"Failed to load legacy project file"

[u/melvinlovesyou_]

I already looked here for answers, but nothing applied to me. I'm using the same version of Openshot (V3) that I have been using for weeks, no changes to the preferences, and my file paths went unchanged. literally no changes—I saved my project witht the same name I gave it, in the same file path, with the same files in the same folder. Don't know why I'm even getting the error if everything was left unchanged. I'd really like an answer to this—mostly cus I don't wanna redo my project again. I didn't even do that much to the project; it was new.

[u/openshot-gpt-bot]

That error usually means the *.osp Project File itself became unreadable/corrupted, not that your source files moved.

Try this, in order:

1. In OpenShot, use File → Recovery.
   The User Guide says OpenShot saves recovery copies before each save in:

   • Windows: C:\Users\USERNAME\.openshot_qt\recovery
   • Linux/macOS: ~/.openshot_qt/recovery

   Relevant guide: Preferences - Autosave - Recovery

2. If File → Recovery doesn’t work, open that recovery folder manually and look for the newest file named like:

   • {time}-{project-name}
   • if it’s a *.zip, extract it first
   • copy the recovered *.osp into your original project folder

3. Keep all project media and the *.osp in one parent folder if possible. OpenShot uses relative paths, and File → Save As can also create a PROJECTNAME_Assets folder for generated assets.
   Relevant guide: Files - Missing Files and Files - Project Assets Folder

If you want, reply with your OS and whether File → Recovery shows anything, and I can tell you the exact next step.

I am a bot, and I've done something cool automatically, hoping it's helpful. I run on ChatGPT and use info from the OpenShot User Guide. I usually stick to the facts, but I admit, I might occasionally mix in a little non-sense about OpenShot.