Transcript File Formats: Which One Do You Need?

Author: Hushscript | Published: July 10, 2026 | Last reviewed: July 22, 2026

There are 21 transcript file formats to choose from when you export out of Hushscript, a lot to scroll through if you don’t already know which one you need. Skip the list and start with what you’re about to do with the transcript next instead, and the right format falls out of that almost automatically.

Making subtitles or captions

Six formats are built for timed captions: SRT, VTT, ASS, TTML, SBV, and LRC. SRT is a widely supported default; the Library of Congress WebVTT description explains the .vtt format used for web video, while GOV.UK publishing guidance notes that publishing platforms may accept SRT, VTT, or SBV. ASS adds styling on top of timing, while TTML serves workflows that require richer timed text. LRC is designed for lyric-style synchronization. Always check the destination’s current import list before choosing.

Every one of these comes free with transcription through the subtitle generator. Pick your format at export, not before you start. If you already have a subtitle file and just need it in a different format, that’s a smaller job than transcribing: the free subtitle converter swaps SRT, VTT, ASS, TTML, and SBV between each other directly in your browser, with nothing to transcribe.

Putting it in a document

DOCX, PDF, XLSX, ODS, and ODT cover the office case. DOCX or ODT gives you a document you can mark up in a compatible editor; confirm the recipient’s app and version when compatibility matters. PDF is for a fixed handoff. XLSX and ODS put the transcript in a spreadsheet, one row per line, which is useful when you want to filter or sort by speaker or timestamp rather than read start to finish.

Feeding it into a pipeline

JSON, CSV, TSV, and XML are built for software, not people. JSON gives you a structured object with speaker and timestamp fields attached to each line, ready for a script to parse. CSV and TSV are the same data as a plain table, for a spreadsheet or a database import. XML covers systems that specifically expect it. None of these are meant to be read directly. They’re the input to something else.

Bringing it into an editing suite

FCPXML and EDL exist for one job: importing the transcript as timeline markers in a video editor. FCPXML is built for Final Cut; EDL covers Premiere, Resolve, and most other NLEs. Either one turns a transcript into clip markers on your timeline instead of a document you’d have to reference separately while you cut.

Archiving or handing off the whole thing

When a job needs several formats at once rather than one, a prebuilt archive pack bundles them: a Subtitle pack for caption files, a Research pack for text and data formats, an Office pack for documents, an Editor pack for timeline formats, or All formats for everything at once. Every archive ships as a password-protected .husharchive with a manifest and checksums, or as a standard AES-encrypted ZIP if the tool on the receiving end doesn’t open .husharchive files. If you receive a .husharchive from someone else, you can open, verify, and extract it in your browser too.

Quick reading and everyday text

TXT, Markdown, HTML, and RTF round out the list for the simplest case: you just want to read or paste the words somewhere. TXT opens in nearly any text editor. Markdown fits wikis and documentation tools. HTML can move into a web workflow. RTF is a compatibility option for document editors that do not accept DOCX.

A worked example

A video editor gets a two-hour interview back from Hushscript and needs two things out of it: caption files for the platform upload, and timeline markers so the assistant editor can jump to specific answers while cutting. One transcript, two exports (SRT for the captions, EDL for the Premiere timeline), with no retranscribing and no separate tool for either format.

Start with the transcript, not the format

The format question only comes up because Hushscript treats it as a last step, not a setup decision. Transcribe once on the audio to text page, then export whichever of the 21 formats the job in front of you actually needs, today and again later if the next job needs something different. For the captioning half of this specifically, how to add subtitles to a video walks through the export-and-sync step in more detail.