# UNEXPECTED FILE FORMAT, help! **URL:** \ **Category:** SketchUp\ **Created:** [July 6, 2020, 4:37pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/unexpected-file-format-help/130391 "2020-07-06T16:37:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/colin/32/266703_2.png) [@colin](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/colin)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 4:55pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/unexpected-file-format-help/130391/21 "2021-06-12T16:55:08Z")
If SketchUp crashed you should find a copy of the file in this folder: %LocalAppData%\SketchUp\SketchUp 2020\SketchUp\working\SKETCHUP\RecoveredFiles You can copy and paste that path into File Explorer. The file in that folder that has the same name as your file, will be the latest version of the file, even more recent than the last time you did a save. If you don’t see the file, there also should be a file in the folder where you are working. The file will have the same name, but will end with .skb instead of .skp. You can rename that file to be .skp, and open it in SketchUp. It is a copy of the previous save that you have done. If neither of those things work you could upload the files somewhere (include the .skb version) and send a message to me with the link. ---
**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:** [June 12, 2021, 5:40pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/unexpected-file-format-help/130391/22 "2021-06-12T17:40:03Z")
Where are you saving your files. Only save to a local hard drive. At that point you may copy the .Skp to a UDB or to a cloud location. When you want to work on the file, download to a local hard drive to utilize the file. This has been posted in this forum many times. ---
**Author:** ![summerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@summerson](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/summerson)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 6:19pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/unexpected-file-format-help/130391/23 "2021-06-12T18:19:27Z")
Dear Colin, thank you for your fast reply. I just make a dropbox file for you. It has 2 files. One is named twinmotion-tm.skp and would be the file just before the crash. I have the ides that twinmotion was the reason for the crash. The original file wasn´t called so and I am suprised to find it there. But from the time it is the latest version of my work. The other file is the last I saveed. That was 4 hours before. A skb-file I don´t have, even that I have saving modus on with a 5 minutes frequency. So now I just hope that you can help me somehow. Have a nice day, Thomas ---
**Author:** ![summerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@summerson](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/summerson)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 6:25pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/unexpected-file-format-help/130391/24 "2021-06-12T18:25:36Z")
Hallo RLGL, I don´t understand your post exactly. I work with files from my notebook and they are syncronized in a cloud. But what does that do when I work all day with that file and in the evening it crashes. What does the cloud service hepl me. And anyway I had to switch of the syncronisation, because of the limited internet volumen I have at the place I was working. But as I said I don´t understand your point. Well I am more a user then an computer expert… Cheers, Thomas ---
**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:** [June 12, 2021, 6:36pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/unexpected-file-format-help/130391/25 "2021-06-12T18:36:40Z")
> [@summerson](#): > > But as I said I don´t understand your point. Well I am more a user then an computer expert… If you continue in the current fashion, you will continue to get the unexpected file format. For less frustration please change your work flow. During the day manually save to the local drive several times. It is the syncing to the cloud that is screwing you up. Then if you must upload the file after it has saved to your local drive. Saving to the cloud is being messed up during the transfer and SketchUp does not like it. Exactly why and how is above my pay grade. This is covered elsewhere in the forum many times. Search a bit and you will find it. ---
**Author:** ![colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/colin/32/266703_2.png) [@colin](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/colin)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 6:42pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/unexpected-file-format-help/130391/26 "2021-06-12T18:42:14Z")
You can check in the SketchUp preferences to see if you have the backup option turned on. If it is turned on there will be an SKB file. It won’t appear if you try to open it from inside SketchUp, but it will be in the folder if you look with File Explorer. Were you going to tell me the dropbox link? ---
**Author:** ![summerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@summerson](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/summerson)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 10:07pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/unexpected-file-format-help/130391/27 "2021-06-12T22:07:50Z")
Here is the link: > **[sketchup](https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0tccvts5v3e682i/AADaBRHDkicu-R0bDNzAvvbra?dl=0)** > > Shared with Dropbox Thank you all in advance. I will change my way working in sketchup. Thank you for the advice. Thomas ---
**Author:** ![colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/colin/32/266703_2.png) [@colin](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/colin)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 10:31pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/unexpected-file-format-help/130391/28 "2021-06-12T22:31:35Z")
I could only recover the materials and components, there is nothing in the scene. Hopefully you have some components that include large areas of the model. [https://we.tl/t-BYUC5To84z](https://we.tl/t-BYUC5To84z) ---
**Author:** ![summerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@summerson](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/summerson)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 2:12pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/unexpected-file-format-help/130391/29 "2021-06-13T14:12:13Z")
olin, thank you for your fast help. Unfortunately I haven´t organized too much in larger components. But I learned things in how working better with sketchup. Have a nice Sunday, Thomas ---
**Author:** ![mamathashivappa26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c67d28/32.png) [@mamathashivappa26](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/mamathashivappa26)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2021, 1:55pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/unexpected-file-format-help/130391/30 "2021-08-28T13:55:18Z")
Hi Colin I am having the same issue. Please help me recover the file ASAP [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oZg43kpPTg5LmK6RMMKyyf5j-1Pgt6tN/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oZg43kpPTg5LmK6RMMKyyf5j-1Pgt6tN/view?usp=sharing) ---
**Author:** ![colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/colin/32/266703_2.png) [@colin](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/colin)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2021, 3:17pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/unexpected-file-format-help/130391/31 "2021-08-28T15:17:18Z")
I only recovered half of the file size. The model has a lot of components and materials in it, but nothing visible in the scene: [https://we.tl/t-jJlhsKXWAf](https://we.tl/t-jJlhsKXWAf) ---
**Author:** ![GuCordioli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9fc29f/32.png) [@GuCordioli](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/GuCordioli)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 6:15pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/unexpected-file-format-help/130391/32 "2021-11-13T18:15:51Z")
Boa tarde, você consegue recuperar meu arquivo ou parte dele? Por gentileza. É muito importante para mim, tenho 1 semana de empenho neste trabalho. Obrigado! Link para download [https://we.tl/t-SIBIaght7S](https://we.tl/t-SIBIaght7S) ---
**Author:** ![Naiara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8dc957/32.png) [@Naiara](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Naiara)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 2:13am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/unexpected-file-format-help/130391/34 "2022-04-25T02:13:51Z")
Olá, estou com o mesmo problema. Alguém poderia me ajudar ? Ja fiz de tudo para tentar recuperar, e não da certo. Não tenho nada de backup salvo, apenas o arquivo que não consigo abrir. Não consigo colocar o arquivo aqui, é muito pesado. ---
**Author:** ![Naiara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8dc957/32.png) [@Naiara](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Naiara)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 2:15am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/unexpected-file-format-help/130391/35 "2022-04-25T02:15:13Z")
Colin, poderia me ajudar com um arquivo que não consigo abrir, e tem o mesmo erro ? ---
**Author:** ![colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/colin/32/266703_2.png) [@colin](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/colin)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 2:17am UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/unexpected-file-format-help/130391/36 "2022-04-25T02:17:03Z")
Can you upload the file somewhere, so I can try to fix it? [Previous page](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/unexpected-file-format-help/130391.md?page=1)