.MP file extension
To open .MP files on Windows, if you know which program created the .mp file, open that program and use File → Open (or Import) to load the .mp file.
To open a .mp file, first determine what program it came from (for example, a mapping/GIS tool or a 3D tool). Because .mp is ambiguous and not tied to one official media type, the correct app depends on the file’s origin.
Last updated: October 13, 2026
Open on your device
Choose your operating system for a dedicated step-by-step opening guide.
How to open .MP files
Use these platform-specific instructions to open .MP files safely.
Windows
- If you know which program created the .mp file, open that program and use File → Open (or Import) to load the .mp file.
- If you do not know the source program: right-click the file → Properties → check “Type of file” and any “Opens with” hint; then try opening it in a text editor (e.g., Notepad) to see if it contains readable headers/metadata that identify the format.
Mac
- If you know the creating application, open that application first, then use File → Open to select the .mp file (project/data files often open more reliably from inside the app).
- If the source app is unknown, try Quick Look for a preview; if that fails, open a copy in a plain-text editor to look for identifying text (creator name, version strings, or obvious format markers).
Linux
- Try opening the file from the originating application (File → Open/Import). If you do not know the app, use the file(1) command in a terminal to see if it can identify the content type.
- If file(1) can’t identify it, consult the shared-mime-info concept: the desktop may not have a reliable MIME mapping for .mp because the extension is ambiguous; you’ll likely need the original software or documentation that produced the file.
iOS
- .mp is not a single standardized format; if the file is a project/data file, it often requires the original desktop application. Open it in the Files app only to transfer/share it to a desktop app that knows the format.
Android
- .mp files are typically application-specific; use your file manager to share/send the file to the program (usually on desktop) that originally created it, or inspect it as text only if it appears to be plain text.
Security notes
- Treat .mp as potentially untrusted input: because it can represent different proprietary or project/data formats, opening it in the wrong application may trigger parser bugs in that application.
- Do not assume an .mp file is media (audio/video) and safe to preview; .mp is not a standardized media extension and may contain complex structured data specific to an app.
- If you need to inspect an unknown .mp, prefer viewing a copy in a plain-text editor first (when feasible) to avoid automatically executing import routines in specialized tools.
Can't open this file?
These are the most common causes and fixes when .MP files fail to open.
Common reasons
- “Windows can’t open this file” / no associated app
- Mistaken identity as Musepack audio
- Linux desktop opens the file with the wrong app (or none)
Fix steps
- Confirm where the file came from (which app/site/device created it) and install or use that exact program to open/import it.
- Avoid guessing based only on the extension; if you must investigate, open a copy in a text editor to look for identifying strings or headers.
OS-specific troubleshooting
Convert .MP to other formats
Use conversion tools to change .MP files into formats your software supports.
What is a .MP file?
The .mp extension is used by multiple, unrelated file formats rather than one shared standard. As a result, file contents, internal structure, and compatible software vary widely from one .mp file to another, and the extension alone is not enough to determine how to open it.
Background
Unlike well-defined extensions (for example, .pdf), .mp is used in the wild for several different kinds of files. File extension reference sites specifically note multiple unrelated associations for .mp, including mapping/GPS-related uses and other application-specific file types.
On Linux desktops, file associations are often driven by the shared-mime-info database (the freedesktop.org standard mapping of extensions and file signatures to MIME types). In practice, .mp does not have a single, universally recognized MIME type mapping across systems, which is consistent with its ambiguous real-world usage.
A common source of confusion is audio: Musepack audio is a separate, well-defined codec, but its preferred and typical extensions are .mpc (and historically .mp+ / .mpp are also seen). The Musepack specification explicitly prefers .mpc, so an .mp file is usually not a Musepack audio file based on standards-oriented documentation.
Other meanings of .MP
The extension .MP is used by several programs. Besides the file type described on this page, it can also stand for:
- LaTeX MetaPost File
- Maya PLE Project File
Further reading
Authoritative resources for more details on the .MP format.
- IANA Media Types Registry
- Shared MIME-info Database Specification (freedesktop.org)
- Freedesktop shared-mime-info database (freedesktop.org.xml) — raw source
- MP File Extension - What is it? How to open an MP file? (FileInfo.com)
- File Extension .MP Details (FileExt.com)
- SV8 Specification — Mutagen Specs (Musepack)
Common .MP issues
“Windows can’t open this file” / no associated app
Because .mp is used by multiple unrelated formats, the OS often cannot pick a correct default application.
- Confirm where the file came from (which app/site/device created it) and install or use that exact program to open/import it.
- Avoid guessing based only on the extension; if you must investigate, open a copy in a text editor to look for identifying strings or headers.
Mistaken identity as Musepack audio
Musepack is an audio codec, but its preferred extension is .mpc (and .mp+/.mpp are also seen). An .mp file is usually not Musepack purely based on extension conventions.
- Check whether you actually have a Musepack file; look for .mpc, .mp+, or .mpp naming instead of .mp.
- If the file is truly audio, use a tool that can identify codecs by file signature rather than extension; if it is not audio, locate the originating application.
Linux desktop opens the file with the wrong app (or none)
Linux desktop association relies on shared-mime-info mappings; ambiguous extensions like .mp may not map cleanly to a single MIME type and can be mis-associated.
- Use the file(1) command to identify the content if possible, then open it with the appropriate application.
- If it’s clearly a project/data file, open it from within the creating application instead of relying on double-click association.
FAQ
Is .mp a standard audio or video format?
Not as a single standardized format. Musepack is an audio codec, but standards-oriented documentation indicates the preferred extension is .mpc (and .mp+/.mpp are also used), not .mp.
What MIME type is an .mp file?
There is no single official MIME type you can safely assign to all .mp files. The IANA media types registry is authoritative for standardized types, and .mp does not correspond to one universal registered media type across its real-world uses.
How can I figure out what my .mp file really is?
The most reliable clue is the file’s source (which software created it). If that’s unknown, inspect the file with identification tools (e.g., file(1) on Linux) or open a copy in a text editor to look for creator/version strings or obvious format markers.
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