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How to open a Photo Story 3 (.wp3) file on Windows 10 and 11

A .wp3 file is a project from Microsoft Photo Story 3, the free slideshow maker many schools and families used in the 2000s. Photo Story 3 was made for Windows XP and Microsoft no longer offers it, so on a Windows 10 or 11 PC the file usually opens nowhere. The good news: the photos, narration and music are stored inside the .wp3, so the story can still be recovered.

Get it from Microsoft Store

WLMP Project Converter for Windows, by SoyaTools, opens .wp3 files. Opening, copying the photos out and previewing are free. Pro ($9.99, one-time) saves the story as an MP4.

Updated November 13, 2026 · 5 minute read

Why a .wp3 file won’t open

When Microsoft released Photo Story 3 in 2004, its announcement said it was free and could only be installed on Windows XP. We found no current Microsoft download or support page for it: the old Microsoft Download Center page for Photo Story 3 now returns “not found”. Windows 10 and 11 do not include a program that opens .wp3 files, and the Photos app and video editors read media files, not Photo Story projects.

A .wp3 is not a video. It is a project: a list of photos with their pan and zoom, text, transitions, narration and music. Unlike Windows Live Movie Maker projects (.wlmp), which only point to photos stored elsewhere, a .wp3 keeps its photos, narration and music inside the file. That means nothing is missing, even if the original photo folders are long gone.

Free options

1. Use Photo Story 3 on an old PC

If you still have a Windows XP PC with Photo Story 3 installed, open the project there and save the story as a video. Be careful with Photo Story installers from download sites: they are not from Microsoft, and you cannot easily check what they contain.

2. Take the files out with a Windows command

Windows has a built-in expand command for compressed cabinet files (Microsoft documentation). In our tests it took the files straight out of a .wp3:

  1. Create an empty folder, for example C:\story.
  2. Open Command Prompt from the Start menu.
  3. Type expand "C:\path\to\story.wp3" -F:* C:\story and press Enter.

You get the photos, the narration recordings (narration0.wav …), the music (SoundTrack0.mp3 …) and a project.xml file. The photos come out with numbered names such as 0.jpg and 1.jpg, not their original names, and the pan and zoom, text and timing are only described in project.xml. You can rebuild the slideshow by hand in a video editor; for example, Clipchamp comes with Windows 11 and accepts JPG, MP3 and WAV files (Clipchamp supported file types), but it does not open the .wp3 project itself.

Open the .wp3 with WLMP Project Converter

WLMP Project Converter was made for Movie Maker projects and also opens Photo Story 3 files.

  1. Install WLMP Project Converter from Microsoft Store.
  2. Open the .wp3 file in the app.
  3. Copy the photos out (free). They are saved with their original names, in story order.
  4. Preview the story (free).
  5. With Pro, save it as an MP4 with the same pan and zoom, text, narration and music.
FreePro ($9.99, one-time)
Open a .wp3YesYes
Copy photos out with original names, in story orderYesYes
Preview the storyYesYes
Save as MP4 with pan and zoom, text, narration and music—Yes

What may differ from the original

Files are processed on your PC and are not uploaded. See the Privacy Policy.

FAQ

Can I just rename .wp3 to .mp4 or .wmv?

No. A .wp3 is a project with photos and sound inside, not a video file. It has to be turned into a video by Photo Story 3 or another program that reads the project.

Are my photos really inside the .wp3?

Yes. Photo Story 3 stores the photos, narration and music in the .wp3 file, so you do not need the original photo folders. You can copy the photos out for free in WLMP Project Converter, or with the Windows expand command (with numbered names).

Will the MP4 look exactly like the original story?

Close, but not always exactly. Pan and zoom, text, narration and music are kept; photo effects such as black and white are not applied, and music timing and volume are matched as closely as possible. The app lists the differences before you export.

Where can I download Photo Story 3 for Windows 11?

Microsoft made it for Windows XP and its download page no longer works. We do not recommend installers from other download sites.

Get it from Microsoft Store

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