An AETX file serves as an XML version of an After Effects project template so the project can be stored in readable form rather than binary, making the structure easier to inspect across pipelines, capturing comps, folders, layers, timings, and settings, and typically containing comp parameters like resolution, frame rate, duration, nested comps, plus layer types, transforms, in/out points, parenting, 2D/3D features, blending, mattes, masks, and ordered effect parameters.
An AETX file normally holds animation details such as keyframes, easing, interpolation, paths, and expressions, and preserves text/shape data like text content with styling settings (font, size, tracking, alignment, fill/stroke), text animators, and vector paths, strokes, fills, and trim/repeater settings with transforms and keyframes, but it doesn’t embed footage, fonts, or plugins, relying instead on file paths and installed resources, so moving the file can lead to missing-footage or missing-plugin prompts; the standard workflow is to open/import it in After Effects, relink or replace assets, resolve warnings, and save to AEP/AET, though you can still read the XML in a text editor without achieving full reproduction.
Where you got the AETX is important because it usually hints at what should accompany it—assets, fonts, plugins, and licensing—and what problems you might face when opening it, especially if it came from a template marketplace or motion-graphics pack where the AETX is only one part of a bundle that normally includes an Assets folder, maybe a Preview folder, and a readme listing required fonts/plugins, so opening the AETX alone often triggers missing-footage prompts and the solution is to preserve the original folder structure or relink files, with licensed items intentionally excluded so you may need to download or substitute them.
If an AETX comes from a client or teammate, it’s usually a lightweight way for them to share the project skeleton while keeping large assets separate or because they’re working through Git/version control, making it essential to check whether they also provided a Collected project package or an assets folder, since missing those means lots of manual relinking, and the file may also depend on specific AE versions, plugins, or scripts, with studio-pipeline exports often containing path references that won’t exist on your machine, guaranteeing relinking unless everything was packaged correctly.
If an AETX comes from an unfamiliar email or forum link, its origin guides your precautions since it’s XML but can still reference outside assets or call for scripts/plugins you shouldn’t casually install, so treat it like any AE template by opening it in a clean environment, skipping dubious plugin requests, and expecting missing resources, then decide your next move based on the source—template marketplaces need their bundle folders, clients should supply collected packages, and pipeline files may require designated directory paths and AE versions Here is more info about AETX file windows stop by our website. .
