What Is an ADTS File?

This article explains what an ADTS file is, how to open one, and how to convert one to a different format, such as another audio format, so that it's usable in other software.

What Is an ADTS File?

A file with the ADTS file extension is an Audio Data Transport Stream file. This format stores sections of an audio file in various frames, each of which include the audio data and header information. AAC files streamed online are often transferred in the ADTS format.

If your ADTS file isn't associated with audio, it might instead be a text file from Autodesk's AutoCAD software.

How to Open an ADTS File

You can play ADTS audio files with VLC, Windows Media Player, and probably also some other popular media player applications.

Autodesk's AutoCAD can create ADTS files from an AUDIT command for troubleshooting purposes. These are text-only files that can be opened with a text editor.

Do you have an ADT file? If it's not an audio file, it may be an ACT! Document Template file used with Swiftpage Act!. Another possibility is that it's used with the World of Warcraft game as a format for storing information on objects and maps.

How to Convert an ADTS File

A free file converter like Freemake Video Converter (which supports video and audio formats) can convert an ADTS file to another audio format like MP3, WAV, etc. The same company's audio converter—Freemake Audio Converter—can do the job as well.

AutoCAD ADTS files can be saved to a different text format with a text editor/viewer like Notepad in Windows. If you want an advanced text editor or need to open the ADTS file on a Mac, see our Best Free Text Editors list.

Still Can't Open It?

If you can't get your file to open with the programs mentioned above, there's a good chance that it's not actually in any of those formats. Instead, what might be happening is that you're confusing a different file for one that ends with ADTS, which can happen fairly easily if the two share some of the same file extension letters.

For example, ADS files are Ada specification files that can't open with a music player like Audio Data Transport Stream files. They share some of the same file extension letters as ADTS files, but aren't related to any type of audio format.

The same can be said for ATS, TS, TDS, and others that look similar.

If you don't really have an ADTS file, research the file extension that appears after the filename to learn more about the format and which programs are able to open or convert it.