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Francis-Crossman17221443
Community Manager
Francis-Crossman17221443Community Manager
Principal Product Manager
September 5, 2023

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

  • September 5, 2023
  • 172 replies
  • 20358 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 Non-Adobe apps and scripts are often outdated and may cause crashes and data loss.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. 

    172 replies

    Show previous replies
    federicovolter
    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.

      A
      angel_8060
      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.

       

        V
        Volodymyr Kuropiatnyk
        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

          A
          Anita29950493k2xx
          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

            Y
            Yks Yakusa
            Participant
            November 20, 2025

            Bonjour, les projets ont été créés avec la version 25.6.1 et, depuis ce matin, aucun des projets récents ne fonctionne.

            Stan Jones
            Community Expert
            Stan JonesCommunity Expert
            Community Expert
            November 20, 2025

            @MeKevinB,

             

            > I said rolling back to 25.5 is the easiest solution is BECAUSE IT WORKED!!! My project opened up as if none of this happened. 

             

            Thanks for reporting that this worked for you. Some of you are lucky! And if an option works, that's great. But many users find that some options fail, and for multiple reasons.

             

            Stan

             

            Stan Jones
            Community Expert
            Stan JonesCommunity Expert
            Community Expert
            November 20, 2025

            @Alexander_DVA,

             

            I did not know that: the Release and Beta can be open at the same time.

             

            I can copy/paste from Release to Beta. But when I copy anything from Beta, paste is greyed out in the Release version (and shortcuts do nothing). Is this related to the Beta project being the newer project file type?

             

            Is there a way?

             

            I also looked at exporting XML from Beta, and it worked. But is it really only one sequence at a time? My test project is missing the media. I have no idea what problems may result from that method.

             

            I now have 25.6.1 installed, and have completed the tests I did previously.

            https://community.adobe.com/t5/premiere-pro-beta-discussions/project-won-t-open-the-project-appears-to-be-damaged-error-premiere-pro-beta/m-p/15598021#M12685

             

            At least one user reported that one of their 25.6.0 projects opened (I assume after downgrading) in 25.6.1, but another did not. I suspect this is related to whether they used masking in the project. The test project (from a user here) that I have been testing, will not open in 25.6.1 even if downgraded nor opened in the Beta and SavedAs. And even if the <> XML errors are removed. Instead of crashing (with a report dialogue), as it did in 25.5.0, it just closely silently.

             

            For users with those files, I see only the "lose work" option using 25.6.1: go back to the last good project before opening/saving in 25.6.0 - generally the file without the "_1".

             

            Or work in the Beta option. A combination using your copy/paste from Beta would be a great option.

             

            For those of you using the Beta for the first time, be aware:

             

            1) I do not recommend using the Beta version for deadline-sensitive work, but many users use it successfully. Here, you may have no choice.

             

            2) The Beta version often works very well. But there are also regular bugs, some of which make the version unusable until the next build, or less commonly, more than one build. Builds appear most, but not all, days. Do NOT update if you have a working project in your current build. Obviously, be certain you do not have autoupdates turned on.

             

            3) You can only install the latest version of the Beta, and cannot roll back to a previous version. If you update, create a clone of your system drive so you might be able to roll back everything. Watch the Beta forum for reports from other users before you update.

             

            4) Keep a copy of every version of your project files. Do not rely only on autosave.

             

            Stan

             

            G
            gorans32670753
            Inspiring
            November 20, 2025

            So, the Premiere Pro 25.6 update is an absolute disaster. On top of everything else, I couldn’t get Dynamic Link to work with After Effects at all. And now, to “fix” the mess, Adobe is pushing the 25.6.1 update — which can’t even read projects from the previous version because 25.6 saved them as 26 beta files.

            Because of this, I couldn’t finish or deliver the video to my client, and I’m now facing serious consequences.

            But Adobe will still happily charge us full price for the subscription.
            It’s outrageous.

              V
              Vidguy103
              Participating Frequently
              November 20, 2025

              This also does not work, it does not copy across from Beta to 25.6.1

               

              A
              AlbertGalka
              Participating Frequently
              November 20, 2025

              After updating from 25.6 to 25.6.1 I can’t open the projects I was working on the day before in 25.6.
              This will cost me money and a lot of stress, Adobe.

               

              S
              Community Manager
              Sumeet_Kumar_ChoubeyCommunity Manager
              Community Manager
              November 20, 2025

              Hi AlbertGalka,

               

              We're sorry about this. Were these projects originally created in v25.6 or in v25.5? If it was created in v25.5, did you get a prompt requesting you to convert the project when you opened it in v25.6? 

               

              Thanks,

              Sumeet

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