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NVivo for Mac project did not close successfully last time it was open (error and solution)

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I am using NVivo Mac and receiving the below error message

This project did not close successfully the last time it was open. Please restart your computer and try opening it again. If this problem persists, please contact Support.

Answer

Active file synching with iCloud, One Drive or other cloud storage services may result in the error  "Failed to Open Project. This project did not close successfully the last time it was open".  Make sure this feature is disabled while using the .nvpx project file in NVivo.

If the problem persists after restarting the computer, please do the following with NVivo closed: 

  1. Open the Finder and navigate to the location of your project file (nvpx file) 
  2. Right-click on the project file and choose Get Info . Make sure the lock checkbox is disabled.
  3. Copy the project file to your Desktop or other location and rename it there.  Ensure you are not using a project name containing ALLCAPS or a space at the end (ie. MYPROJECT .nvpx).
  4. Try opening the file again
If this doesn't fix the error, check your Mac for a .nvpx~ file with the same name as the project.  This file is created by NVivo in case the software is closed unexpectedly and contains a copy of the .nvpx file that can often be restored.
Restoring from a .NVPX~ File
- rename the .nvpx~ file by simply removing the tilde(~).  This will change the file icon to a folder icon
- Inside the folder should be another folder named "Indexes" and a copy of the original .nvpx file.  You can likely open this file without the error.

If this also fails, converting the project to NVivo Windows and then back to NVivo Mac may also fix the error. More information about this is found in Can I work with my NVivo project on Mac and Windows or convert project?