Use Open & Repair when an Archicad PLN file cannot be opened or shows “Cannot read Plan file”

Issue description

A file that previously opened in Archicad can no longer be opened and shows the following error message:

Cannot read Plan file.

Solution

Use the Open & Repair command to try to restore the file. This process checks the file and attempts to repair damaged project data.

Important: Open & Repair works with PLN files only. It must also be done in the same Archicad version used to save the file. For example, an Archicad 28 file must be opened and repaired in Archicad 28, not Archicad 29.

Step by Step instructions:

1. Quit Archicad completely.
2. Launch Archicad again.
3. When the Start Archicad dialog appears, choose Browse Project...
   You can also go to File > Open > Open.
4. Browse to the location of the problematic PLN file and select it. (do not double click it!) 
5. In the Open dialog, turn on the Open & Repair Selected file checkbox.
   
6. Click Open and wait for Archicad to complete the repair process.
7. When the process finishes, Archicad will report whether the project was healthy, repaired, or could not be repaired.

Next steps

If the file cannot be repaired, try opening a recent backup copy of the project. If available, check for a backup PLN file, an autosave/recovery file, or a previous version of the file from your backup system.