What is a .flp file (and how to open one)
Updated August 2026
Work in another DAW? Convert the .flp to a native project
Upload the .flp (or a zipped loop package with its samples) and download a native Ableton, Logic, or REAPER project — arrangement, MIDI, audio and markers rebuilt natively. Free to start — see current plans. Your project uploads over an encrypted connection into a private space only you control — delete it anytime.
A .flp file is a FL Studio project — the file FL Studio (the DAW once known as FruityLoops) saves. Unlike Ableton’s XML or REAPER’s plain text, it’s a binary format: an event stream only FL Studio itself reads natively.
It doesn’t contain your audio; it references samples by path. That’s why a bare .flp someone sends you usually opens with missing samples — the complete, portable version of an FL project is the zipped loop package, which bundles the .flp with its media.
What’s actually inside a .flp file
Everything about the project’s structure: the channel rack and its instruments, patterns with their notes, the playlist arranging patterns and audio clips on the timeline, mixer routing and levels, and automation clips. It’s stored as a compact stream of binary events — you can’t open it in a text editor the way you can a REAPER .rpp, and the format is undocumented officially, though it’s been reverse-engineered well enough that tools outside FL Studio can read it.
How to open a .flp file
The straightforward answer: FL Studio opens .flp files — on Windows or macOS, any edition. Double-click the file or drag it onto FL Studio. The free trial opens existing projects too, so it’s a legitimate way to look at a .flp someone sent you (the trial’s limitation is reopening projects it saved, not opening theirs). FL Studio’s lifetime free updates mean the current version opens projects from older versions — the reverse is not guaranteed.
How to open a .flp without FL Studio
No other DAW opens a .flp natively — not Ableton, not Logic, not REAPER. But you can convert it to your DAW’s own format: Doseedo converts a .flp into a native Ableton .als, Logic .logicx, REAPER, or Pro Tools project — a real, editable project, not a folder of stems. Tracks arrive in order with names and colors, MIDI notes come across with their velocities, audio clips land where they were with their media, and markers, tempo and time signature, and per-track volume, pan and mute carry. The honest limits: plugin/device state and automation envelopes don’t cross an FL or REAPER boundary yet — tracks arrive named and placed with empty device chains. Every direction converts back to a native .flp too; the full spec is on the what-carries-over breakdown.
Can you convert a .flp to MP3?
Not with a file converter — the file contains no audio, only the project that assembles it. To get an MP3 you render: open the project in FL Studio and use File → Export, or ask whoever sent it for a bounce or stems. A project converter like Doseedo changes the project format (FL Studio ↔ Ableton ↔ Logic ↔ REAPER ↔ Pro Tools), not the audio format.
.flp vs zipped loop package vs .fst — quick glossary
.flp— FL Studio project. The project file itself: patterns, playlist, channel rack, mixer, automation. The one this guide is about.- Zipped loop package (
.zip) — FL Studio’s “collect and save”: the.flpplus its samples in one archive. The right way to share an FL project. .fst— FL Studio state file. A saved preset for a channel, mixer track, or plugin — a fragment you drop into a project, not a project itself.
Work in another DAW? Convert the .flp to a native project
Upload the .flp (or a zipped loop package with its samples) and download a native Ableton, Logic, or REAPER project — arrangement, MIDI, audio and markers rebuilt natively. Free to start — see current plans. Your project uploads over an encrypted connection into a private space only you control — delete it anytime.
FAQ
Can a Mac open a .flp file?
Yes, if FL Studio is installed — FL Studio runs natively on both Windows and macOS, and a .flp saved on one opens on the other. Without FL Studio installed, macOS has no built-in way to open a .flp.
Can Ableton, Logic, or REAPER open a .flp file?
Not directly — no other DAW reads FL Studio’s format. You convert instead: Doseedo rebuilds the .flp as a native Ableton .als, Logic .logicx, REAPER .rpp, or Pro Tools .ptx project. The arrangement, MIDI, audio clips, markers, tempo and track levels arrive editable; third-party instruments carry into Live with their patches and FL’s stock mixer effects map to native devices; third-party effect state and automation don’t carry yet.
Why does my .flp open with missing samples?
Because a .flp references its audio by path rather than embedding it. If the project was shared as a bare .flp, FL Studio can’t find the samples on your machine. Ask for a zipped loop package (File → Export → Zipped loop package), which bundles the .flp with its samples.
Why won’t an older FL Studio open my .flp?
FL Studio project files are not fully backwards-compatible — a .flp saved in a newer version may refuse to open, or open incompletely, in an older one. Updating FL Studio (lifetime free updates) is the fix.
Can I convert a .flp to MP3?
Not with a file converter — a .flp contains no audio to transcode, only the project that assembles it. Open it in FL Studio and use File → Export, or ask whoever made it for a bounce. Project converters change the project format, not the audio format.