Does CapCut export XML?
By Greg Thompson, Founder, CutConvertPublished
No. CapCut desktop exports video, audio and captions. It has no XML, AAF or EDL export, and CapCut's help center says it can't move project files to or from other editors.
Your edit is still on your computer, in the project's draft_info.json. Convert that file to Premiere Pro XML, a DaVinci Resolve project or Final Cut Pro FCPXML, and the cuts open in the other app as separate, editable clips.
No. CapCut desktop can't export XML, FCPXML, AAF or EDL, so there's no button that hands your edit to Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut Pro. CapCut's own help center says it doesn't support importing or exporting project files from other editing software. The edit isn't lost, though. It's saved on your computer as the project's draft_info.json, and that file converts to XML.
What CapCut can export
CapCut's export window gives you finished media:
- a video file (MP4 or MOV)
- an audio-only file
- captions as an SRT file, where your version offers caption export
None of these carries the timeline.
Why a video export isn't the same as XML
A video is one flattened file. Every cut, speed change and title is baked into the picture. You can put it on another editor's timeline, but you can't trim a shot, swap a take or fix the music level without going back to CapCut.
XML is a list of instructions instead: this clip, from this frame to that frame, at this position, at this volume. The other editor rebuilds the timeline from your original footage, and every clip stays separate and editable.
How to get your CapCut edit into another editor
- Find the project file. Open CapCut's drafts folder. On a Mac it's
~/Movies/CapCut/User Data/Projects/com.lveditor.draft, on Windows%LOCALAPPDATA%\CapCut\User Data\Projects\com.lveditor.draft. Open your project's folder and takedraft_info.json. Where CapCut saves your projects has the details and the fixes for a missing folder. - Convert it for your editor. Drop the file on CapCut to Premiere Pro for XML, CapCut to DaVinci Resolve for a .drp project, CapCut to Final Cut Pro for FCPXML, or CapCut to Avid Media Composer for an AAF. If you shot on a camera, add your media folder on the same page so the clips keep their timecode.
- Import it. In Premiere Pro, File > Import. In DaVinci Resolve, File > Import Project in the Project Manager. In Final Cut Pro, File > Import > XML. The clips link to your media where CapCut had it. Anything you moved since editing, relink once.
We tested each converter by opening its output in the real app: Premiere Pro 26, the free DaVinci Resolve 21, Final Cut Pro 11 and Avid Media Composer.
What comes across from CapCut
| In CapCut | In the other editor |
|---|---|
| Cuts and trims | Same frames, same order, same tracks |
| Speed changes | Constant speed carries over. A speed curve keeps its average speed |
| Position, scale, rotation, opacity | Carried, keyframes included |
| Crop | Carried, with the same framing |
| Volume and fades | Carried |
| Transitions | Dissolves carry over. Other CapCut transitions become dissolves of the same length |
| Text and captions | Titles with the same words and timing |
| Reversed clips | Play forward. Reverse them again |
| Effects, filters, stickers, masks, text animations | Left out and listed by name in the conversion report |
| Blurred or image backgrounds | Left out. The other editor shows black behind the clip |
| CapCut library music and stock footage | Linked to CapCut's cache folder. Relink or replace them |
The effects gap is real, and it's on CapCut's side. Its effects are its own, and no other editor has them. The report tells you which clip used which effect, so rebuilding them is a checklist, not detective work.
Going the other way, into CapCut
CapCut can't import XML or project files from other editors either. CutConvert can build the CapCut project itself from Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro or Avid. You get a project folder to copy into CapCut's drafts folder, and the edit appears on CapCut's home screen.
Thinking about leaving CapCut for good? CapCut vs DaVinci Resolve covers when that's worth it.
FAQ
Does CapCut export XML? No. CapCut desktop has no XML, FCPXML, AAF or EDL export, and CapCut's help center says it doesn't support moving project files to other editors. Convert the project's draft_info.json instead.
Can I export a CapCut project to Premiere Pro? Not from CapCut. Drop the project's draft_info.json on the CapCut to Premiere Pro converter, then import the XML with File > Import. The clips link to your media where CapCut had it.
Why not export a video and edit that? You can, but it's one flattened file. Every cut is baked in, so you can't trim a shot, swap a take or fix the mix. A converted project keeps each clip separate and linked to the original footage.
What carries over from CapCut? Cuts, trims, speed, position, scale, rotation, opacity, crop, keyframes, volume, fades, dissolves and text. CapCut's effects, filters, stickers, masks and text animations don't exist in other editors, so the conversion report lists each one by name.
Can CapCut import XML from Premiere or Resolve? No. CutConvert can go that way too: it builds a CapCut project folder from a Premiere, Resolve, Final Cut or Avid edit. Copy the folder into CapCut's drafts folder, reopen CapCut, and the edit is on the home screen.
Is it free? CapCut projects up to 500 KB convert free. A bigger project is a $5 one-time conversion (up to 50 MB) or a Pro plan.
Greg Thompson · Founder, CutConvert
Greg builds CutConvert, the post-production file converter — including the first working decoder for Premiere Pro’s binary .prtranscript format. He writes these guides from the format specs and real editor workflows.