iMovie for Windows > Video Editor > iMovie Formats > Edit 3GP Files on Mac and Windows

Need to Open and Edit 3GP Video Files?

Download 3GP Video Editor to play and edit 3GP files without problem.

Compatible with 3GP and all popular any video and audio format.
Includes all basic video editing tools like split, trim, rotate, merge, etc.
Export to MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, 3GP, FLV, MPG, WebM, MKV, etc.
No prior knowledge required. No credit card needed.

What's a 3GP File?

There are big companies behind every popular file format. FLV benefits from the online video sharing trend and promoted by Adobe, while AVI is a Microsoft product, which contains video and audio interlaced and played simultaneously. 3GP/MP4 is the default video format proposed by Apple and supported by the ISO standard and widely used on NOKIA phones. 3GP is actually a simplified version of the MP4 format on 3rd-generation mobile phones. MP4's codec combination is generally MPEG-4 + AAC, while 3GP H.263/MPEG4 + AMR-NB/AMR WB or later included support for H.264 video and AAC Plus audio. 3GP is specially designed to accommodate mobile phones. Thus 3GP video usually has small file size as per storage and bandwidth requirements.

play and edit 3GP files

The default player on Mac and Windows can technically play 3GP files. That means you can try playing 3GP files with Windows Media Player or QuickTime Player. If it failed, you may need to install supplementary codecs. For Windows users, install Haali Media Splitter and FFDShow. For Mac users, try Perian. Other programs that can open and edit 3GP files include Movavi Video Editor, iMovie, Final Cut Pro, VLC, KMPlayer, PotPlayer, Wondershare Filmora, Adobe After Effects, etc.

How to Open 3GP Files with Movavi Video Editor

Open 3GP files in Windows

In the main screen, go to the Media tab on the left sidebar and click the Add Media Files button.
Go through the top menu bar File > Add Media Files, or simply press Ctrl+O.
Resize Mov Video Editor's window and then drop 3GP files to the timeline.

Open 3GP files on Mac

Go to the Media tab on the left sidebar and click the Add Media Files button.
Go through File > Add Media Files in the top menu bar, or press Command+O.
Drag and drop 3GP files from Finder to the timeline.

Open 3GP Video on Mac and Windows

Windows 10	Windows 8	Windows 7	Windows Vista	Windows XP
macOS Big Sur	macOS High Sierra	macOS Sierra	macOS el Capitan	Mac OS X 10.7 or higher

FAQs on 3GP Playback in Windows, Mac and Mobile Devices

Question: How to fix "cannot decode" error while playing 3GP video on iOS?

Answer: Apple's official documentation says 3GP video is supported, but many people failed with the "cannot decode" error when they tried to play 3GP video on their mobile phone. This means that the codec format in 3GP video file is not supported. Make sure the right codecs are included in your 3GP video files. Basically, the supported codecs include MPEG-4 Part 2, H.263, or MPEG-4 Part 10 for video and AMR-NB, AMR-WB, AMR-WB+, AAC-LC, or HE-AAC for audio. Sometimes, 3GP can't play because the video resolution, bit rate or frame rate is not compatible with your mobile phone. In such case, use a decent video converter like Movavi Video Converter to convert 3GP to MP4 to solve the problem.

Movavi Video Editor Opens 3GP Files and More

Not only can 3GP Video Editor opens 3GP files but also all common video formats. Movavi Video Editor is an all-in-one video editing application for Mac and Windows.

3GP Video Editor Introduction