Can't open a Captivate Classic project in the new Captivate?
Captivate 13 won't open a .cptx, and its beta importer starts at 11.8.3. We read Captivate 9 onward, even from the published zip.
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The all-new Adobe Captivate (12 and 13) cannot open Captivate Classic .cptx files — the two use different project formats. Since Captivate 13.1 (16 April 2026) there is a beta importer, Import > Captivate Classic, that takes .cptx files saved in 11.8.3 or later and produces non-responsive output. Older projects, and courses where only the published output survives, need another route.
Scormbusters imports Classic .cptx files and Classic HTML5 publishes from Captivate 9 to 2019 into responsive, editable courses, and exports SCORM, cmi5 or xAPI.
- The all-new Adobe Captivate (12 and 13) cannot open Captivate Classic .cptx files directly; Adobe describes the two as not compatible.
- Captivate 13.1 (2026-04-16) added a beta importer (Import > Captivate Classic) for .cptx files saved in 11.8.3 or later; output is non-responsive.
- Captivate Classic (11.8.x) is still available with the same license and still supported; Adobe lifted its end date on 2025-03-17.
- Scormbusters imports Classic .cptx files and Classic HTML5 publishes from Captivate 9 to 2019 as editable courses.
- Every import produces a report listing what did not come across.
Why the new Captivate refuses a .cptx
“Captivate 12” was not an upgrade of Captivate 2019. It is a different product, which Adobe calls the all-new Captivate, with its own project format (.cpt). Captivate Classic — versions up to 2019 (11.x) — saves .cptx, and Adobe’s help says Classic projects cannot be opened in the new Captivate (Adobe: Classic vs all-new Captivate). Renaming .cptx to .cpt does not help: the contents are different formats.
Your options
- Keep using Captivate Classic. Adobe has kept Classic (11.8.x) available to Captivate license holders alongside the new Captivate — its FAQ says one license covers both — and lifted its announced end date on 17 March 2025 (Adobe blog). Right if the course only needs small edits and does not need to be responsive.
- Adobe’s beta importer in Captivate 13.1. For .cptx files from 11.8.3 onward, when you want to keep authoring in Captivate (Adobe’s announcement). Adobe’s release notes say earlier versions are not officially supported and imported projects may need manual fixes. Older projects can be opened and saved in Classic first. The output is non-responsive, and it cannot start from a published course.
- Rebuild in the new Captivate by hand.Gives a responsive course in Adobe’s tool, at the cost of re-authoring every slide.
- Migrate into Scormbusters. Works from the .cptx or from the published output, for Captivate 9 onward, and produces responsive lessons from blocks designed for WCAG 2.1 AA. Compared with Adobe’s importer.
Whichever you choose, keep a copy of the original .cptx first. Upgrading a project is one-way: a project saved in a newer Classic build cannot be opened by an older one.
How Scormbusters handles a Classic project
Upload the .cptx, or the published SCORM or HTML5 zip if the project file is lost. Scormbusters reads the slides, captions, images, audio, closed captions and quiz questions with their answer keys, and rebuilds each slide as a lesson of ordinary content in reading order. That is why the result reflows on a phone and reads properly with a screen reader — and also why it is not a pixel copy of the slide.
A course whose actions keep state — variables, conditional actions, object states — lands on the slide canvas instead, each object where it was, and its actions are rebuilt as working triggers where the canvas runs them the same way. Execute JavaScript, effects, timeline pauses, text-entry logic and a jump to the last visited slide do not come across; the import report lists each one so you can rebuild it. Flash-only (SWF) publishes are not converted.
Frequently asked questions
Why won't my .cptx open in Captivate 12 or 13?
The all-new Captivate is a different product with a different project format, built around responsive layouts. Adobe describes it as not compatible with Captivate Classic, so File > Open does not accept a Classic .cptx. Captivate 13.1 added a separate, beta import route for some Classic projects.
Can I rename the .cptx to .cpt?
No. The all-new Captivate saves .cpt files, but the contents are a different format from a Classic .cptx, so renaming the file changes nothing.
What does the Captivate 13.1 Classic importer accept?
Classic .cptx projects saved in Captivate 11.8.3 or later, through Import > Captivate Classic on the home screen. It is a beta, the result is non-responsive, and it cannot start from a published course. Check Adobe's help page for the current list of what it carries over.
My project is from Captivate 8, 9 or 2017. What can I do?
Adobe's importer will not take it directly. You can open it in Captivate Classic (11.8.x, still available with a Captivate license), save it, and then try the importer. Or import the .cptx, or its published HTML5 output, into Scormbusters, which reads Classic projects and publishes from Captivate 9 onward.
Is Captivate Classic being discontinued?
No. Adobe had announced an end date and lifted it on 17 March 2025; it says Classic support continues until customers have transitioned. You can keep using Classic while you decide.
Will advanced actions and variables come across?
Into Scormbusters, partly: button, click-box and slide actions — jumps, show and hide, variables, conditional and shared (advanced) actions, and state changes from a publish — are rebuilt as working triggers where the slide canvas runs them the same way (40% of publish actions in our test corpus). Execute JavaScript, effects, timeline pauses and a few condition forms are not, and the import report lists each one with why. For Adobe's importer, see its documentation; it is a beta and its coverage may change.
Bring one stuck course. See what comes back.
Upload the published zip and play it rebuilt as an editable course, with the list of anything to rebuild by hand. No account, no card; the private link lasts seven days.
Adobe and Captivate are trademarks of Adobe. Scormbusters is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.