---
title: ".amr file — what it is and how to open it"
description: "A .amr file is an Adaptive Multi-Rate Audio. The narrow-band speech codec behind old phone voice recordings and MMS messages. How to open one on Windows, macOS and Linux, and what to convert it to."
url: https://atoneplace.net/file/amr/
site: "At One Place"
---

# .amr files

**.amr file: Adaptive Multi-Rate Audio**

The narrow-band speech codec behind old phone voice recordings and MMS messages.

## What opens a .amr file

- **Windows:** VLC, foobar2000
- **macOS:** VLC, QuickTime Player (built in)
- **Linux:** VLC, mpv

## What a .amr file is

AMR was designed by 3GPP for GSM and UMTS voice calls, optimised for speech at very low bitrates. Older phones used it for voice memos and MMS attachments, so it turns up in exported message archives and voicemail files. The quality ceiling is low by design; VLC plays AMR on every platform, and converting to MP3 or WAV makes the file usable elsewhere without improving the sound.

## Converting it

A .amr file is commonly converted to .mp3, .wav, .m4a or .ogg. It is a binary format, so a text editor will show unreadable characters rather than its contents.

## Details

- **Extension:** .amr
- **Full name:** Adaptive Multi-Rate Audio
- **Category:** Audio
- **MIME type:** audio/AMR
- **Created by:** 3GPP
- **Format:** Binary

## Common questions

### How do I open a .amr file?

On Windows use VLC; on macOS use VLC; on Linux use VLC. The narrow-band speech codec behind old phone voice recordings and MMS messages.

### What is a .amr file?

Adaptive Multi-Rate Audio. AMR was designed by 3GPP for GSM and UMTS voice calls, optimised for speech at very low bitrates. Older phones used it for voice memos and MMS attachments, so it turns up in exported message archives and voicemail files.

### Can I convert a .amr file?

Yes. It is usually converted to .mp3, .wav, .m4a or .ogg, either by exporting from one of the programs listed above or with a format converter.

## Related pages

- [.mp3 — MPEG-1 Audio Layer III](https://atoneplace.net/file/mp3/)
- [.wav — Waveform Audio File](https://atoneplace.net/file/wav/)
- [.m4a — MPEG-4 Audio](https://atoneplace.net/file/m4a/)
- [.flac — Free Lossless Audio Codec](https://atoneplace.net/file/flac/)
- [.aac — Advanced Audio Coding](https://atoneplace.net/file/aac/)
- [.ogg — Ogg Vorbis Audio](https://atoneplace.net/file/ogg/)
- [.opus — Opus Audio](https://atoneplace.net/file/opus/)
- [.mid — MIDI Sequence](https://atoneplace.net/file/mid/)
- [.m3u — Media Playlist](https://atoneplace.net/file/m3u/)
- [.wma — Windows Media Audio](https://atoneplace.net/file/wma/)
- [.aiff — Audio Interchange File Format](https://atoneplace.net/file/aiff/)
- [.m4b — MPEG-4 Audiobook](https://atoneplace.net/file/m4b/)

## Sources

- Media Types Registry — IANA (https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/)
- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)