What is the OSP file format?
.osp (OpenShot Project File) is a file format used by OpenShot, a free, open-source video editing application. .osp files do not contain video, audio, or image data - they store only references to such resources. Each project file records the timeline layout of clips, video transitions, animations, effects, keyframes, and paths to the source media files on disk. Projects saved as .osp files can be further edited and exported to other formats at any given time. OpenShot uses FFmpeg via its libopenshot library, which supports a wide range of video and audio formats as well as static images.
Since OpenShot 2.0 (2016), .osp files are plain-text JSON documents (UTF-8) beginning with a { character. They contain a project profile - resolution, frame rate, audio sample rate - plus ordered arrays of clips, transitions and effects, making them inspectable in any text editor.
OpenShot is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS under an open-source license. The program is a nonlinear video editor that allows the user to edit individual frames without modifying the source video - all edit decisions are saved to the .osp file. Because the file stores paths (often absolute) rather than embedding media, moving the project without its source .mp4, .webm, or other media files will break the links.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWAn .osp is plain-text JSON describing edits and file paths - not executable and low risk. The only sensitive content is the file paths it exposes (which can reveal folder structure/usernames). The real-world frustration is missing-media errors, not malware. Get OpenShot only from openshot.org; some ad portals push fake "OSP openers" bundled with PUP/adware.
Format details
in a nutshell- OpenSong song/set file - The worship-software OpenSong saves song collections/sets that have been associated with .osp by some setups (its songs are XML).
- Outlook / Office stationery or profile data - Some legacy Microsoft/Office contexts used .osp for stationery or profile-related data.
Programs that open OSP files
Windows2 apps
OpenShot Video Editor
Open-source File > Open Project and select the .osp; ensure the referenced media files are reachable.
Any text editor (Notepad++ / VS Code)
Free Open the .osp to read or fix file paths in the JSON (advanced). 
macOS1 app
OpenShot Video Editor
Open-source File > Open Project, choose the .osp; relink media if paths differ from the original machine. 
Linux1 app
OpenShot Video Editor
Open-source Launch OpenShot, File > Open Project, select the .osp (install via AppImage, Flatpak or distro package). Technical details
deep spec| File type | Plain-text JSON video project file |
| MIME type | application/json |
| Text encoding | UTF-8 |
| Magic bytes | 0x7B ('{') at byte offset 0 - opening brace of a JSON object; no binary signature |
| Internal structure | Single JSON object: project profile (width, height, FPS, sample rate), plus arrays of clips, files, transitions, effects and keyframes |
| Media storage | References only - stores paths to source media; embeds no audio, video or image data |
| Path handling | File paths are often absolute; moving the project without its source files breaks the references |
| Compression | None - file is uncompressed plain text |
| Typical file size | A few KB to several MB, scaling with clip count and keyframe density |
| Rendering engine | libopenshot + FFmpeg - decodes referenced media and composites the timeline on export |
| Supported platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS |
| Schema version tracking | libopenshot version number recorded inside the project JSON |
| Audio sample rate | Defined in project profile (e.g. 44 100 Hz or 48 000 Hz) |
| Export formats | MP4, WebM, OGV, AVI, MKV and others via FFmpeg |
| Released | 2008 (OpenShot Video Editor); JSON project format adopted with OpenShot 2.0 (2016) |
| Latest version | OpenShot 3.x project schema (JSON) |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | www.openshot.org |
OSP conversions
Community Q&A
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