Video conversion
Convert 3GP to WMV
Updated Jul 2026
3GP is the tiny, low-quality video format older mobile phones used to save space, and WMV is Windows Media Video, the format Windows Media Player and older Windows editing tools expect. To convert 3GP to WMV, open the file in a converter and export it as WMV. Doing this on your own computer means the video never leaves your machine.
- Extension
- .3gp
- Type
- Video
- Typically
- Old mobile phones
- Compression
- Lossy
- Extension
- .wmv
- Type
- Video
- Typically
- Windows video
- Compression
- Lossy
Convert 3GP to WMV on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert 3GP to WMV
- Open Morphjet and drag in the 3GP video you want to convert, or drop in a whole folder of old phone clips at once.
- Choose WMV as the output format.
- Convert. The WMV file is written next to your original, and nothing leaves your machine.
3GP vs WMV: what actually changes
| 3GP | WMV | |
|---|---|---|
| Opens everywhere | Rarely, mostly old mobile phones | Yes on Windows by default, needs a separate player on Mac |
| File size | Very small, built for slow mobile networks | Larger, but still reasonably compact |
| Quality | Low resolution, heavy compression | Can be encoded cleanly, but can't add detail the 3GP never had |
| Works in Windows tools | Not recognized by most | Opens directly in Windows Media Player and older Windows editors |
| Editing support | Poorly supported by modern editors | Widely accepted by Windows-based video editors |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert 3GP to WMV when you've pulled old clips off a feature phone or early smartphone and want to watch, edit, or share them using Windows Media Player or a Windows editor that doesn't recognize 3GP.
Keep the 3GP original if you're just archiving old phone footage as-is, since converting won't improve picture quality that was baked in years ago, it only makes the file play in more places.
Why not just use an online converter?
3GP clips are often old, personal videos, years of family phone footage nobody thought to back up anywhere else. Uploading them to an online converter to get a WMV file means that footage sits on someone else's server, even if only briefly. Converting on your own computer keeps those old clips exactly where they've always been, on your machine.
Questions
Does converting 3GP to WMV improve the video quality?
No. WMV can encode video more efficiently than 3GP, but it can't recover detail that was never captured. The clip will still look like what it is, low-resolution mobile video, just in a format more things can open.
Will a WMV file play on a Mac or iPhone?
Not natively. Windows Media Player and Windows-based editors open WMV directly, but Mac and most phones need a separate player installed. If you mainly use Apple devices, MP4 is usually the better target format.
Why were old phone videos saved as 3GP in the first place?
3GP was built for early mobile networks, small enough to send as an MMS message or store on a phone with very little memory. It traded quality for size, which is why the format feels so dated now.
Can I convert 3GP to WMV without uploading the file anywhere?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet converts the file locally, so the video never travels over the internet. You can do it with your wifi off.
Can I convert a whole folder of old 3GP clips at once?
Yes. You can drag an entire folder in and convert every clip to WMV in one pass, rather than opening them one at a time.
Morphjet converts 3GP, WMV, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.