# Cognex Designer Version Compatibility

Cognex Designer supports backward compatibility, which means that projects created with earlier versions of Designer should be able to be opened, edited, and saved in the latest Designer release. However, once projects are saved in the latest Designer release, Cognex does not guarantee that these project files may be reopened in an earlier version of the software. This is due to the introduction of new features and capabilities that are not present in the older releases.

Note:

In addition, the following also applies to Designer version compatibility:

- A Designer project originally created in Cognex Designer 1.0 or 2.0 should be able to be opened, edited, and saved in Cognex Designer 2.1 and later. When loading the older Designer project into Designer 2.1 and later for the first time, Designer 2.1 and later may detect conversion issues, and will inform you of the conversion issues. In order for the project to work with the latest version of Designer, you will need to correct these issues.
- Project files originally created in Designer 2.0 that were later opened and saved in Designer 2.1 cannot be opened again in Designer 2.0. To open and use a project from an earlier revision, you will have to go to the project folder and find a backup project file (via the project file's timestamp) before it was opened and saved in Designer 2.1. For more information about loading a project from a backup project file, please see the Restoring a Project From a Backup topic.