Unexpected File Format Error 2021

What many of us in the forum have observed during the years is that perhaps most of the people who have brought up the “Unexpected file format” error have been saving directly to the cloud, to a cloud-synced folder or, in past years, on removable drives, and we have been warning against the practice.

Thanks @Anssi. Yes, there is some anecdotal evidence but we never could reproduce the problem. We only get the corrupted data, which can be recovered in some cases, depending on where the corruption is. It is a difficult detective task to work backwards from there to figure out what might have happened. This has been a very time consuming and vexing issue for our customers (and us) that we are working hard to resolve.

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Here is the later file recovered:

https://we.tl/t-Azjfh4dLVl

(Personal observations when dealing with endusers)

It happens more frequently when file starts getting bigger (+100MB)

Sometimes, the cfileexception error is also present.

Autosave and create backup are usually enabled

‘It didn’t happen in version 2019’

Most often, when something odd is happening, an antivirus is involved, IMO…

FTR, we had a meeting with Trimble MEP regarding support issues, it also happens with other software and they too recommend the things said here on the forum.

@Blackbudda117 I would highly recommend a ‘Purge Unused’ operation (Under Window/Model Info/Statistics). There are a lot of unused objects in the model.

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I’ve been saving to a local drive since the issues started. The file started out in my usb drive, in a 2017 make then I converted to the pro version.

Hi, I’m facing the same problem can anyone help?

I can’t even upload the file here. What should I do ?

I suppose you can’t upload it here because it is too large. Upload it to Drop Box and share the link.

Hi everyone!
I’m having the same problem with different files.
Colin, can you try to recover this one for me?

Thank you!

I tried to recover something, but only got a handful of materials. I didn’t even get any components. Sorry about that.

I’m very sorry too… We’re having this problem with lots of files. Do you have any idea the cause of this “unexpected file format”?

Are you working on files that are saved directly to a network or cloud location? That is a common cause of this problem. If you look through this thread you’ll see that Colin is usually able to recover components and materials. The fact he only got materials in your file would lead me to think you had no components. Maybe only loose geometry or groups.

Yes, we work with all our files on Dropbox. Can you tell me if there is another topic with one solution?

The solution is to save and work on files locally, meaning the drive inside the computer. After saving the work, sync to Drop Box.

It has been said that working directly from a cloud service is like a game of russian roulette. You might get away with it for a long time but a little communication error may lead to loss of work when it happens, and the bigger the file, the bigger the risk. I don’t know the details of what happens when you save, but it is more complicated than simply writing the file. The old version of the file must be copied or renamed to create the backup file, and the new one written.

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Please do not double post.

bende aynı sorunu yaşıyorum biri acill yardımcı olabiir mi

I am getting the “Unexpected File Format” error when I try to open my Sketchup 2021 file. I didn’t have this issue yesterday and didn’t see anything wrong when I was saving and using it. Can somebody help recover this file

Hello!

I have the same problem.
My file does not open and the message “unexpected file format” appears…
How can I recover? I already tried bachup and it didn’t work, the same error appears.
If anyone can help me I will be forever grateful!

Thank you!

If you upload the file here, @colin might be able to work his magic on it.