OPUS to MP3 a WhatsApp voice note in a file that opens anywhere.
To convert OPUS to MP3, pick the .opus file, set MP3 and mono, and download it. It is the format WhatsApp uses for voice notes saved on Android, with names like PTT-20261008-WA0003.opus. The MP3 comes out at 192 kbps and opens in the car, on an iPhone and in a video editor. Free, no sign-up.
Free, no sign-upLarge video: extracting can take a few minutes. Keep this tab open until it finishes.
How to turn OPUS into MP3
- 01
Get the .opus
On Android, the note sits in the WhatsApp Voice Notes folder. You can also share the message and save it to Files.
- 02
Choose mono
A voice note is recorded with a single mic. In mono, the voice sits in the middle of your headphones instead of doubled.
- 03
Download the MP3
The button shows the progress. A 2 minute note is ready in seconds, named after the .opus.
What a WhatsApp .opus file is
It is a voice message. Opus is a compression format built for speech over the internet, the same one video calls use, and an .opus file is that sound inside an Ogg container. WhatsApp records the note in mono, from 16 kHz audio, and squeezes it to somewhere between 16 and 32 kbps. That is why a minute of voice takes about 180 KB and sends fast even on weak mobile data.
Recording from 16 kHz means the stored sound only goes up to 8 kHz. That is enough to understand every word, but it takes the sparkle out of the highs: the note sounds duller than a normal phone recording. Converting to MP3 does not bring those highs back. What changes is where the file opens.
| What the .opus holds | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Channels | 1 (mono) |
| Recorded audio | 16 kHz, voice up to 8 kHz |
| Bitrate | 16 to 32 kbps |
| 1 minute | about 180 KB |
| Name on Android | PTT-YYYYMMDD-WA0001.opus |
Why switch OPUS for MP3
An .opus plays fine inside WhatsApp and in Chrome, but outside them it stalls in a lot of places. Car stereos, speakers that read memory cards, older players and help desk systems often take MP3 only. So do video editors: Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro don't import Opus, so a voice note from a client, a groom or a pastor has to become MP3 or WAV before it goes on the timeline.
Some people also need to attach the audio to a legal case, a form or an email for someone who doesn't use WhatsApp. MP3 is the format the other person will open without installing anything.
- Play it in the car or on an older player
- Bring the audio into Premiere, Final Cut or DaVinci
- Attach it to an email, case or form that rejects .opus
- Keep important messages in a format that will last
Where to find WhatsApp voice notes on your phone
On Android, open the file manager and follow Android > media > com.whatsapp > WhatsApp > Media > WhatsApp Voice Notes. The notes sit in subfolders numbered by year and week, each named PTT followed by the date. Another route is exporting the chat with media: the voice notes come along as .opus files.
On iPhone, press and hold the voice message, choose Forward and then the share button to save it to Files. From WhatsApp Web, the same note downloads as .ogg, which this page also converts. For several notes, convert one at a time: each one finishes in seconds and there is no usage limit.
More than OPUS to MP3. What was said, as text.
See also
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert a WhatsApp voice note to MP3?
Save the voice message as a file (.opus on Android, .ogg from WhatsApp Web), pick it on this page, set MP3 and mono and click convert. The MP3 comes out at 192 kbps, named after the original.
How do I open an .opus file on a PC?
Chrome and Edge play .opus if you drag the file into a tab. To open it in the system player or a video editor, or to send it to someone else, convert it to MP3 here.
Does the MP3 sound better than the OPUS?
No. The note was recorded with voice up to 8 kHz and that doesn't come back. The 192 kbps MP3 keeps everything the .opus had, in a format any device opens. It gets bigger: a minute grows from about 180 KB to 1.4 MB.
Can I convert several WhatsApp voice notes at once?
On this page, one at a time, with no usage limit; each note is ready in seconds. To transcribe a lot of notes, FilmScribe's Agency plan takes several uploads at once.
Why won't Premiere open the .opus file?
Premiere Pro has no native Opus support, and neither does Final Cut Pro. Convert it to MP3 at 48 kHz, the usual video rate, and import it as normal.
Can I turn an .opus voice note into text?
Yes, with no conversion first. Upload the .opus to FilmScribe and we transcribe it word by word, with a timestamp on each passage. You review it while listening and download TXT, PDF or SRT.
Too many voice notes to listen to? We transcribe them and you read in seconds.
Upload the .opus files as they were saved. We transcribe them word by word, with timestamps, and you download TXT, PDF or SRT.
See the result on your own recording before adding a card.