Maya Crashes When Opening a Scene File

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Open a backup

   Copy steps
   1. Look in the scene folder for .mb~, .bak or timestamped versions
   2. Open the newest one
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Import instead of open

   Copy steps
   1. Start an empty scene
   2. Use File > Import on the damaged file
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Remove the plugin requirement in an ASCII copy

   Copy steps
   1. For .ma files, open in a text editor and delete the requires line for the missing plug-in
   2. Binary .mb cannot be edited this way
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Reset preferences

   1. Rename the maya preferences folder and retry
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

Maya freezes or closes while loading a .ma or .mb file.

Why it happens

• Scene needs a plugin that is not installed
• Binary file saved in a newer Maya than the one opening it
• Corrupted file or preferences

This guide also covers

• maya crashes when opening file
• maya scene won't open
• maya file corrupted

The same problem in other apps

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