I am not able to open the file that i worked on a few days ago as i got a message saying that "This project is invalid or corrupt and canot be opened. it may have been created in an earlier version of Storyline."
The file is saved on a server and there is no prevous version available.
Is it possible that i upload the file to a portal, so the service team can have a look? Thanks in advance!
You can upload your .story file privately to our Support team here. We'll try to open it on our end, and let you know what we find!
For now, here's how to check if there's a working version of the project in your Temp Files:
Open this folder in Windows Explorer: %appdata%\Articulate\Storyline
Scan the contents of this folder for a file that starts with the name of your project. If you find one, copy it to your desktop. If you see more than one, copy the latest version to your desktop.
Change the file extension of the copy on your desktop from *.tmp to *.story
Double-click the file to open it in Storyline.
Pro-tip: We recommend saving directly to the C: drive from Storyline, and then backing the file up to a network or shared drive to prevent similar snags. The handy tips outlined here can also help reduce the risk of corruption!
A note for you here - Storyline 3, build 3. 3.7.20003.0 is available now for you to download and update. This update includes some help surrounding files which may have been corrupted. If a project becomes corrupt, Storyline lets you know if there's a working version in your temp files and makes it easy for you to recover. For more details check out this article, and you can follow the link here to download and update to the latest build of Storyline 3.
I'm facing the same issue when I try to open an articulate file I'm getting this message"Can't open the file as it says the file is corrupted or created by an older version" then I tried Opening this folder in Windows Explorer: %appdata%\Articulate\Storyline and scanned the contents but I couldn't find a single file. Then I thought of recreating whatever I have done earlier but I'm getting the same message. I am able to open some other files which I have worked but if I make a change in any of the articulate files or even I'm just opening without making any changes and saving the file and closing it if I again open the file same message coming. Looks like I cant work with articulate storyline anymore I cant figure out what the issue is please anyone help.
I am sorry to hear that you are running into that error message!
What may help is to review a few environmental factors that could be causing this. As an example, storing files on your local hard drive (C: Drive) can help reduce corruption from taking place. Working on a network drive or an external USB drive can cause erratic behavior to occur.
We have a great resource that provides more guidance to help reduce the risk of file corruption here:
If the steps in the article are being followed, I would like our Support Engineers to help take a closer look! You are always more than welcome to connect with our team here.
Please keep us posted and let us know if you have any questions!
Hi there, I have the same problem - a file i worked on a few months ago needs to be published in a different way - but now i can't open it! It is a pretty big file on which we worked for many weeks - it's not possible to rebuild it soon...
In our Backup is in the meanwhile the same curropt file safed...
Thanks for contacting us and sharing what you are experiencing with your project file. With your permission, I'd like you to share your project file with our support engineers to investigate what's happening. You can share it privately by uploading it here. It will be deleted when troubleshooting is complete.
Welcome to E-Learning Heroes, Cassie, and thanks for reaching out!
Sorry you're hitting this roadblock, and we're here to help. I've opened a case on your behalf, and you should have received an email from me with an upload link to share your file!
It looks like you're working directly with Eric, so no need to upload it again. I'll close the duplicate case.
It looks like your email signature came through when you replied via email. You can remove that if needed by clicking ‘Edit’ beneath your response. Here’s a quick Peek video if you need help.
What are some of the reasons found for the above cases? I am having so much trouble with getting this error all of a sudden with several courses. We can't just store everything on our hard drive, we have to share files as a team/company...like most organizations.
Outside of what you see here in the conversation, we had a support case filed, but unfortunately, their file was truly corrupt and unable to be opened.
Have you checked your Temp Files yet? There may still be a working version of your project there:
Open this folder in Windows Explorer: %appdata%\Articulate\Storyline
Scan the contents of this folder for a file that starts with the name of your project. If you find one, copy it to your desktop. If you find more than one, copy the latest version to your desktop.
Change the file extension of the copy on your desktop from *.tmp to *.story.
Double-click the file to open it in Storyline.
We do recommend working locally on your project files:
Has any progress been made on this issue? I am constantly coming up against this problem and getting that message that the file cannot be opened. This has caused quite a few scares. It seems that making a copy of the file allows me to open the copy, but this is not a good workaround as it further uses up space on my desktop. I am having to do this on a near daily basis and quite frankly, it is annoying as hell. All of my working files are on my C: Drive, so this is not an issue of having the files in a shared external drive.
What is causing this problem? Based on the number of entries in this thread, it doesn't strike me as a one-off issue per user. Something is corrupting the files.
I just started having this problem. I'm trying all the fixes I am seeing - already work on hard drive not network, correct file names, save often, create backups - but something keeps happening to certain files. Jurgen I'm trying turning off indexing now to see if that helps, thank you!
16 Replies
Welcome, Jun. Sorry you've run into that error!
You can upload your .story file privately to our Support team here. We'll try to open it on our end, and let you know what we find!
For now, here's how to check if there's a working version of the project in your Temp Files:
Pro-tip: We recommend saving directly to the C: drive from Storyline, and then backing the file up to a network or shared drive to prevent similar snags. The handy tips outlined here can also help reduce the risk of corruption!
Hi Jun,
A note for you here - Storyline 3, build 3. 3.7.20003.0 is available now for you to download and update. This update includes some help surrounding files which may have been corrupted. If a project becomes corrupt, Storyline lets you know if there's a working version in your temp files and makes it easy for you to recover. For more details check out this article, and you can follow the link here to download and update to the latest build of Storyline 3.
Hi everyone,
I'm facing the same issue when I try to open an articulate file I'm getting this message"Can't open the file as it says the file is corrupted or created by an older version" then I tried Opening this folder in Windows Explorer: %appdata%\Articulate\Storyline and scanned the contents but I couldn't find a single file. Then I thought of recreating whatever I have done earlier but I'm getting the same message. I am able to open some other files which I have worked but if I make a change in any of the articulate files or even I'm just opening without making any changes and saving the file and closing it if I again open the file same message coming. Looks like I cant work with articulate storyline anymore I cant figure out what the issue is please anyone help.
Hi Himanshu,
I am sorry to hear that you are running into that error message!
What may help is to review a few environmental factors that could be causing this. As an example, storing files on your local hard drive (C: Drive) can help reduce corruption from taking place. Working on a network drive or an external USB drive can cause erratic behavior to occur.
We have a great resource that provides more guidance to help reduce the risk of file corruption here:
If the steps in the article are being followed, I would like our Support Engineers to help take a closer look! You are always more than welcome to connect with our team here.
Please keep us posted and let us know if you have any questions!
Hi there,
I have the same problem - a file i worked on a few months ago needs to be published in a different way - but now i can't open it!
It is a pretty big file on which we worked for many weeks - it's not possible to rebuild it soon...
In our Backup is in the meanwhile the same curropt file safed...
Is there a chance to open it again?
Hi Oliver,
Thanks for contacting us and sharing what you are experiencing with your project file. With your permission, I'd like you to share your project file with our support engineers to investigate what's happening. You can share it privately by uploading it here. It will be deleted when troubleshooting is complete.
I am having the same difficulty uploading a file created in Storyline 2. Is it possible to have the file reviewed?
Welcome to E-Learning Heroes, Cassie, and thanks for reaching out!
Sorry you're hitting this roadblock, and we're here to help. I've opened a case on your behalf, and you should have received an email from me with an upload link to share your file!
I uploaded the file into the original case when I requested to open one. Do I need to upload it again?
Cassie
Hi Cassie,
It looks like you're working directly with Eric, so no need to upload it again. I'll close the duplicate case.
It looks like your email signature came through when you replied via email. You can remove that if needed by clicking ‘Edit’ beneath your response. Here’s a quick Peek video if you need help.
What are some of the reasons found for the above cases? I am having so much trouble with getting this error all of a sudden with several courses. We can't just store everything on our hard drive, we have to share files as a team/company...like most organizations.
Hello Christine,
Outside of what you see here in the conversation, we had a support case filed, but unfortunately, their file was truly corrupt and unable to be opened.
Have you checked your Temp Files yet? There may still be a working version of your project there:
We do recommend working locally on your project files:
Storyline: Create, Edit, and Publish Courses on Your Local Hard Drive
To collaborate with others or save to a network location after the project is completed, I'd recommend the following workflow:
Storyline: Recommended Workflow for Collaborative Network Environments
Has any progress been made on this issue? I am constantly coming up against this problem and getting that message that the file cannot be opened. This has caused quite a few scares. It seems that making a copy of the file allows me to open the copy, but this is not a good workaround as it further uses up space on my desktop. I am having to do this on a near daily basis and quite frankly, it is annoying as hell. All of my working files are on my C: Drive, so this is not an issue of having the files in a shared external drive.
What is causing this problem? Based on the number of entries in this thread, it doesn't strike me as a one-off issue per user. Something is corrupting the files.
>it seems that making a copy of the file allows me to open the copy
then the file is not corrupted, but temporarily blocked, perhaps by the Windows Indexing Service
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/search-indexing-in-windows-10-faq-da061c83-af6b-095c-0f7a-4dfecda4d15a
open control panel "Indexing Options" > Advanced > File Types
deactivate extension "story" and "storytemplate"
perhaps it helps, but it certainly doesn't do any harm
I just started having this problem. I'm trying all the fixes I am seeing - already work on hard drive not network, correct file names, save often, create backups - but something keeps happening to certain files. Jurgen I'm trying turning off indexing now to see if that helps, thank you!
Hi Kristin!
Sorry to hear you've also hit a snag when opening a Storyline course. Thanks for sharing the troubleshooting methods you've tried so far!
If the steps Jurgen offered don't remedy the issue, it would be helpful to take a closer look at one of the affected files. If you're comfortable, please share it here in the discussion or privately through a support case.
We'll delete it from our system once we've finished investigating the behavior!