How to Collect AI Interviews and Code Them in MAXQDA (2026 Guide)
Written by Fengming Liu (UCL) · Reviewed by Prof. Shubin Yu (HEC Paris) · October 2026 · Updated: 2026-10-11 · 7 min read
Short answer: run your interviews with QualiTaTi's AI interviewer, import the transcripts into a QualiTaTi QDA project, export it as a REFI-QDA project (.qdpx), and open that file in MAXQDA. MAXQDA then shows your transcripts, codebook, cases and any coding you already did.
Why collect in QualiTaTi and code in MAXQDA?
MAXQDA is a strong choice for mixed-methods coding and visual tools, but it does not run interviews with participants. QualiTaTi does the collection: an AI interviewer runs text or voice interviews from your guide and produces transcripts. You then move the transcripts, and any coding you started, into MAXQDA.
REFI-QDA is the open exchange standard for qualitative data analysis software. A .qdpx file is a zip that holds your transcripts as plain text plus an XML description of codes, cases and coded segments, so you do not have to copy and paste transcripts or rebuild your codebook by hand.
What you need
- A QualiTaTi account. The free plan includes 30 credits each month; exporting does not use credits.
- MAXQDA 24 (Windows and Mac).
- Completed interviews in QualiTaTi, or transcripts you upload yourself.
Step 1: Run the interviews
Create an AI Interviewer project, write or generate your interview guide, and run a test interview yourself before sharing the link with participants. Participants can answer by text or by voice. If your study needs ethics approval, the ethics approval kit has information-sheet, consent and data-management text you can adapt.
Step 2: Bring the transcripts into a QDA project
- Open the QDA Workspace and create a New QDA Project.
- Click Import Interviews and choose the AI Interviewer project. Completed interviews are added as documents.
- Optionally create a case for each participant and link each document to its case. Cases travel with the export.
Step 3 (optional): Start coding in QualiTaTi
You can code manually, run AI-assisted coding, or both before exporting. Accepted codes and AI suggestions still waiting for review are both exported; suggestions you rejected are left out. Each AI-coded or pending segment carries a short note saying how it was coded, so you can review it in MAXQDA.
Step 4: Export the .qdpx file
- In the QDA project, open the Transcripts export menu.
- Choose Project for NVivo, ATLAS.ti, MAXQDA (.qdpx).
- Save the file. It is named after your project.
Step 5: Open the file in MAXQDA
- Start MAXQDA and click Open Project in the start dialog. If a project is already open, use Open Project on the Home tab.
- In the file dialog, select the .qdpx file and confirm.
- MAXQDA creates a new project from the file, with your transcripts as text documents and the coded segments attached.
What transfers
| In QualiTaTi | In the .qdpx file |
|---|
| Interview transcripts and uploaded documents | Plain-text documents (UTF-8) |
| Codebook with parent and child codes | Code hierarchy with definitions and colours |
| Cases | Cases linked to their documents |
| Accepted and pending coded segments | Coded segments at their exact position in the text |
| Audio recordings, analysis reports and charts | Not included |
Things to know about MAXQDA
- MAXQDA works with document groups and document variables rather than cases, and its help says case variables from NVivo projects are not imported. Expect QualiTaTi cases not to arrive as such; group the documents in MAXQDA instead.
- MAXQDA recommends no more than two levels of code nesting and removing empty codes before an exchange. Flatten deeper codebooks in QualiTaTi first if you can.
- Comments on coded segments are shortened to 511 characters on import.
- Exchange between QDA programs is never perfectly one-to-one. Treat the .qdpx file as a hand-off, and keep your QualiTaTi project until you have checked the import.
Check your import
- The number of documents matches the number of transcripts in the QualiTaTi project.
- The codebook shows the same codes and hierarchy.
- Open two or three coded segments and confirm the highlighted text is the passage you coded in QualiTaTi.
- If you used cases, check that each document is linked to the right case.
If the import fails or something is missing, email contact@qualitati.com with your MAXQDA version and the error message. The export is checked against the REFI-QDA project schema, and we fix reported import problems quickly.
Frequently asked questions
Which MAXQDA versions can open the file?
The MAXQDA 24 manual describes opening REFI-QDA projects. MAXQDA 2018 and 2020 also support the format, with similar menu names.
Does the export include audio recordings?
No. The .qdpx file contains the transcripts as text; recordings stay in the QualiTaTi interview project.
Can I move the project back from MAXQDA to QualiTaTi?
Not at the moment. QualiTaTi exports .qdpx files but does not import them, so finish any QualiTaTi coding before you export.
Does exporting cost credits?
No. Exports are free on every plan, including the free plan.
Where are my interviews stored before export?
In the European Union. The trust page lists where data is stored, which providers process it, and the data processing agreement.
Sources for the MAXQDA steps, checked 2026-10-11: MAXQDA 24 manual: export and import REFI-QDA projects; MAXQDA help: importing NVivo or ATLAS.ti projects.