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Francis-Crossman17221443
Community Manager
Community Manager
September 5, 2023

Premiere projects saved in v25.6.0 cannot be opened in other v25.x versions

  • September 5, 2023
  • 168 replies
  • 12054 views

We are aware that customers who saved projects in Premiere v25.6.0 may find that those files now open only in v26 (beta) and cannot be opened in v25 versions. We know this is disruptive, and we’re working on a fix. 

 

What you need to know: 

  • Projects saved in v25.6.0 save in the v26 version format. 
  • Because of this, they can’t be opened in earlier versions, including v25.6.1 (even though it is the current generally available release) 
  • We’re developing a tool that will let you convert affected projects back to a v25-compatible file.  

 

Our Solution 

We’re building a small app that will convert a v25.6.0-saved project back to the v25 format. We’ll share more information, including availability and instructions, as soon as the tool is ready in the coming days.  

 

We know that there is nothing more important than the reliability of a project file, so we’re working with urgency to get this downgrade tool in your hands as quickly as possible. 

 

We know there are a number of downgrading apps available online, but we strongly recommend utilizing our tool when it becomes available. Non-Adobe apps and scripts are often outdated and may cause crashes and data loss.  

 

Further Details 

A bug caused Premiere v25.6.0 to prompt customers to enable Object Masking even though it is not yet in full release. Object Masking (and our yearly major version update) changes the Premiere project file structure such that it can only be opened in v26, which is only available in public beta. Turning this on caused projects to save in the newer v26 project format, even though users were still technically on the v25 release line. 

 

Opening an older project in v25.6.0 triggered a prompt to save a copy of the project with “_1” appended. We know that many customers upgraded the project and continued working in the new copy, potentially also deleting the original. This means the only active version became the file saved in v26 format. 

 

Premiere 25.6.0 was only available briefly before being replaced by 25.6.1 and is no longer available to reinstall. This means impacted users who auto updated to 25.6.1 cannot open v26 formatted projects. 

168 replies

Participant
November 20, 2025

Frederico e demais membros deste forum. Mais cedo fiz contato com o suporte e me relataram ciência do problema. A solução oferecida por ele não resolveu e no primeiro momento até parece ser pior, já que envolve retoranr a versão 25.0, excluir a versão gerada pela versão 25.6.1, o que logicamente nos faz regredir a alterações geradas após a atualização. Isso não é nada aceitavel.  Entretando, como também tenho prazo de entrega precisei encontrar uma solução e o que conseguiu resolver foi instalar a versão Beta 26.0.0 build 36, o que me fez concluir o meu projeto e entregar o material ao cliente. Me pediram 24 horas  para uma solução, mais sem esse tempo pra entregar o projeto no prazo ao cliente resolvi dessa forma e desejo que os demais também resolvam até uma solução definitiva pela adobe.

Petri5
Participant
November 20, 2025

Hi,

I had a file created with 25.6. which would not open with 25.6.1.

I followed this tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJO4PlHASIs and did the proceedure.

 

Then I opened the file with Premiere 25.5 (this is still available in the "other versions" of Creative Cloud). This worked. In 25.6.1 it would not open ("corrupted") but in 25.5 it worked and I could save it.

federicovolter
Participating Frequently
November 20, 2025

"The project appears to be damaged"

Participating Frequently
November 20, 2025

Hi,
It was created in 25.6. I didn't get any prompt. I have a lot of projects already created in 25.6 and I'm really despered to find the solution guys. Please, give us back 25.6 in the mean time so we can kee working.

Participant
November 20, 2025

What I did to work on my projects that were showing version issues:

  • Downgrade to update 25.5 in Premiere Pro
  • Search for "Premiere Pro Project Downgrader" online and use the first or second result to convert your project
  • Open the new project file in the downgraded Premiere Pro
Participant
November 20, 2025

I cannot believe this update was rolled out with everyone complaining about the version mismatch issues loudly on here beforehand.

federicovolter
Participating Frequently
November 20, 2025

I HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME  PROBLEM AND TODAY I HAVE A DEADLINE AND I CAN NOT ACCES TO MY PROJECT.

Participant
November 20, 2025

Yesterday I worked all day on Premiere version 25.6, and today it updated to 25.6.1 and this warning window appeared.

Could you please fix this as soon as possible? It would be terrible to lose a whole day of work because of this error.

 

Known Participant
November 20, 2025

Hello Adobe Support & Community,

I urgently need help with a situation that puts my work and client relations at risk.

Until recently, I was working on multiple projects in Premiere Pro version 25.5. After updating to 25.6.1, I am completely unable to open any of these project files. Each time I try, I get a message:
"This project was saved in a newer version of Adobe Premiere Pro and cannot be opened in this version."
However, I have never installed or used Beta versions before.

After some troubleshooting, I discovered that the only way to open my projects is with the Beta version 26.0.0 of Premiere Pro, which is not suitable for production or professional delivery. Now my files seem to be “locked” to Beta 26.0, and cannot be opened in the stable 25.x branch. This behavior started only after updating 25.5 → 25.6.1 and affects all my recent projects.

This is a major concern for my workflow. I am at risk of losing a client due to a missed deadline, as my projects cannot be accessed or delivered in a reliable production environment.
Please advise – why did this happen, and how can I recover my files to work in a supported, stable version? Are there any solutions to downgrade the project files, or updates planned to fix this compatibility issue?

I have attached a screenshot of the error message for reference.

Thank you for your urgent assistance.

last edit my project - 16.11.2025 - 20:58

windows 11 25h2

Participant
November 20, 2025

Hey Adobe people,

Simple answer-will it be fixed any soon or should I start to redo all my edits again?

thanks

Anita