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MyerPj
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 25, 2013
StickyOpen for Voting

Open Premiere Project in Older Version - Downgrade Project Version

  • June 25, 2013
  • 23 replies
  • 257089 views

Premiere Pro users sometimes want to open their project in an earlier version.

Here’s the quickest way to open your projects in an earlier version. Only 4 steps to revert the PP version.

 

This assumes you have 7-Zip installed. It’s free and awesome and why would anyone not have it! 🙂

 

Also, that you have a COPY of your project that you will be converting.

 

++++ Make a Copy of your project with a New Name in the same folder as the original ++++

 

     1) Right-Click the COPY of the project and from the 7-Zip menu select “Open Archive”

     2) In 7-Zip there is one file same name as the project – Right-Click the file and select EDIT*

     3) On the fourth line change the Version = “??” Change the number portion to “1” Save and Close

     4) 7-Zip will ask you if you want to update that file in the archive, Select <OK>

 

That’s it! When you open the project Premiere Pro will say it is from a Previous Version, and will give it a new name as usual.

 

*Of note, on step 2, the bigger your project the longer it takes to open.

 

Here’s a link to an online program which requires you to upload the file but will do the above for you.

 

https://joshcluderay.com/downgrade-premiere-project-converter

 

Of course you loose any new features of the later version you edited with.

23 replies

Kevin-Monahan
Community Manager
Community Manager
January 19, 2022
Community: Please upvote this feature request: Save for a previous version of Premiere
 
Thanks,
Kevin
Kevin Monahan - Sr. Community &amp; Engagement Strategist – Pro Video and Audio
Ann Bens
Community Expert
Community Expert
January 19, 2022
quote
Community: Please upvote this feature request: Save for a previous version of Premiere
 
Thanks,
Kevin

By @Kevin-Monahan

 

I dont think this is ever going to happen.

Kevin-Monahan
Community Manager
Community Manager
January 19, 2022

Dear Ann,

As Steve Hoeg used to say when he worked at Adobe (and I'm paraphrasing), "Anything is possible with software development."

 

Kind Regards,
Kevin

Kevin Monahan - Sr. Community &amp; Engagement Strategist – Pro Video and Audio
Participating Frequently
January 12, 2022

Hi, 

I tried the online converters,7-zip method and XML to downgrade the PP 2022 project but it didn't work.

It shows the same error.

Can anyone help?

Thank!!

Richard van den Boogaard
Community Expert
Community Expert
January 12, 2022

Please give us some more information on the problem/project.

https://community.adobe.com/t5/premiere-pro-discussions/faq-what-information-should-i-provide-when-asking-a-question-on-this-forum/td-p/3929027

 

For starters, why is so urgent that you roll back to CC2018? Is CC2022 unable to handle the project?

 

Help us help you.

Participating Frequently
January 12, 2022

I have to send a rough cut of a project to the main editor and he is using the 2018 version of  Premiere on Mac. His laptop can not afford the latest versions of the program.

I'm using Premiere Pro 2021 15.2

There is no sound or colour effects on materials.

I downgraded the project. but still the 2018 version doesn't open the project.

 

MyerPj
Community Expert
MyerPjCommunity ExpertAuthor
Community Expert
November 1, 2021

If using the rollback technique outlined here (or with Josh's downgrade converter) there is another way. Save your sequence as an XML file. With the sequence selected (as you would for Exporting), click FILE/Export and then 'Final Cut Pro XML' and Save.

 

Then open a NEW project in PP, keep it in the same folder as the current one, and File/Import and select the file you just saved. It should import fine. You may need to reattach some files, but maybe not also. Check it carefully just as you would using the original way above.

Ann Bens
Community Expert
Community Expert
November 1, 2021

Josh Downgrade converter is limited to 50 mb.

Inspiring
October 29, 2021

Help. Just installed PP 2022 (and forgot to uncheck remove older version. Colors are way off in PP 2022!!

Now I want to go back to PP 2021 but I cannot find it. I can only go back to 15.4.1 (see picture). Can anyone help pleaee. Thanks

Inspiring
October 29, 2021

Solved! Thanks to Baffy19 

By color, the developers have implemented a new function for interpreting the footage into the desired color space. Try this:

 

 

Legend
October 29, 2021

This is a great feature that should have appeared since the launch of Premier Pro. Thank you for implementing it.

Participating Frequently
October 13, 2021

I tired this but no luck, I am using Premiere Pro 2021 downgrading to 2020?

 

I tried it several times and even tried the website link. 

 

http://joshcluderay.com/downgrade-premiere-project-converter/

 

I am guessing maybe this doesn't work when downgrade from the new PP 2021 to PP 2020?

 

 

MyerPj
Community Expert
MyerPjCommunity ExpertAuthor
Community Expert
October 13, 2021

I think still works. Got any details beyond 'it doesn't work'? Win/Mac, where does it 'fail', any messages, etc....

Participating Frequently
October 13, 2021

'this project could not be loaded, it may be damagedd or contain outdated elements'

 

That's the message I get

 

I use a Mac Platform.

Participant
June 25, 2021

I keep getting 'this project could not be loaded, it may be damagedd or contain outdated elements' - I can't find a fix or workaround for this. I jsut need to access the project and not edit anything. 

Legend
June 25, 2021

I suggest you start a new thread.  What you're describing does not match the subject of this thread.  

Participant
March 17, 2021

THANK YOU!!!

Tips 2 Fix
Participating Frequently
March 7, 2021

Hello for this case i did an video tutorial and i posted in YouTube with this link : https://youtu.be/H-pyi6i7gjU

Let me know if you found this video helpful on this topic.

anyeyin
Participant
November 17, 2019

Hello,

I accidentally upgraded Premiere from 2019 to 2020 and saved the project with PR 2020.  Now I wanted to open the project in PR 2019 but I just couldn't find the way....

 

I tired this way to manually downgrade the project:

https://video.stackexchange.com/questions/3804/how-do-i-downgrade-an-adobe-premiere-pro-project-file-to-open-in-older-version/21365#21365

But it still didn't work. When I opened the downgraded project with PR 2020, it said the project is damaged. Although I know this way works fine in downgrading 2019 to 2018.

 

Is exporting XML the only way?? Can anyone help?

Thank!!

 

 

Ann Bens
Community Expert
Community Expert
November 17, 2019

Might not have done the downgrading correctly:

Open a New Premiere Pro Project on an Older Version! Mac

Open a New Premiere Pro Project on an Older Version! Windows

exporting as an xml is another way.

Or use the last saved copy in 2019.

 

anyeyin
Participant
November 21, 2019

Just worked it out!

 

The "DeNoiser (Obsolete)" audio effect might not be applicable to PR 2020. When I removed this effect and then downgraded the project, it worked! 

 

Ann Bens
Community Expert
Community Expert
October 4, 2019
Professor Fust
Known Participant
August 9, 2021

For some reason this process isn't working for me because when I get to the step about opening the project file with Textedit, I don't see lines of code that are discernible. I just see a bunch of random characters as if the project file has been encrypted.

Ann Bens
Community Expert
Community Expert
August 9, 2021

If you are seeing garbled text you did not follow the procedure to the lettre.