# Can't open my very old (but important) sketchup file (Unexpected File Format) **URL:** \ **Category:** Technical Problems\ **Created:** [November 15, 2017, 9:40pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cant-open-my-very-old-but-important-sketchup-file-unexpected-file-format/55307 "2017-11-15T21:40:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tczerniak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce7236/32.png) [@tczerniak](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/tczerniak)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2017, 9:40pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cant-open-my-very-old-but-important-sketchup-file-unexpected-file-format/55307/1 "2017-11-15T21:40:28Z")
Hi everyone, this may be a long shot but I recently received the dreaded `unexpected file format` error message and can no longer open a very important file. Here is where it gets a bit tricky: the original file was created on an older version of sketchup (I believe it was 2014), and now it will not open. I also tried to rename the .skb file to .skp and open it but no luck. It is a complete model of a downtown area and took probably over 50 hours to create several years ago when I was doing my masters thesis. I backed up the file at that time and never came back to it. Is there any possible way to retrieve the file? Thank you in advance to anyone who helps (or tried to help). Regards, [0 - Copy.skp](https://forums.sketchup.com/uploads/short-url/iHjY8KgxgMrSQi6s31FZnmLrn63.skp) (1.7 MB) ---
**Author:** ![RLGL](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/rlgl/32/44295_2.png) [@RLGL](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/RLGL)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2017, 3:04am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cant-open-my-very-old-but-important-sketchup-file-unexpected-file-format/55307/2 "2017-11-16T03:04:09Z")
try downloading the version you created it in… I tried it in 2017 and 2018 with the same result ---
**Author:** ![endlessfix](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/endlessfix/32/148757_2.png) [@endlessfix](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/endlessfix)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2017, 3:14am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cant-open-my-very-old-but-important-sketchup-file-unexpected-file-format/55307/3 "2017-11-16T03:14:40Z")
I tried in 16 as well and no luck. Interestingly I can see the Icon preview which shows the sketchup cityscape, so it was once a sketchup file. But this is only 1.7 mb which sounds small for 50 hours of work, unless it was a relatively simple collection of untextured rectangles I would be suspicious that this is a corrupted file. ---
**Author:** ![Shep](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/shep/32/41669_2.png) [@Shep](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Shep)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2017, 3:20am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cant-open-my-very-old-but-important-sketchup-file-unexpected-file-format/55307/4 "2017-11-16T03:20:44Z")
No joy using SU 2014 either. Shep ---
**Author:** ![Marc](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/marc/32/11407_2.png) [@Marc](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Marc)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2017, 4:23am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cant-open-my-very-old-but-important-sketchup-file-unexpected-file-format/55307/5 "2017-11-16T04:23:58Z")
I tried to open the file in a development version of SketchUp - the file cuts off in the middle of a texture. It looks like the file was truncated or damaged at some point. I’ll ask around the office tomorrow to see if there’s a way to do a partial recovery. -m ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/original/3X/f/2/f2a121500b085ed60806607a82720b092d800bb3.png) [@system](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 12:24pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/cant-open-my-very-old-but-important-sketchup-file-unexpected-file-format/55307/6 "2018-05-18T12:24:02Z")
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