The .trs file is FTR's session record: it declares which .trm audio segments belong to one continuous recording session, in what order, with the recorder's own timestamps and the session's total duration. It carries no audio itself — but it is the authoritative answer to which segments make up a session and how they join together, which is why the .trs files should always travel with their .trm files.

Why are there so many .trm files for one hearing?

FTR records in segments — the recorder writes a new .trm file at intervals and whenever recording stops and restarts, so a single court day commonly produces dozens of files. The accompanying .trs session files document how the segments chain back together into continuous sessions. A full day can easily run to 70 or more .trm files; joined in the recorder's declared order, they replay as the continuous proceeding.

Stenobox Guides · Working with court audio

FTR recordings: what .trm files are and how to get a transcript

Q: How do I open a .trm file?

A .trm file is a courtroom recording from FTR (For The Record), in FTR's own media format — ordinary audio players won't decode it. The free FTR Player, downloadable from For The Record, plays .trm recordings with channel isolation and variable-speed playback. Transcription services that accept FTR files directly can skip the player entirely — you upload the case folder as-is.

Q: Can I convert a .trm file to MP3?

Yes, through FTR's own software: play the recording in the free FTR Player and use FTR's export tools to save standard audio such as MP3 or WAV, which any transcription workflow can then use. A service that reads .trm files directly removes the conversion step — the FTR folder itself is the upload.

Published August 20, 2026 · Sources: For The Record company and product materials, Tyler Technologies acquisition announcement (April 2026), and hands-on work with real FTR case files

Quick answer: A .trm file is a courtroom recording from FTR (For The Record) — the recording system installed in tens of thousands of courtrooms — and it won't open in a normal audio player because the audio inside is in FTR's own format. Two routes to a transcript: play and export the audio with FTR's free player and transcribe as usual, or upload the whole FTR case folder to a service that reads the files directly. Either way, keep the .trs and log files with the audio — they carry the session order and the case information.

What FTR is, and why you keep running into these files

For The Record — FTR to everyone who works with it — makes the digital recording systems wired into courtrooms themselves: the microphones at the bench, the witness stand, and counsel tables feed a recorder that captures the official record of the proceeding. The company says it has modernized more than 30,000 courtrooms across 70+ countries, and in several states its equipment is simply how the record is made in courtrooms that record instead of employing a stenographer. In April 2026, FTR was acquired by Tyler Technologies, the company behind much of the country's court case-management software.

For transcribers and court reporters, that means one thing: when a transcript is ordered from a recorded courtroom — an appeal, a motion hearing, a full trial day — what the court hands over is often not an MP3. It's a folder of FTR's native files. Double-click one and nothing opens; drop it into an audio editor and the file is rejected. The recording is fine. It's just in a format only FTR's own software (and very little else) understands.

What's actually in an FTR case folder

A typical handoff contains three kinds of files, and all three matter:

File	What it is	Why it matters
.trm	The recording itself — multichannel courtroom audio in FTR's own media format. FTR records the room on separate channels (different microphones), which is why FTR Player offers channel isolation.	This is the record. It won't play in normal software.
.trs	FTR's session record: which .trm segments form one continuous session, in what order, with the recorder's timestamps and the session's total duration.	The authoritative answer to "what order do these play in?" Never separate it from its audio.
.htm log	The clerk's log sheet: a timestamped log of the day — case numbers, the judge, the parties, and notes, entered as the proceedings ran.	The single best spelling reference for the transcript: every name in it is the court's own record of who was there.

Why so many files? FTR records in segments — the recorder writes a new .trm at intervals and whenever recording stops and restarts, so one court day commonly produces dozens of files. A full day can run to 70 or more. The .trs files are what chain the segments back into continuous sessions; sorted by the recorder's own declarations (the filenames also carry date-and-time stamps), the segments replay as the unbroken proceeding.

One more thing worth knowing: FTR supports protected (encrypted) recordings. A court can restrict a recording so that it only plays with authorization. A protected file can't be converted by anyone else's software — if you've been handed one, the export has to come from the court's side.

Route one: FTR Player, then transcribe as usual

The traditional workflow uses FTR's own free software:

Install FTR Player — free from For The Record. It plays .trm recordings with variable-speed playback and per-channel volume, so you can isolate a quiet microphone.
Export standard audio. FTR's tools can save a recording out to an ordinary format such as MP3 or WAV.
Transcribe the exported audio the way you'd handle any file — foot pedal, your editor of choice, and the court's format rules.

This works, and for a protected recording it's the only route (the export must come from software authorized to play it). Its cost is the extra step multiplied by the day: exporting, naming, and keeping dozens of segments straight before the transcription work even begins — and the clerk's log sheet still has to be consulted by hand for every name.

Route two: upload the FTR folder directly

Stenobox reads FTR files natively — the case folder itself is the upload. Drag the whole folder (or a zipped copy of it) onto the upload zone and:

The segments join themselves. Stenobox reads the .trs session records and joins the .trm segments in the recorder's own declared order — a 70-file day becomes one continuous recording and one transcript, with nothing re-ordered by hand.
The clerk's log becomes the spelling guide automatically. The .htm log's names — the judge, the parties, case numbers — are read and used to spell those names correctly in the draft, without attaching anything separately.
The draft comes back court-formatted, with the click-to-hear review: click any word and hear that moment of the recording while you verify.
Protected recordings are declined honestly. If a recording was marked protected in FTR, you'll see a clear message — export that one from FTR Player and upload the export instead. Stenobox never bypasses a court's protection.

Either route ends the same place: a certified transcript, reviewed and signed by you. The difference is how much of the afternoon goes to file handling before the real work starts.

Common questions

How do I open a .trm file?

With FTR's free FTR Player, or by uploading it to a service that reads the format directly. Ordinary audio players and editors won't decode it.

Can I convert a .trm file to MP3?

Yes — play it in FTR Player and export standard audio through FTR's tools. Or skip the conversion: Stenobox accepts the .trm files themselves.

What is a .trs file?

FTR's session record — it lists which audio segments form one continuous session and in what order, with the recorder's timestamps. No audio in it, but it's the authoritative playback order; keep it with its .trm files.

Why are there dozens of .trm files for one hearing?

FTR records in segments, writing a new file at intervals and at every stop/restart. The .trs files document how they chain back together. Joined in the declared order, they replay as the continuous day.

FTR folders, handled: Stenobox takes the case folder as-is — drop it on the upload zone and the segments join in the recorder's own order, the clerk's log spells the names, and the draft comes back court-formatted with click-to-hear review. No player, no export step. See how it works or start a free trial.

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FTR, For The Record, and FTR Player are trademarks of their respective owner. Stenobox is not affiliated with or endorsed by For The Record or Tyler Technologies. Company figures are For The Record's own published claims.