What is the JSX file format?
A .jsx file in the Adobe ecosystem is an ExtendScript automation script - a JavaScript-based program for controlling Adobe Creative Cloud applications such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and After Effects. ExtendScript is based on ECMAScript 3 (not modern ES6+) and extends it with an Adobe-specific DOM (objects like app, document, layer) plus utility classes such as File, Folder, and ScriptUI for building simple dialog interfaces.
Scripts typically begin with a #target directive (e.g., #target photoshop) that tells the ExtendScript engine which application to address. Common tasks include batch-exporting files, resizing layers, generating PDFs from templates, and automating repetitive production workflows.
The .jsx extension is also used by React for JSX (JavaScript XML) source files - a completely different context. When encountering a .jsx file, the surrounding project (an Adobe scripts folder vs. a web development project) determines its meaning.
The compiled, obfuscated form of an ExtendScript file is .jsxbin, which conceals source code while remaining executable by the Adobe engine. Scripts can be run from an application's Scripts menu, via the VS Code ExtendScript Debugger extension, or through BridgeTalk inter-application messaging.
Adobe is gradually replacing ExtendScript with UXP (Unified Extensibility Platform) using modern JavaScript engines, though ExtendScript remains supported across most current Creative Cloud applications.
Security & safety
RISK: MEDIUMA .jsx is executable code. ExtendScript can read, write and delete files on disk (via the File/Folder objects) and automate the host app, so running a .jsx from an untrusted source can be harmful. Inspect the script in a text editor first, be wary of file-system or network operations, and only enable "Allow Scripts to Write Files and Access Network" for scripts you trust. React .jsx source is also just code - same caution applies before running build tooling on it.
Format details
in a nutshell- React JSX (JavaScript XML) - Source files for React components mixing JavaScript with XML-like markup; transpiled by Babel, unrelated to Adobe.
- Generic JavaScript with JSX syntax - Any JS toolchain file using JSX syntax (Preact, Solid, etc.); a developer source file, not an Adobe script.
Programs that open JSX files
Windows4 apps
Adobe After Effects
Paid File > Scripts > Run Script File…, choose the .jsx (enable 'Allow Scripts to Write Files' for full access). 
Adobe Photoshop / Illustrator / InDesign
Paid File > Scripts > Browse… and select the .jsx to run it in that app.
Visual Studio Code (+ ExtendScript Debugger)
Open-source Open to read/edit the script; install Adobe's ExtendScript Debugger extension to run/debug. 
macOS2 apps
Adobe After Effects / Creative Cloud apps
Paid File > Scripts > Run Script File… to execute the .jsx in the host app.
Visual Studio Code (+ ExtendScript Debugger)
Open-source Open to edit; use the ExtendScript Debugger extension to run against an Adobe app. Technical details
deep spec| Encoding | Text, UTF-8 (BOM-aware); legacy files may use ASCII or Latin-1 |
| Container | Plain text |
| Encryption | None (compiled/obfuscated variant is .jsxbin) |
| Typical size | 1 KB - a few hundred KB |
| Script language | ECMAScript 3 with Adobe DOM extensions (app, document, layer objects) and ScriptUI for dialog building |
| Target directive | Optional #target <appname> or //@target preprocessor line routes the script to the correct Adobe application |
| Compiled form | .jsxbin - encoded/protected binary form that hides source code while remaining executable by the Adobe engine |
| Associated OS | Windows, macOS |
| Runtime | Adobe ExtendScript engine embedded in Creative Cloud apps; debugged via VS Code ExtendScript Debugger extension |
| Superseded by | Adobe UXP (Unified Extensibility Platform) with modern JavaScript engines in newer Creative Cloud apps |
| Name collision | .jsx is also used for React JSX (JavaScript XML) source files - a completely separate format with no relation to Adobe |
| Released | Early 2000s (Adobe Creative Suite scripting; ExtendScript based on ECMAScript 3) |
| Latest version | ExtendScript (ECMAScript 3-based) with the ExtendScript Toolkit/VS Code debugger; modern UXP is its successor |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | extendscript.docsforadobe.dev |
JSX conversions
Community Q&A
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