"The index.xml file is missing"

My solution if it's useful is to download the latest version of Pages 5.1.1. Then use Finder to locate your pages file and right click on it. Open With 5.1.1 and it should work. Nul points to Apple for that.

Rex Last

This happened to me too after I updated to Yosemite but if you are desperate to get your files back ( I put a lot of time into those files so I was!), you can open them in preview then take screen shots of them (command,shift 3 for full screen or 4 for a selection). You can then print them or re-type into a new spreadsheet. The resolution may not be great but they are readable...

I've just got this message for the first time (Yosemite 10.10.2, Numbers 3.5.2) and it was on a couple of files I had been working on. Right clicking on the file and forcing it to open with the this version of numbers (which is the default anyway) got the files to open again! I know that makes no sense but it's working for me.

I just spoke to an Apple adviser, after getting the error message below while working with Pages 5.5.2"

"The index.xml file is missing"

His "fix" was really simple: "Close Pages 4.3."

I have pages 5.5.2 on my Mac. I had just created a file using 5.5.2, closed it, and when I tried to reopen it, I got the above error message..

I also have page 4.3 on my Mac. It was also open.

The Apple adviser explaned that if I closed 4.3, I could double click on the 5.5.2 file and it would open as usual. It worked!

He explained if both 4.3 and 5.5.2 are open, my Mac will try to open 5.5.2 with the older 4.3 app - which won't work.

Uninstalling/Reinstalling Numbers 3.5.2 did the trick for me when I got the "index xml file is missing" error this morning.

This just worked for me: I opened the file in Preview, used "Move to …" from the file menu to move it out of iCloud to my HD, quit Numbers 3.52, then reopened the file using the Finder. Fingers crossed.

All this is very interesting (how to fix the problem) but how do you KEEP IT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN????? I don't want to have to jump through hoops because I'm having this problem with numbers or pages!

peggydobro wrote:

how do you KEEP IT FROM HAPPENING AGAIN?????

Basically, the idea is to be sure to open those documents with the latest version of Numbers or Pages, not the previous versions of the apps (which are still on your Mac, in a subfolder within the main Applications folder). The latest versions of the apps are in the main Applications folder, not the subfolder. It can help to make sure any icons you have on the Dock point to the latest versions.

SG

Hi Peggy,

Numbers '09 and Pages '09 are in a sub folder called iWork '09 inside your Applications folder. Drag them to the Dock to create icons.

On my dock I have Numbers '09, Numbers 3, Pages '09, Pages 5

They will all run at the same time. Just be sure which version you use to open a document.

Wayne has written a User Tip for working with the old and new versions of iWork.

Need newer version of Numbers to open file

Regards,

Ian.

This helped me! I was having issues opening the file and getting the same message as everyone. Thanks for sharing!

I recently started getting this for both local Numbers documents and ones in iCloud. It turned out that it was an older version of Numbers that was launching. When I launched it with the latest I have (3.5.1) they opened fine. Presumably the format changed that the older Numbers doesn't realize it it looking at an updated format.

So, how does one correct the problem, for once and all? Even if a document is created with the latest Numbers version, the message still pops up and the document must be opened with "right click>open with>latest numbers version."

Thanks.

This solution works but I agree that Apple needs to fix this ONGOING problem.

colleenfromon wrote:

This solution works but I agree that Apple needs to fix this ONGOING problem.

Not sure this is a "problem".🙂 As with many apps on many platforms (not just the Mac) you need to use the latest version of the app to open documents created by that latest version. Do that, and all is well.

SG

This worked for me too! I did the following:

1. I opened a Numbers file already on my HD using Preview,
2. moved that file to another location on my same HD,
3. quit Numbers,
4. quit Preview,
5. opened Finder and opened the Numbers file using Finder.

Since then I have been able to open normally. What's strange is that I had a copy of the same Numbers file on my Desktop. Before I did the fix, I could not open it. After the fix, it could the Numbers file on my desktop as usual. Odd that simply moving one Numbers file corrected the problem for multiple Numbers files.