Convert OPUS to MP3
That voice note from WhatsApp is an .opus file, and plenty of apps still refuse to open it. Drop it here and get an MP3 that plays on anything, without the file ever leaving your device.
Why convert OPUS to MP3?
WhatsApp saves every voice note as .opus, and many Discord and VoIP recordings use the same format. Opus is a great codec, but older car stereos, MP3 players, some Windows programs, and plenty of transcription and interview tools simply do not recognize it. Converting to MP3 solves that in one step, because MP3 is the one format every phone, browser, DAW, and car stereo understands. Common reasons people convert: archiving a family member's voice messages, handing a recording to a lawyer or journalist, or loading an interview into software that rejects the original file.
Quality and file size
This is a lossy to lossy conversion, so a small amount of quality is traded for compatibility. Opus compresses more efficiently than MP3 at the same bitrate, which means you should give MP3 more room: 256 or 320 kbps keeps the generation loss inaudible for voice recordings. What you should not do is convert back and forth repeatedly, since each round trip stacks another loss. Convert once, keep the original .opus if you can, and you are unlikely to hear any difference in normal listening.
OPUS to MP3: common questions
Will the MP3 sound worse than my original voice note?
At 256 or 320 kbps the difference is effectively inaudible for speech. The loss is real but tiny, and it only becomes a problem if you re-encode the same file over and over.
Are my WhatsApp voice notes uploaded anywhere?
No. The converter runs entirely in your browser using FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly, so the audio never leaves your device. We never see it, store it, or train on it.
Why won't my .opus file play in my car or in my editing software?
Opus is a relatively young codec, and many car stereos, older devices, and some DAWs never added support for it. MP3 support was baked into those players long before Opus existed, which is why converting fixes the problem.
What bitrate should I pick for the MP3?
Use 320 kbps if size does not matter, or 256 kbps for a good balance. For voice notes both are effectively transparent.
Who makes this?
We're the small team behind Xport Studio, a private, fully offline app for AI vocals, stems, and mastering. These free tools are side experiments we wanted to share. No upsell, but if you're curious about the bigger thing, take a look.