Hi, I’m hoping someone can help recover a corrupted SketchUp 2026 model.
I worked on the model for approximately 10 hours yesterday and finished at around 6:30 PM. The SKP file is approximately 291 MB and has a modified timestamp of 3 October 2026 at 6:36 PM, so it appears to be the latest file.
When I try to open it, SketchUp gives the message: “This does not appear to be a SketchUp model!”
I have the corresponding .skb backup. I made a copy, changed the extension from .skb to .skp, and it opens successfully, but unfortunately that backup is dated 29 September and doesn’t contain yesterday’s work.
I have checked the SketchUp working/recovery folder, Windows temp files and Windows Previous Versions but haven’t found a current recovery copy. I have also run Repair on SketchUp 2026 and restarted Windows, but the 6:36 PM file still won’t open.
The model was being worked on from an external SSD (E:). My C: drive is also very low on free space, which may have contributed to the problem.
Would someone be able to inspect the corrupted SKP and see whether any of the model data can be recovered?
Corrupted SKP file (291 MB, modified 3 Oct 2026 at 6:36 PM) loaded onto dropbox for sharing:
System:
SketchUp Pro 2026
Windows 11 Home 64-bit, Build 26200
AMD Ryzen 5 5600
16 GB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, 8 GB VRAM
I’m sorry, but it’s empty.
yeah, working on an external support (cloud, external ssd) can be a risk, any micro variation in power or connexion can derail everything, and your file is a big one, the bigger they are, the longer it takes and the higher the risk.
like for the other in a similar situation, I’d recommend working the very big files locally + transfer post saving, OR using trimble connect (because it’s the integrated solution, and it has versions), AND/OR making versions yourself.
ie. from time to time, do do a file/save as a copy somewhere, and that gives you a static point in time where you can go back to.
but that’s all in hindsight, I’m sorry for your loss.
have you tried with the .skb file ? it should be in the same directory, just rename it as .skp and try opening, it’s the previous save you made here as backup.
Thanks for your help on this 
Yeah it’s my fault I haven’t upgraded the available memory on my C drive, trying to find the time to give up PC to upgrade.
Yes I am saving as every hour or so now… learnt my lesson the hard way I guess..
Thanks anyway…
I save locally.
Pierre mentioned Trimble connect but I use Google Drive for Desktop (mirroring not streaming) – every time I save a model locally, a version is saved to my Google Drive.
The version retention rules for non-Google files, I think, is 30 days and limited to the last 100 versions. You can, however, select Keep forever for any file version in the file’s manage version menu.
I use a mix of both, the models I do at work are on Trimble Connect, because my colleagues can also access (these days I model, they do pretty pictures and instagram posts)
the models I do for myself are on my local SSD.
But I use a service called SwissBackup that will do a partial (or total) backup of my computer every evening.
worst case is loosing stuff on a monday at 18. last backup is on friday at 19, I could loose the stuff I did that weekend. But I don’t work weekends, so I could loose personal stuff.
