Hi there,
I recently installed the latest PsychoPy version (2024.2.4). Ever since this install, I am unable to open PsychoPy files that I previously made. I get this error message:
I’m not sure what it means by “Document” format since this is a .psyexp file? Has anyone else had this issue?
In addition, I don’t remember what exact version I used to create some of the PsychoPy files that I can’t open, but they were relatively recent versions, e.g., 2023 and 2024 versions.
Thanks in advance,
Christina
Are you double-clicking on the psyexp file? Do you get the same error when you try to open from the Builder file menu?
Yes, I was double-clicking on the psyexp file, but it still wasn’t working. That said, I managed to open the files I couldn’t previously when trying to open from the Builder. Not really sure why that works, but thanks anyway 
Might you have accidentally added .doc or something to the filename? Have you edited psyexp files directly in text or document editors?
I don’t think so, no, especially because this was happening for multiple (i.e., different) psyexp files. I created most of said files directly in the builder.
This is a MacOS issue. It’s very annoying but there’s an easy workaround, which it sounds like you’ve already discovered: Open the PsychoPy app first and then open the .psyexp file from the builder’s “open” menu.
For whatever reason even if PsychoPy is selected as the default app to open that file extension, double-clicking a psyexp file directly doesn’t work. On my computer it just silently fails to launch rather than giving me that error pop-up, but I’m still using Sonoma (MacOS 14) so this more informative failure might be related to Sequoia (MacOS 15), if that’s what you’re using.
I suspect that it boils down to either some kind of security setting in MacOS (isn’t it always) or how PsychoPy launches on MacOS in recent versions, but I haven’t been able to pin it down. MacOS recognizes that .psyexp is a type of XML file, but for whatever reason doesn’t want to let PsychoPy open it.
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