What Is an AV File?

It could be a document or a video. Here's how to open or convert both kinds

By
Tim Fisher
Photo of Tim Fisher, Lifewire GM and Writer
Tim Fisher
Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability
  • Emporia State University
Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the SVP and General Manager of Lifewire.
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Updated on September 8, 2022

What to Know

  • Some AV files are documents used by Final Draft AV.
  • Others are videos that can be opened with Yoosee.
  • How you convert it depends on the format it's in.

This article explains what an AV file is, how to use one on your computer, and how to convert one to a different file format, like MP4.

What Is an AV File?

Some files that use the AV file extension are documents created by Final Draft AV version 1. Later editions create documents with the .XAV file extension instead. Template files use the similar XAVT file format.

Final Draft AV is a word processor program that simplifies the process of adding dialogue, scenes, character information, and other things necessary for a script. AV files are used by the program to store this information.

If your AV file isn't a document, it's most likely a video. Some cameras use this file extension for storing video data.

AV files in Windows 10 that open with Final Draft

AV (or A/V) also stands for "audio/visual" when referring to composite and component AV cables.

How to Open an AV File

Final Draft AV, a scriptwriting software program for Windows and macOS, is used to open XAV and AV files that are document files. Since they're based on the XML format and are therefore plain text files, you can also open XAV and AV files with a text editor.

Final Draft AV is no longer available for download, and newer Final Draft products from the Final Draft website use FDX files as the replacement for documents. However, Final Draft AV version 2 is available for download from Softpedia, and it does support opening AV files.

The only software we know that might support video files that use the .AV file extension is Yoosee. However, given that it's not a popular file extension for videos, it's possible you can just rename the file to something more common like, MP4 or AVI and then open it with VLC. This will only work if the AV file is technically an MP4, AVI, etc., but is using the AV file extension.

If you find that an application on your PC does try to open the file, but it's the wrong application, or you'd rather have another installed program open it, you can change file associations in Windows.

How to Convert an AV File

Final Draft AV can convert a document to similar and more popular formats like PDF, RTF, TXT, FCV, XAV, and XAVT, through the File > Save As menu.

Yoosee, linked above, should be able to convert from AV to MP4. From there, you can use a free video converter to save the MP4 to another preferred video format.

Still Can't Open the File?

If your file still won't open even after trying the suggestions above, then you're probably not dealing with a Final Draft document or a video. You might be misreading the file extension, which is remarkably easy to do, especially with two-letter extensions.

For example, AVI, AVHD, AVS, and AVE look similar to AV, but that doesn't necessarily mean the formats have anything to do with each other. You might get an error if you open one of those files with an AV file opener, and vice versa.

MAV is another to watch out for. This could easily be confused for an AV file. You need Microsoft Access to open it.

FAQ
  • How do I view an AV file on Windows Media Player?

    Windows Media Player doesn't support files with the AV extension. Change the file into a compatible format like MP4 or AVI by changing the file extension, or use an online converter tool.

  • What is the difference between an AV and AVI file?

    AVI, or Audio Video Interleave, is a file format created by Microsoft for storing video and audio data. Although AV serves a similar purpose, the formats are compatible with different programs. AVI files can be encoded with different video and audio codecs, which must be installed to open the file.

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