--- title: "Jo Asks: Forced Migration: Which Version You Have to Use" description: When clients and consultants set the software version, how practitioners keep working, and what the vendors allow. image: https://blog.cadalyst.com/hubfs/Editorial%20-%20Misc/2026_Cadalyst/2026_JustTellJo/2026-09-29_JTJ-which%20version/AdobeStock_1961201040.jpeg --- [![Cadalyst](https://blog.cadalyst.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Cadalyst_logo_w_tagline.png?width=190&height=45&name=Cadalyst_logo_w_tagline.png "Cadalyst")](https://www.cadalyst.com) - [CAD Management](https://blog.cadalyst.com/cadmanagement) - [CAD Management Articles](https://blog.cadalyst.com/cadmanagement) - [CAD Management Newsletter Archive](https://info.cadalyst.com/cad-manager-newsletter-archive) - [Just Tell Jo](https://blog.cadalyst.com/just-tell-jo) - [Design Solutions](https://blog.cadalyst.com/architecture-infrastructure-construction-solutions) - [Architecture, Infrastructure, Construction](https://blog.cadalyst.com/architecture-infrastructure-construction-solutions) - [The Equipped Architect: Generative Design](https://blog.cadalyst.com/the-equipped-architect-generative-design) - [DraftSight Insights](https://blog.cadalyst.com/lynn-allens-draftsight-insight) - [Product Design & Manufacturing](https://blog.cadalyst.com/product-design-manufacturing-solutions) - [CAD Hardware](https://blog.cadalyst.com/cadalyst-cad-hardware) - [CAD Tech News Archive](https://info.cadalyst.com/cad-tech-news-archive) - [Resources](https://info.cadalyst.com/white-papers) - [CAD Cartoon](https://blog.cadalyst.com/cad-cartoons) - [Cadalyst Just Tell Jo Newsletter](https://info.cadalyst.com/just-tell-jo) - [Cadalyst Videos](https://www.youtube.com/user/cadalystvideos) - [Whitepapers & Tips](https://info.cadalyst.com/white-papers) - [CAD Benchmark Test](https://info.cadalyst.com/cad-benchmark-test) - [CAD Code/Hot Tip Harry](https://cadtips.cadalyst.com/) - [CAD Podcasts](https://info.cadalyst.com/podcasts-for-cad-users) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. Jo Asks: Forced Migration: Which Version You Have to Use 8:28 # Jo Asks: Forced Migration: Which Version You Have to Use By [Jo Cadalyst](https://blog.cadalyst.com/just-tell-jo/author/jo-cadalyst) [Upgrade](https://blog.cadalyst.com/just-tell-jo/tag/upgrade) [Engineering](https://blog.cadalyst.com/just-tell-jo/tag/engineering) [CAD Management](https://blog.cadalyst.com/just-tell-jo/tag/cad-management) [MCAD](https://blog.cadalyst.com/just-tell-jo/tag/mcad) [AEC](https://blog.cadalyst.com/just-tell-jo/tag/aec) [JtJ](https://blog.cadalyst.com/just-tell-jo/tag/jtj) [Cadalyst](https://blog.cadalyst.com/just-tell-jo/tag/cadalyst) September 29, 2026 Just Tell Jo: When clients and consultants set the software version, how practitioners keep working, and what the vendors allow. *This month, we looked at one form that forced migration takes: the software version someone else picks for you. We used AI to search CAD community forums and pulled published policies from vendors, resellers, and public boards for information. What we found is that for many of the practitioners we read, the question isn’t what version is best. The working question is how many versions you can keep running at once, or save down to*. ![AdobeStock\_1961201040](https://blog.cadalyst.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Editorial%20-%20Misc/2026_Cadalyst/2026_JustTellJo/2026-09-29_JTJ-which%20version/AdobeStock_1961201040.jpeg?width=582&height=328&name=AdobeStock_1961201040.jpeg) *Image source: Visionary AI Lab/stock.adobe.com.*   A new client sends a model from three releases ago. A public owner writes a version into the contract. A consultant still hasn't moved. In these situations, your own upgrade plans don't count for much.   ## **Upgrade or Wait?** On Autodesk's Revit forum in June 2025, one experienced user argued that offices should start internal projects on the latest release so they don't fall behind. He added that holdouts often stay put because of old hardware or add-ins that can’t move with them. Another answered that consultants rarely get a vote. They carry several long projects, each on whatever version the lead chose, and they keep them all running. A third said their projects stay on the version they started in. A job running five years or more might move up, but only if every consultant agrees to goes along.   ## **When the Client Sets the Clock** Some of those decisions are now written down. One West Coast city's public utility says it supports only 2025 Autodesk products: Consultants signing new contracts from March 2025 must use the 2025 release, though existing contracts don't have to upgrade. A state transportation department posted its own Civil 3D 2024 upgrade announcements in 2024. For firms working for several owners, that can mean one version per contract.   ## **What the Vendors Say** The vendors have made some of this easier, and some of it hasn't changed. **Autodesk:** Subscribers to eligible products can download the three previous versions from their account and receive support and updates for those three. For Revit, running several versions on one machine costs nothing extra. For both Revit and AutoCAD, Autodesk recommends installing them oldest first. Note that Revit files cannot be saved down to earlier versions.**AutoCAD** can save to an earlier DWG format. Autodesk's own example is a subcontractor still on AutoCAD 2016, who needs files in the 2013 format. Specialized objects from Civil 3D, Plant or MEP can turn into proxy objects along the way. **PTC Creo:** It opens older models in newer releases but offers no way back. A plug-in that once let older releases read newer files was dropped as of Creo 7. The advice on PTC’s own forum is to get both firms onto the same release, or to send neutral files and accept that the model history won't come with them. **Solid Edge:** According to a CAD interoperability vendor, files can't be opened in earlier versions. Partners either stay on the same release or exchange neutral formats such as STEP or Parasolid, which carry the geometry without the sketches and parameters. **SOLIDWORKS:** Starting with 2024, it can save files back two versions, as long as the subscription is active. A built-in check flags anything the older version can't handle, and those items have to be fixed by hand first.   ## **How Offices Deal With It** On the Civil 3D forum in fall 2024, one user said people in their office run every version from 2021 to 2025 and have for years without trouble. The rule is simple: nobody saves below the 2018 drawing format. He also said he wouldn't recommend it to everyone. Another user in the thread was less settled. He has people going back and forth too, but said Autodesk has told him directly that it isn't recommended. In his view, the arrangement works only until Autodesk changes how a Civil 3D object is stored, as he says happened with pipe networks in 2017. His rule of thumb: if anyone saves a project file in a newer version, move the whole project up. On the manufacturing side, a machine shop on Practical Machinist described receiving SOLIDWORKS files from customers from newer releases that he couldn't open. He opened them in another program, saved them as STEP files, and brought those in instead. Someone else in the thread advised keeping serial numbers and installers for any version you plan to stay on. Not every account was a workaround. The same Civil 3D user from above works on objects created in 2025 using the 2022 through 2024. One user in that thread works on objects created in the newest release using three older ones. On CADmunity in 2025, a SOLIDWORKS user said being able to save back to earlier versions made trying a new release less of a gamble.   ## **Jo Suggests** Watch for the signs that a client's version will cost you: a contract that names a release, a model from more than three versions back, and specialized objects that may not survive a trip to an older format. Protect yourself by knowing what your license allows before a project starts. On some Autodesk subscriptions, that's the current release plus the three before it. SOLIDWORKS can save back two versions with an active subscription. Revit, Creo, and Solid Edge can’t save back at all. Keep installers for any version a live contract depends on, and make one office rule for saving files, such as a minimum drawing format. Then ask every client and consultant at kickoff which version they're on and whether it's written into the contract. Match it, and write that down too.   | **Would you like to share a story? Our next question is: **The Save I thought I made (RE: Where are my files?) **Sign up for an [email here](https://info.cadalyst.com/just-tell-jo)  (click box "I have a story for Jo!"), or fill out this [short form](https://forms.gle/A24yx3GeeKpiHjW99) to get the ball rolling.****** | | --- | --- ***This week's Just Tell Jo newsletter is sponsored by:  [Vectorworks](https://www.vectorworks.net/whats-new?utm_source=cadalyst&utm_medium=sponsored_banner&utm_campaign=make_the_move_architect&utm_content=adtracking_10126).*** ***[![Vectorworks-BLDG-paid-placement-AEC-us-banner-728×90](https://blog.cadalyst.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Editorial%20-%20Misc/2026_Cadalyst/2026_JustTellJo/Vectorworks-BLDG-paid-placement-AEC-us-banner-728%C3%9790.png?width=728&height=90&name=Vectorworks-BLDG-paid-placement-AEC-us-banner-728%C3%9790.png)](https://www.vectorworks.net/whats-new?utm_source=cadalyst&utm_medium=sponsored_banner&utm_campaign=make_the_move_architect&utm_content=adtracking_10126)*** ---   | ## **FAQ** ### **Can I save a Revit file to an older version?** No. Revit has no native way to save a file down to an earlier version. Once a model is saved in a newer release, anyone working on it needs that release or later. That's why some firms keep each Revit project on the version it started in and move it up only if every consultant goes along. ### **How many older versions of Autodesk software can I use with a subscription?** Autodesk subscribers to eligible products can download the three previous versions from their Autodesk account and receive support and updates for those three. That covers the current release plus the three before it. For Revit, running several versions on one machine costs nothing extra, and Autodesk recommends installing multiple versions oldest first. ### **How do I send an AutoCAD drawing to someone on an older version?** AutoCAD can save to an earlier DWG format. Autodesk's own example is a subcontractor still on AutoCAD 2016, who needs files saved in the 2013 format. Specialized objects from Civil 3D, Plant or MEP can turn into proxy objects along the way, so check what survives before sending. ### **Can SOLIDWORKS save files to an older version?** Yes, starting with SOLIDWORKS 2024. It can save files back two versions, as long as the subscription is active. A built-in check flags anything the older version can't handle, and those items have to be fixed by hand before the save goes through. ### **Can Creo or Solid Edge files be opened in an older release?** Not natively. Creo opens older models in newer releases but offers no way back, and Solid Edge files can't be opened in earlier versions. The alternatives are getting both firms onto the same release or exchanging neutral formats such as STEP or Parasolid, which carry the geometry without the model history, sketches or parameters. ### **What should I do when clients use different CAD software versions?** Ask every client and consultant at kickoff which version they're on and whether it's written into the contract, then match it and document it. Know what your license allows before the project starts, keep installers for any version a live contract depends on, and set one office rule for saving files, such as a minimum drawing format. | | --- |   Share This Post [![Share on Facebook](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2115715/ADT%20Blog/Social%20Icons/5e0f3c78452ae7d40a6dbfff_002-facebook-logo.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.cadalyst.com%2Fjust-tell-jo%2Fjo-asks-which-version%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on LinkedIn](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2115715/ADT%20Blog/Social%20Icons/5e0f3c78452ae70fe46dc000_001-linkedin-logo.svg)](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.cadalyst.com%2Fjust-tell-jo%2Fjo-asks-which-version%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dlinkedin) [![Share on Twitter](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/2115715/hubfs/ADT%20Blog/Social%20Icons/5e0f3c78452ae7625c6dbffd_home-socicon1.png?width=24&name=5e0f3c78452ae7625c6dbffd_home-socicon1.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.cadalyst.com%2Fjust-tell-jo%2Fjo-asks-which-version%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.cadalyst.com%2Fjust-tell-jo%2Fjo-asks-which-version%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Jo%20Asks%3A%20Forced%20Migration%3A%20Which%20Version%20You%20Have%20to%20Use) [![Share on Email](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/2115715/ADT%20Blog/Social%20Icons/001-envelope.svg)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.cadalyst.com%2Fjust-tell-jo%2Fjo-asks-which-version%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.cadalyst.com%2Fjust-tell-jo%2Fjo-asks-which-version%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ### Jo Cadalyst Jo's job is to collect your anecdotes, protect your identity, and combine them into an entertaining story for the rest of your cohort! 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All rights reserved. - [Privacy](https://info.cadalyst.com/privacy-lm) - [About Us](https://info.cadalyst.com/about-cadalyst) - [Fair Trade Statement](https://info.cadalyst.com/fair-trade-policy) - [Contact Us](https://info.cadalyst.com/contact-cadalyst) - [Terms of Use](https://info.cadalyst.com/cadalyst-terms-of-use) - [Linking & RSS](https://info.cadalyst.com/linking-and-rss-terms-of-use) - [Advertise](https://info.cadalyst.com/advertise-with-cadalyst) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Jo Cadalyst", "url" : "https://blog.cadalyst.com/just-tell-jo/author/jo-cadalyst" }, "dateModified" : "2026-09-29T10:31:19.802Z", "datePublished" : "2026-09-29T10:26:58.000Z", "headline" : "Jo Asks: Forced Migration: Which Version You Have to Use", "image" : [ "https://blog.cadalyst.com/hubfs/Editorial%20-%20Misc/2026_Cadalyst/2026_JustTellJo/2026-09-29_JTJ-which%20version/AdobeStock_1961201040.jpeg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://blog.cadalyst.com/just-tell-jo/jo-asks-which-version", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://blog.cadalyst.com/hubfs/Editorial%20-%20Misc/cadalyst_logo.gif" }, "name" : "Longitude Media, LLC" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "FAQPage", "mainEntity" : [ { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "No. Revit has no native way to save a file down to an earlier version. 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