Extract text from Final Draft screenplays (FDX)
To convert FDX screenplays to another format, you need Final Draft or other Text software.
To convert other file formats to the "Screenplay Document" file type, you need software like Final Draft or a similar tool.
The .FDX file is an XML-based screenplay script document used by Final Draft, the industry-standard screenwriting software. It stores formatted text, scene notes, character names, and script metadata.
The primary disadvantage of the .FDX format is that it requires an expensive commercial software license to open and edit correctly. While the underlying structure is plain XML, opening it in a standard text editor reveals messy code tags rather than a readable script. Furthermore, sending a .FDX file to an actor or producer who does not own the software means they cannot read it natively on their phone or web browser.
To share a script safely, you must convert it. The absolute best target format is PDF, which locks the page layout. In the film industry, one formatted page roughly equals one minute of screen time, making exact pagination critical. Alternatively, you can convert it to DOCX or plain TXT, but this usually destroys the strict margins and line spacing required by studios.
Because .FDX uses a highly specific proprietary schema, many standard online converters fail to process the formatting correctly. Often, only the original software can perfectly read or export the exact layout data.
Convert.Guru analyzes your FDX file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted PDF, FOUNTAIN, FDR, FDXT, FADEIN, DOCX, FDX COPY, FBX, XML, TXT, ZIP, SCRITE and FXD files.
If you want to convert FDX file to PDF, FOUNTAIN, CELTX, TXT, RTF, DOC, DOCX, ODT, PAGES, TEX, LATEX or MD, you can use Final Draft or similar software from the "Screenplay Script Document" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert PDF, DOC, ASC, TODO, NFO, MEMO, README, DOCX, JPG, TXT, NOTE or RTF files to FDX, try Final Draft or another comparable tool in the "Screenplay Script Document" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our FDX converter.