MP3 Audio — Lossy audio format, the de facto standard for music.
Quick facts
What is .mp3
A .mp3 file is a MP3 Audio — Lossy audio format, the de facto standard for music.
In the mime-db registry it maps to audio/mpeg, and it is marked as non-compressible. When serving .mp3 over HTTP, set the Content-Type header as shown in Developer info below.
Related entities: it maps to audio/mpeg — and is delivered over HTTP via the Content-Type header.
How to open .mp3 files
Developer info
When served over HTTP, responses should set the following header:
Content-Type: audio/mpeg
Common software that reads/writes .mp3:
Relation chain
Related extensions
Related MIME types
Common uses
How to edit .mp3 files
How to create .mp3 files
Frequently asked questions
Common options include VLC, iTunes, Windows Media Player. You can also open many of these files with built-in viewers or a browser.
Create a new file in any text editor or the app that owns the format and save it with the .mp3 extension.
audio/mpeg is the media type identifier used for .mp3 files during network transfer (for example in the HTTP Content-Type header).
Sources & standards
Updated 2026-08-18
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