Premiere Pro 2021 vs Premiere Pro 2020: what is different?
Premiere Pro 2021 (15.x, released Mar 2021) saves projects with internal schema version 39. Premiere Pro 2020 (14.0, released Nov 2019) only understands up to 37, which is why opening the file shows “This project was saved in a newer version of Adobe Premiere Pro”. The message is a gate, not a judgement about the content.
| Premiere Pro 2021 | Premiere Pro 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| Release | Mar 2021 | Nov 2019 |
| App build | 15.x | 14.0 |
| Project Version attribute | 39 | 37 |
| XML serialisation | Dense (full fields) | Dense (full fields) |
What the converter changes in your file
A .prproj is gzip-compressed XML. The tool decompresses it, edits the root Project element, and compresses it again:
- <Project ObjectID="1" ClassID="62ad66dd-0dcd-42da-a660-6d8fbde94876" Version="39"> + <Project ObjectID="1" ClassID="62ad66dd-0dcd-42da-a660-6d8fbde94876" Version="37">
Both 2021 and 2020 use the dense serialisation, so no fields need rebuilding. Changing the version is the only edit required.
What you may lose going from 2021 to 2020
Features below were introduced after Premiere Pro 2020. Their data may stay in the XML, but Premiere Pro 2020 has no code to interpret it, so expect them to be ignored, flattened or missing:
Added in Premiere Pro 2021
- Productions workflow becoming mainstream
- Large under-the-hood project format changes (community reports a hard barrier between 2021 and 2020)
Why this jump is rated medium risk
- This crosses the 2021 → 2020 boundary where Adobe changed the project format substantially.
- Adjacent major releases share most of their project schema, which is the safest case.
Step-by-step: open a 2021 project in 2020
- Duplicate your
.prproj. Never convert your only copy. - Drop it into the panel above and choose Premiere Pro 2020 as the target.
- Download the converted file and open it in Premiere Pro 2020. Expect a prompt about converting an older project, which is normal.
- Create a brand new empty project in Premiere Pro 2020 and import the converted project into it, rather than continuing in it.
- Scrub every sequence. Relink media if drive letters or paths differ.
Don't have Premiere Pro 2020? Open the Creative Cloud desktop app, choose All apps → Premiere Pro → Other versions and install it alongside your current version.