Convert GPX to GP5

A collaborator using Guitar Pro 5 may need an older score format when a Guitar Pro 6 project will not open in that installation. The conversion applies only to Guitar Pro project files; a GPS navigation file with the same .gpx extension cannot become a musical .gp5 score.

What the GPX format is

.gpx is an ambiguous extension. GPS Exchange Format files are XML documents containing tracks, routes, waypoints, coordinates, elevations, and timestamps; Garmin BaseCamp, Komoot, Strava, Gaia GPS, and mapping applications commonly use them.

Guitar Pro 6 also uses .gpx for its native project files. A Guitar Pro GPX contains tablature, standard notation, instruments, articulations, effects, lyrics, tempo, and score layout. This is the type of GPX file that can be exported to .gp5.

What the GP5 format is

.gp5 is the Guitar Pro 5 score format, storing tablature, notation, rhythms, effects, lyrics, and playback information in a format supported by Guitar Pro 5 and applications such as TuxGuitar. Its main advantage is compatibility with older installations and software that does not read newer Guitar Pro projects.

GP5 is an older, proprietary score format rather than a GPS format. A navigation GPX contains no musical structures for a GP5 file to represent.

How to convert a Guitar Pro GPX file

Using Guitar Pro 6

1. Open the project in a licensed Guitar Pro 6 installation through File → Open. The original application usually gives the most faithful result.
2. Check tuplets, bends, slides, voices, percussion notation, lyrics, tempo, and page layout before exporting.
3. Choose File → Export → Guitar Pro 5 or the equivalent GP5 export command, then save the file with a .gp5 extension.
4. Open the exported file in Guitar Pro 5 and check playback and notation. Menu names and available export formats vary by release; an edition offering only PDF, MIDI, MusicXML, or audio export cannot create a native GP5 file through those options.

Using TuxGuitar

Recent TuxGuitar versions can open many Guitar Pro 6 GPX files and save them in Guitar Pro 5 format:

1. Choose File → Open and select the Guitar Pro .gpx project.
2. Review the imported score, because support for newer Guitar Pro objects varies by TuxGuitar version.
3. Choose File → Save As, select Guitar Pro 5 or .gp5 as the format, and save a copy.
4. Reopen the copy in the intended target application and verify notation, effects, lyrics, and playback.

There is no dependable general-purpose online service for converting native Guitar Pro GPX files to GP5. Services that advertise GPX conversion often support only GPS XML, not Guitar Pro's binary project format; upload a score only when a service explicitly lists both Guitar Pro GPX input and GP5 output and its data policy is acceptable.

How to identify a GPS GPX file

A Guitar Pro GPX is normally a binary project, while a navigation GPX is readable XML. Open a copy in a text editor and look for elements such as <gpx>, <trk>, <rte>, or <wpt>. For navigation conversion, GPS Visualizer and mapping software can convert the file to formats such as KML, FIT, CSV, or GeoJSON; renaming it to .gp5 does not create a score.

Quality and compatibility limits

GPX-to-GP5 export is a downgrade from Guitar Pro 6. Features unavailable in GP5, newer notation objects, unsupported effects, some layout settings, and certain playback data may be simplified, omitted, or rendered differently. Preserve the original .gpx as the master file and use .gp5 as a compatibility copy.