Work out which problem you have
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The file is grayed out in Procreate’s import picker | It isn’t a .procreate file (brush, swatch, Dreams or renamed file) | Check the extension; import brushes and swatches through their own menus |
| Procreate opens but the import fails or hangs | The file is still a cloud placeholder, or the download was cut short | Download it fully in the Files app, then import |
| “This file was created in a newer version” or similar | The file came from a newer Procreate | Update Procreate on the iPad |
| Windows or macOS asks which app to use | Nothing on the computer reads the format | Open it in the browser with toPSD |
| toPSD says “This file looks damaged” | The ZIP container or layer data is broken | Get a fresh copy |
| toPSD says “This is a Procreate Dreams file” | It is a .drm animation, not a painting | Export from Procreate Dreams on the iPad |
| toPSD says “Your browser ran out of memory” | The canvas is too big for this device | Try a computer with more memory; see the file too large guide |
It isn’t a .procreate file
Procreate uses several file types, and only .procreate holds artwork. .brush and .brushset are brushes, .swatches are color palettes, and Procreate Dreams saves .drm movies. Each has its own import menu in Procreate, so a brush dropped on the gallery does nothing. On a computer, check the extension in the file’s properties; a file renamed to .procreate from something else will not open anywhere.
The download didn’t finish
This is the most common cause. iCloud Drive, Google Drive and Dropbox show files that are not yet on the device; the icon has a small cloud. Procreate’s own help advises saving the file to the Files app first and importing from there. On a computer, compare the file size with what the sender sees. A .procreate file of a few hundred kilobytes is almost always an unfinished download; real files are usually tens of megabytes.
Version mismatch
Newer Procreate versions write files that older versions cannot open, which matters when a file moves from a new iPad to an old one. Update Procreate on the receiving iPad. toPSD reads files from Procreate 5 onward, including the newer tile compression, so a version mismatch between two iPads does not affect opening the file in the browser.
Nothing on the computer opens it
Windows, macOS, Photoshop, GIMP, Krita and Affinity all lack a reader for Procreate’s format. That is normal, not a broken file. Drop the file on the toPSD converter: it runs in your browser, shows the artwork and every layer, and saves a full-size PNG for free or a layered PSD, without uploading anything.
The file really is damaged
A .procreate file is a ZIP archive. If the ZIP is truncated or a layer’s tile data is corrupt, toPSD stops and says “This file looks damaged. Try exporting it from Procreate again.” At that point the options are:
- Download the file again. Most “damaged” files are copies that were interrupted.
- Ask the sender to export it again from Procreate with Actions > Share > Procreate.
- If the file was yours and the iPad is gone, check other copies; the recovery guide lists where to look.
- As a last resort, a ZIP repair tool may pull out some layer tiles and the preview image. The preview is at
QuickLook/Thumbnail.pnginside the archive and often survives when the layers don’t.
The file format page explains what is inside the file and why it breaks the way it does; the file too large page covers the memory side.