Revit Failed to Open Document: The best Troubleshooting in 5 Minutes

In this blog post, we will be discussing the error message “Revit Failed to Open Document.” This error can be frustrating and disruptive for users of the Revit software, as it prevents them from accessing and working with their files. However, there are steps that can be taken to troubleshoot and fix this issue. We will explore the common causes of the error and provide a step-by-step guide for troubleshooting, as well as discuss advanced solutions for those who are unable to resolve the issue using the initial troubleshooting steps.

I. Causes of “Revit Failed to Open Document” Error

There are several possible causes of the “Revit Failed to Open Document” error. These include:

1. The model was sent from another location and is in a ZIP file format, which includes both the central model and any linked Revit files
2. Revit is unable to open or read a linked model
3. The file is corrupt or damaged: If the file has been damaged or corrupted for any reason, Revit may be unable to open it.
4. The file was not saved correctly: If the file was not saved correctly, Revit may be unable to open it.
5. There are compatibility issues with the software or operating system: If the file was created or saved using a different version of Revit or on a different operating system, there may be compatibility issues that prevent Revit from opening the file.
6. The file was opened using an older version of Revit: If the file was created using a newer version of Revit and you are attempting to open it with an older version, the file may not be compatible and the error will occur.
7. The file was moved or renamed after it was last saved: If the file has been moved or renamed since it was last saved, Revit may be unable to locate it and the “Revit Failed to Open Document” error will occur.
8. Revit may Fail to initialize the add-in which causes the appearance of “Revit Failed to Open document” error

II. Troubleshooting Steps

If you are experiencing the “Revit Failed to Open Document” error, there are several troubleshooting steps you can try to fix the issue and it depends on the real cause of the problem:

1. Check the file for corruption or damage:

One of the first things you should do is check the file for corruption or damage.

• You can try opening the file on another Computer with your colleague or using a Revit Viewer online to verify that the file is okay first.

• Verify that you have installed the latest hotfix available through the Autodesk Desktop App to resolve the issue
• Make sure that the %TMP% folder is clean and that there is at least 6 GB of free hard disk space available for Revit to work properly
• Collect the journal files and send them to Autodesk support for further assistance with the issue

---

2. Make sure the file was saved and synchronized correctly:

If the file was not saved correctly, Revit may be unable to open it.

• Check to make sure that the file was saved correctly from other users and that all necessary data is present.
• Check for compatibility issues with the software or operating system: If the file was created or saved using a different version of Revit or on a different operating system, there may be compatibility issues that prevent Revit from opening the file. Try opening the file using a newer version of Revit without saving it or on a different computer with your colleague to see if the error persists.
• Check if the central file has been moved or renamed: If the file has been moved or renamed since it was last saved, Revit may be unable to locate it and the “Revit Failed to Open Document” error message will appear. Check to make sure that the file is in the correct location and has not been renamed.

---

3. Try to open the Revit file by turning all the worksets off :

• Click the drop-down next to the open button.
• Click Specify.
• Select all worksets (Ctrl + A).
• Click Close.
• Click OK.

Here are the steps to specify worksets for a model in Revit using Cloud:

• From the Revit Home page, click the three dots next to the model name.
• From the menu that appears, select the “Specify” option.
• Press “Ctrl + A” to select all worksets.
• Click “Close.”
• Finally, click “OK” to apply the changes.

---

4. Try to recover or open the last version of the Revit Model

If your Revit Central file is on a Windows Server, try to recover the previous version of your Revit file before the appearance of the “Revit Failed to Open Document” error message following these steps:

• Go to the path folder of your Revit Central File
• Right Click on it > Properties
• Navigate to Previous Versions
• Select the Revit version then open it
• Verify that your Revit model is Okay
• then Go back to Previous Versions > Select the Revit Version that you want to recover and click on restore
• Use a third-party recovery tool: If the above methods don’t work, you can try using a third-party recovery tool such as Recuva or EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. These tools can scan your hard drive and recover deleted files.

---

5. Try to rename the Revit File to ZIP and extract it

The Revit model may be sent from another location and is in a ZIP file format, which includes both the central model and any linked Revit files that caused the appearance of the error “Revit Failed to Open Document”.

• So If the model was downloaded from a cloud project or sent from an external without using the best practices to export and send a model, try renaming the RVT file to ZIP and extracting it. If the RVT file and any linked files can be extracted, the error was likely caused by the file being renamed to ZIP

---

6. Try to turn Off Revit Add-ins

• If Revit Failed to initialize one of the add-ins installed try to turn them off using AppManager from DiRoots then check if and the “Revit Failed to Open Document” error message will appear again.

---

7. Cloud Model: Revit Failed to open document

If you are using the desktop connector to reload or link a cloud model to a Revit model and encounter the “Failed to open document” error, check the journal files to determine whether the issue is related to the cache

• The BIM360 cache is located at C:\Users<username>\AppData\Local\Autodesk\Revit\PacCache, and you can check this location to see if there are any issues with the cache that may be causing the error.

---

8. Revit Failed to initiate Collaboration

• The “Failed to initialize Collaboration” error may occur if network connectivity is lost during the saving process, if the VPN is not supported and corrupts the files, or if files are being transferred while someone is browsing them, including on FTP sites

---

9. Try Auditing the Revit File:

To maintain the integrity of your Revit model, you can use the Audit function. This feature can identify and fix any corrupt elements within the model like the error “Revit Failed to Open Document”. However, it does not specify which elements were affected.

To use the Audit function, follow these steps:

1. Go to the File tab and select the Open option from the drop-down menu.
2. Choose your project file from the list and click Open.
3. In the Open window, check the “Audit” box at the bottom left and click Open again to begin the audit process.

• Then consider performing a Revit collaboration cache cleanup at C:\Users<USERNAME>\AppData\Local\Autodesk\Revit<Autodesk Revit Version>\CollaborationCache.

Conclusion

To prevent issues with opening documents in Revit, it is recommended to regularly synchronize with the cloud and optimize your backup settings. Additionally, it is a good practice to save all journal files before overwriting them with new projects. If you continue to experience problems such as the “Revit Failed to Open Document” error, you can seek technical assistance from Autodesk Support.