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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
  • 25 replies
  • 258515 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.

25 replies

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.

Legend
October 4, 2019

I've tried this and it did allow me to load the timeline but it was unplayable.  This was a simple, cuts only project...  Somewhat useful, but better to control which version of premiere you're working in.  You can have cc2018 installed at the same time you have 2019 installed.

Participant
May 20, 2019

Hello,

I'm working with a colleague but he's on a 2017 version fo Premiere and I'm on a 2019 version. Any ideas how I could downgrade my project so he can work on it on his version?

I tried this method but when I wen to open the project is says there is an error. Open a New Premiere Pro Project on an Older Version[Mac]! Downgrade a Premiere Pro Project! - YouTube

Thanks

Jogen
Inspiring
May 20, 2019

Have you tried a workflow via XML-export yet?

Simple editing should be able to be transposed correctly.

Participant
May 20, 2019

Heven't. I'll try that now. Thanks

Known Participant
June 25, 2013

I started a project in Premiere Pro CC, in hopes that the program would do what I needed and that bugs would be at a minimum.  Perhaps I could even participate in these forums to help make Premiere better by offering up my beta testing insights to the community.  Now, after having paid my tithe in time to Adobe and having experienced several issues, a few crashes and a show-stopping issue (either a Multi-cam issue or an AVCHD spanning issue; I'm not sure), I'm ready to humble my appetite for the bleeding-edge technology and go back to CS6 so I can simply finish my project and pay the bills. 

 

The new CC features are and/or will be AWESOME when the kinks are all worked out.  In the mean time, how can I revert my CC project file back to a CS6 project file?

Ann Bens
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 25, 2013

Nope CC is not backwards compatible.

Export as XML and import that into CS6.

Participant
September 9, 2013

So I'm guessing that CC would not be backwards compatible with CS 5.5? Is that true?