What is the SESX file format?
Files with the .sesx extension belong to the category of session files created by Adobe Audition, a professional audio production application.
.sesx files do not contain sounds or audio samples - they store only references to the external media files used in a project, along with all session parameters: track layout, mixer state, applied effects, and clip positions. Moving or renaming the referenced audio files after saving a session causes Audition to display "file offline" warnings when the .sesx file is reopened.
The .sesx format is proprietary to Adobe Audition, but its content is written using the XML markup language, which means sessions can be inspected or manually edited in any text editor. .sesx files are used for transferring sessions between computers, sharing work with collaborators, or archiving progress on a project.
The .sesx format replaced the older .SES format used in earlier versions of Audition and its predecessor Cool Edit Pro, which had a proprietary binary structure. Audition CS5.5 and later can export sessions as OMF for interchange with Pro Tools and other DAWs.
A legacy .ses file can be migrated using the ses2sesx converter available on Adobe Exchange. The .sesx format has remained schema-stable across Audition CS and CC generations.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWSESX files are plain XML; they cannot contain executable code. The risk is data loss: if referenced audio files are missing or moved, the session cannot reconstruct audio. No known malware vector for .sesx.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open SESX files
Windows1 app
Adobe Audition
Paid File > Open, select the .sesx file. Ensure all referenced audio files are accessible at their recorded paths. 
macOS1 app
Adobe Audition
Paid File > Open, select the .sesx file. Ensure all referenced audio files are at their recorded paths. Technical details
deep spec| Encoding | Plain text, UTF-8 |
| Container | Plain XML; root element is <session> |
| Audio data embedded | None - all audio is referenced as external files; .sesx stores only paths and project metadata |
| File magic | <?xml at offset 0 (standard XML declaration); root element <session> |
| Typical file size | 5 KB - 500 KB (no media embedded; size reflects project complexity) |
| MIME type | application/xml |
| Master sample rate | Stored in the <session sampleRate="..."> XML attribute; each referenced file may have its own individual sample rate |
| Session data stored | Tracks, clips, buses, mixer state, effect chain settings, relative and absolute paths to external audio/video files |
| Version compatibility | Schema-stable across Audition 3.0 (2007), CS, and CC generations; no explicit version field in the XML |
| Associated OS | Windows, macOS |
| Predecessor format | .ses (Cool Edit Pro / Audition 1.x-2.x) - proprietary binary format replaced by .sesx in Audition 3.0 (November 2007) |
| DAW interoperability | Audition CS5.5+ can export sessions as OMF for Pro Tools and other DAW interchange |
| Released | November 2007, Adobe Audition 3.0 |
| Latest version | Compatible with Audition CC 2024 (no version field - format is schema-stable) |
| Specification | helpx.adobe.com |
SESX conversions
Community Q&A
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