What is an .als file (and how to open one)
Updated July 2026
An .als file is an Ableton Live Set — the project file Ableton Live saves. Technically it's gzipped XML: a compressed text document describing your tracks, clips, devices, tempo and automation. It doesn't contain your audio; it references the samples stored alongside it in the Live project folder — which is why an .als on its own often isn't the whole project.
What's actually inside an .als file
When you save in Ableton Live, it writes everything about the arrangement of your music into the .als: track order and names, clip positions, MIDI notes, device chains, mixer settings, automation. The recordings and samples themselves stay separate — usually in a Samples subfolder of the Live project folder — and the .als just points at them by path.
That split is the single most useful thing to know about the format. Send someone the .als without its folder and they'll open a set full of "media files missing" warnings. Send the whole project folder (or use Live's Collect All and Save first) and everything travels together.
How to open an .als file
The straightforward answer: Ableton Live opens .als files — any edition (Intro, Standard or Suite), on macOS or Windows. Double-click the .als or drag it onto Live. If you don't own Live, Ableton offers a free trial, which is the quickest legitimate way to look inside a set someone sent you.
How to open an .als file without Ableton
Honestly: no other DAW opens an .als natively — not Logic, not FL Studio, not Cubase. It's Ableton's own format. But you have two real options.
1. Convert it to your DAW's format. If you work in Logic Pro, Doseedo converts the .als into a native .logicx project — a real, editable Logic project, not a folder of stems. Tracks arrive in order with names and colors; audio clips keep their fades and clip gain; MIDI notes, CC and pitch bend come across; multi-point tempo and time-signature maps, arrangement markers, volume, pan and breakpoint automation lanes, and buses and sends all carry over. Off-rate audio is resampled to the destination sample rate. On plugins, the honest picture: stock compressor, reverb, and delay settings map to the destination DAW's native devices with their core controls intact; other plugins arrive placed on the right track as device slots to re-fill — third-party preset state isn't reconstructed. It works in both directions (.logicx → .als too); the full spec is on the what-carries-over breakdown.
2. Peek at the raw XML. Because an .als is gzipped XML, you can decompress it (gunzip, or rename to .gz and extract) and read the markup in any text editor. It's a fun way to see how Live stores a set — track names, tempo, clip data are all in there — but it's a curiosity, not a workflow. You can't mix a song in a text editor.
Can you convert an .als to MP3?
Not with a file converter, no — and any tool claiming otherwise is glossing over what an .als is. The file contains no audio, only instructions for assembling it, so there's nothing to transcode. To get an MP3 you need to render the set: open it in Ableton Live and use Export Audio/Video, or ask whoever sent it for a bounce or stems. A project converter like Doseedo changes the project format (Ableton ↔ Logic), not the audio format.
.als vs .alp vs .asd — quick glossary
.als— Ableton Live Set. The project file itself: your tracks, clips and arrangement. The one this guide is about..alp— Ableton Live Pack. A compressed bundle Ableton uses to distribute content — sample libraries, presets, sometimes a whole project with its media. Live unpacks it on import..asd— analysis file. A small sidecar Live writes next to each audio file, caching its waveform overview and warp settings. Safe to delete; Live regenerates them (though saved warp tweaks stored in them would be lost).
Work in Logic? Convert the .als to a native Logic project
Upload the .als (with its samples) and download a real, editable .logicx — tracks, MIDI, automation, tempo maps and routing rebuilt natively. Free to start — see current plans. Your project uploads over an encrypted connection into a private space only you control — delete it anytime.
FAQ
Can Windows open an .als file?
Yes, if Ableton Live is installed — Live runs on both Windows and macOS, and an .als saved on one opens on the other. Without Live installed, Windows has no built-in way to open an .als.
Can Logic Pro open an .als file?
Not directly — Logic Pro can't read Ableton's format. You convert instead: Doseedo rebuilds the .als as a native Logic .logicx project, with tracks, clips, MIDI, tempo maps, markers, automation and routing carried over.
Why does my .als open with missing samples?
Because the .als only references audio — the actual files live in the Live project folder (usually a Samples subfolder). If the .als was moved or shared without that folder, Live can't find the audio. Share the whole project folder, or use Live's Collect All and Save first.
Is an .als the same as the project folder?
No. The .als is one file inside the project folder — the document describing your set. The folder also holds the samples and recordings the set points to. A complete, portable project is the folder; the .als alone is often incomplete.
Can I convert an .als to MP3?
Not with a file converter — an .als contains no audio to convert. Open the set in Ableton Live and use Export Audio/Video, or ask whoever made it for a bounce or stems. Project converters change the project format, not the audio format.