Guide

How to open Guitar Pro files (.gp, .gp5) without Guitar Pro

Downloaded a guitar tab that turned out to be a .gp5 or .gp file? You can open it, listen to it and practice with it right in your browser, without buying Guitar Pro.

What is a Guitar Pro file?

Guitar Pro is a paid program for writing and playing guitar tabs. Its files use different extensions depending on the version.

.gp3, .gp4, .gp5: older versions (3 to 5), still the most common tabs shared online
.gpx: Guitar Pro 6
.gp: Guitar Pro 7 and 8

They hold more than tab numbers: rhythm, tempo and every instrument track, so the right app can play them back with real sound.

Three ways to open them

Guitar Pro (paid): full-featured, but it costs money and needs to be installed on a computer.
Notation apps (free): MuseScore and TuxGuitar can import Guitar Pro files. They need installing, and some details may look different depending on the app and file version.
In the browser (ShedTab, free): nothing to install, works on phones, tablets and computers, with practice tools built in (slow down, loop, progress tracking).

Opening a file in ShedTab

Get the file: a .gp, .gpx, .gp5, .gp4 or .gp3 file, or a PDF exported from Guitar Pro.
Open ShedTab: go to shedtab.eitri.space in your browser. No install or sign-up.
Add the file: drop it on the box on the home page (or tap to choose it) and press Start practicing.
Play and practice: press play, pick a track (guitar, bass, drums), slow it down or loop a section.

What you can do once it's open

Change speed: slow down to 25% without changing pitch.
Loop and speed trainer: repeat just the hard bars and raise the tempo a little each pass.
Fretboard view: see where the notes being played sit on the neck.
Tone and key: switch between clean, distortion, acoustic and more, or transpose.
Progress tracking: every bar remembers the tempo you've reached.

Common problems

Scanned or photographed PDFs: they're images, not text, so they can't be opened yet. PDFs exported from Guitar Pro work.
A file won't open: it may be very old or damaged. ShedTab privately collects files that fail so they can be fixed.
No sound on a phone: check the volume and any Bluetooth connection.

Open a tab now