Project v40 → v39 # Downgrade Premiere Pro 2022 to 2021 Drop your Premiere Pro 2022 .prproj and get a copy that Premiere Pro 2021 opens. Everything runs locally in your browser. Downgrade panel 100% local. No upload. Drop your .prproj here Saved in Premiere Pro 2022? or click to browse. Multiple files are fine. Open it in Always keep your original. Downgrading bypasses the version gate and repairs known format differences, but effects and features from newer releases cannot be interpreted by older builds. After opening, import the sequences into a fresh project. ## Compatibility verdict for 2022 to 2021 2022 project version v40 2021 accepts up to v39 Major releases apart 1 Downgrade outlook low risk ## Premiere Pro 2022 vs Premiere Pro 2021: what is different? Premiere Pro 2022 (22.x, released Oct 2021) saves projects with internal schema version `40`. Premiere Pro 2021 (15.x, released Mar 2021) only understands up to `39`, 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 2022 | Premiere Pro 2021 | | --- | --- | --- | | Release | Oct 2021 | Mar 2021 | | App build | 22.x | 15.x | | Project Version attribute | 40 | 39 | | 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: \- + Both 2022 and 2021 use the dense serialisation, so no fields need rebuilding. Changing the version is the only edit required. ## What you may lose going from 2022 to 2021 Features below were introduced after Premiere Pro 2021. Their data may stay in the XML, but Premiere Pro 2021 has no code to interpret it, so expect them to be ignored, flattened or missing: ### Added in Premiere Pro 2022 * Speech-to-Text transcripts and rebuilt captions tracks * New workspace layouts and enhanced proxy workflow * Remix tool and Apple silicon support ## Why this jump is rated low risk * Adjacent major releases share most of their project schema, which is the safest case. ## Step-by-step: open a 2022 project in 2021 1. Duplicate your `.prproj`. Never convert your only copy. 2. Drop it into the panel above and choose Premiere Pro 2021 as the target. 3. Download the converted file and open it in Premiere Pro 2021. Expect a prompt about converting an older project, which is normal. 4. Create a brand new empty project in Premiere Pro 2021 and **import** the converted project into it, rather than continuing in it. 5. Scrub every sequence. Relink media if drive letters or paths differ. Don't have Premiere Pro 2021? Open the Creative Cloud desktop app, choose _All apps → Premiere Pro → Other versions_ and install it alongside your current version. ## Frequently asked questions Can I open a Premiere Pro 2022 project in Premiere Pro 2021? Yes, in most cases. Premiere Pro 2021 refuses Premiere Pro 2022 files because the project carries version 40 while Premiere Pro 2021 only accepts up to version 39. This tool rewrites that number to 39, so Premiere Pro 2021 loads the file instead of showing "saved in a newer version". Risk for this jump is low: 1 major release apart. What will I lose downgrading from 2022 to 2021? Anything that only exists in newer releases cannot be interpreted by Premiere Pro 2021. That includes Speech-to-Text transcripts and rebuilt captions tracks and New workspace layouts and enhanced proxy workflow. Basic cuts, tracks, clips, markers, transitions and effects that exist in both versions normally survive, but always check the timeline after opening. Why does Premiere Pro 2021 say the project was saved in a newer version? A .prproj is gzip-compressed XML and the root element stores an integer schema version (2022 = 40, 2021 = 39). Premiere reads it before anything else and stops if it is higher than its own. Is my 2022 project uploaded to a server? No. Decompression, editing and re-compression run inside your browser using JavaScript and the native Compression Streams API. Your project file never leaves your computer, and there is no backend. ## Other jumps from 2022 * [2022 → 2020](/premiere-pro-downgrader/downgrade-premiere-pro-2022-to-2020) * [2022 → 2019](/premiere-pro-downgrader/downgrade-premiere-pro-2022-to-2019) * [2022 → 2018](/premiere-pro-downgrader/downgrade-premiere-pro-2022-to-2018) * [2022 → 2017](/premiere-pro-downgrader/downgrade-premiere-pro-2022-to-2017) ## Other projects that open in 2021 * [2026 → 2021](/premiere-pro-downgrader/downgrade-premiere-pro-2026-to-2021) * [2025 → 2021](/premiere-pro-downgrader/downgrade-premiere-pro-2025-to-2021) * [2024 → 2021](/premiere-pro-downgrader/downgrade-premiere-pro-2024-to-2021) * [2023 → 2021](/premiere-pro-downgrader/downgrade-premiere-pro-2023-to-2021) Want the internals? Read [how project downgrading works](/premiere-pro-downgrader/how-premiere-project-downgrade-works) or check the [version map](/premiere-pro-downgrader/premiere-pro-project-version-map). Reverse direction: any [2022 → 2021](/premiere-pro-downgrader/downgrade-premiere-pro-2022-to-2021) copy opens in newer Premiere versions without conversion. Canonical page: https://vakago-tools.com/premiere-pro-downgrader/downgrade-premiere-pro-2022-to-2021 Keep the original project. Newer effects and features may be lost; check the converted timeline in the target Premiere Pro release.