What is an FDX file and how do you open it?
Final Draft's file format is really just XML. How it differs from Fountain, how to open one, and what you can do without Final Draft.
.fdx is Final Draft's own file format. The name comes from "Final Draft XML", and it really is XML inside — not a compressed container, just plain text marked up with tags. Open an .fdx in a text editor and you can read the whole screenplay; you will simply see tags around it.
How is it different from Fountain?
Both are text-based, but they aim at different things. Fountain carries only what you wrote; FDX also carries how it looks and the production data around it: revision colours, locked scene numbers, notes, the cast list, page layout settings.
| Fountain | FDX | |
|---|---|---|
| Content | yes | yes |
| Format settings | no | yes |
| Revision tracking | no | yes |
| Human readability | high | medium |
| App independence | full | partial |
The practical rule: Fountain while you write, FDX when you go into production. Production companies and agencies usually ask for FDX, because scheduling software reads it.
How to open an FDX file
If you do not own Final Draft, don't panic — FDX is not a sealed box.
- In the browser — in Movrito, pick FDX when creating a new document and upload the file. Nothing to install.
- In a text editor — if you only need to read it, any editor will do. You don't have to rename it to
.xml. - By converting — tools exist that turn FDX into Fountain or PDF. Movrito exports to both.
A broken FDX
Because FDX is XML, a single bad character can make the whole file unopenable. If a file refuses to open, view it in a text editor and check that it still starts with <?xml and <FinalDraft. If those lines are there, the file is probably fine and the problem is the app you are opening it with.
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All of these rules come built in. Runs in the browser, nothing to install.
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