    On Android, long-press the voice message, tap Share (or the three dots → Share) and save it to Files. On an iPhone, long-press it, choose Forward, then the share button, and Save to Files. Either way you get a .opus or .ogg file.

  2. Convert it to MP3

    Drop the file into the audio converter and choose MP3. For a voice, 96 or 128 kbps is plenty and keeps the file small. Several voice notes can go in at once.

    Open the audio converter

  3. Trim or join them, if you need to

    Cut the silence off the start and end, or join several voice notes into one recording, before you send it on.

    Join voice notes

Questions

What format are WhatsApp voice messages?

Opus audio, stored in an Ogg container. The file ends in .opus on most phones and .ogg on some, but it’s the same thing. OGG to MP3 and Opus to MP3 both handle it.

Can I convert a voice note on my phone?

Yes: open this page in your phone’s browser, choose the saved voice note from Files, and convert it there. Nothing is uploaded and nothing needs installing.

Does converting to MP3 reduce the quality?

Not noticeably for speech. Voice notes are recorded at a low bitrate to begin with, and MP3 at 96–128 kbps keeps everything they contain.

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