If you are working with NVivo and the program crashes, giving you an error referring to "Lucene.Net.Index" or "LuceneFile" and/or "could not allocate space...filegroup is full" or a Transaction Failure (e.g. error code _1wa.cfs) please follow the instructions below.
The issue is presently suspected to be affecting files saved in a folder synching with OneDrive.
For information:
There was a Windows update on January 13, 2026 (KB5074109) that caused problems with some applications accessing files on cloud storage- a fix is in the January 24 update KB5078127. You can review the Windows release notes with details of the issue.
- Do run any Windows updates now.
- Next check for software updates and update your NVivo version:
Windows:
File > Product Info > Check for Software Updates
3. Repair your project file and save it locally
a) For individual project files:
- Try making a copy of your NVivo project file (.nvp), and moving it to your C: Drive (Documents, or Temp folder preferably)
- Now open NVivo.
- Navigate to File > Help > Compact & Repair - select and compact your project file.
- Next generate a new Blank project, navigate to the Import tab > Project - select and import your compacted project file into this new blank project.
Please note that folders on the C: Drive need to not be synching in the background with OneDrive. To avoid project corruption, it is recommended to always save your files to a local drive or to pause synching of OneDrive while working with the NVivo project file: Why should I store my NVivo project on a local drive? Can I store it in a Dropbox, Cloud or on a network?
b) Additional steps for NVivo Collaboration Cloud projects:
If your project is indeed synced to OneDrive or another cloud location, do the following:
- Ask all the team members to disconnect their projects from the cloud.
- Then, the project owner should move the disconnected project to a local drive. (Attempt to repair the local file es described above.)
- Now upload, and share the project with the team again.
More info on how to disconnect the project here: https://help-nv.qsrinternational.com/15/win/Content/projects-teamwork/nvivo15-collaboration.htm#AccessandUpdateSharedProjects