Convert GPX to GP

A legacy Guitar Pro application or tablature editor may require the older .gp format, while a score received from Guitar Pro 6 or later commonly uses .gpx. The conversion requires an actual export because renaming the extension does not change the file structure.

What the GPX format is

.gpx is a Guitar Pro project format used for guitar tablature and standard notation. It can store notes, rhythms, lyrics, chord diagrams, tunings, articulations, effects, repeats, instrument settings, and page layout. Guitar Pro 6 creates GPX files; later Guitar Pro releases can open many GPX files, although compatibility depends on the file version and features used.

GPX files are used by guitarists, bassists, educators, arrangers, and composers to edit, play back, print, and exchange complete tablature projects. They may contain data that older Guitar Pro releases cannot represent.

What the GP format is

.gp normally identifies a Guitar Pro 1 or Guitar Pro 2 score. It is a much older binary format with fewer notation, playback, effect, and layout features than GP3, GP4, GP5, or GPX.

Its main advantage is compatibility with software that specifically supports the earliest Guitar Pro files, together with a small file size and a simple legacy data model. It has no practical advantage for modern editing. Software described as supporting “GP files” may instead mean .gp3, .gp4, .gp5, or .gpx, so verify the receiving program's exact requirements.

How to convert GPX to GP

Current Guitar Pro versions do not provide a dependable direct export to the original Guitar Pro 1/2 .gp format. The most reliable compatibility conversion is to export GP5:

1. Open the GPX file in Guitar Pro 6, Guitar Pro 7, or a compatible newer release with File → Open.
2. Review the score before exporting, especially tunings, tuplets, bends, slides, harmonics, grace notes, lyrics, repeats, automation, and page layout.
3. Choose File → Export → Guitar Pro 5 and save the result as .gp5. Supported Guitar Pro versions provide this legacy export, although menu names can vary by release.
4. Open the .gp5 file in the receiving application. Use GP5 instead of changing its extension if that application accepts GP5.

If the receiving software truly accepts only Guitar Pro 1/2 .gp files, there is no generally reliable modern conversion path. A legacy Guitar Pro release or a specialist utility might handle a manual downgrade, but exporting GP5 and renaming it to .gp will not work because the internal format remains GP5. In many cases, recreating the score in the legacy program is the only dependable option.

TuxGuitar and MuseScore can serve as desktop alternatives when the destination accepts another interchange format: import the GPX file, then export MusicXML or MIDI as appropriate. Neither should be treated as a guaranteed GPX-to-GP converter, and MusicXML or MIDI will not preserve every Guitar Pro effect or layout feature.

No reputable general-purpose online converter can be assumed to perform this specific GPX-to-GP downgrade. A service should be used only if it explicitly lists both Guitar Pro GPX input and Guitar Pro 1/2 GP output, documents its conversion engine, and is acceptable for the score's privacy requirements. Do not upload unpublished compositions to an unverified file-conversion site.

Quality and compatibility limits

Downgrading GPX to GP5 is lossy. Older formats may discard newer effects, notation symbols, instrument definitions, sound settings, automation, page-formatting data, and unsupported rhythmic structures. The original GPX file should remain unchanged as the master copy.

After conversion, inspect the score in notation and tablature views, check playback and bar structure, and compare the printed layout. Confirm the receiving program's supported Guitar Pro generation before distributing the file; the .gp extension alone does not identify all compatibility details.