Baldev Bhatia

Q: I can not open any old numbers file. Get a message "index.xml file missing"

When I try to open a numbers file, I get the message "invalid. index.xml file missing

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014), OS X El Capitan (10.11.6), C02N33Q2G3QJ

Posted on Oct 6, 2016 10:37 PM

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Q: I can not open any old numbers file. Get a message "index.xml file missing"

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  • by Barry,

    Barry Barry Oct 6, 2016 11:49 PM in response to Baldev Bhatia
    Level 7 (32,582 points)
    iWork
    Oct 6, 2016 11:49 PM in response to Baldev Bhatia

    Hi Baldev,

     

    You have two or more versions of Numbers on your Mac—Numbers '09 and Numbers 5.x.x.

     

    The files you are trying to open were last saved from Numbers 5, and you are attempting to open them with Numbers '09.

     

    Numbers '09 files contain (and need) an index.xml file. The newer version(s) have a different file structure which does not include (or need) this type of included file.

     

    Solution: Quit Numbers '09 (Numbers (menu) > Quit). Launch Numbers 5.x.x. Go File > Open (or File >Open Recent) and open the files that have been giving you trouble.

     

    Regards,

    Barry

     

    Added note: Numbers '09 and Numbers 5 can co-exist on the same computer. This is also true for the '09 versions and more current versions of Pages and Keynote. The newer versions can be found in the Applications folder. The '09 versions will be in a folder named iWork '09, which is also in your Applications folder.

     

    Although Numbers 5 (and now 6) has gained several new features since its introduction, there are still things (eg.mail merge) doable in '09 that have not yet been written into 5 and 6.

    The case for keeping Pages '09 around is even stronger in terms of capability, as you may have noticed if you've read much in the Pages for mac community.

     

    B

  • by pamfrombalwyn,

    pamfrombalwyn pamfrombalwyn Oct 6, 2016 11:42 PM in response to Baldev Bhatia
    Level 2 (365 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 6, 2016 11:42 PM in response to Baldev Bhatia

    Brief reply ... you are trying to open the document with a different version of Numbers than you used to create it.

     

    If you still have the version of Numbers that you used to create the document open that and then try to open the document using File > Open.

     

    For more complete answers just search for 'missing index.xml'.

  • by ron777,

    ron777 ron777 Oct 7, 2016 7:56 AM in response to Baldev Bhatia
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iWork
    Oct 7, 2016 7:56 AM in response to Baldev Bhatia

    I have a similar situation. I have just upgraded to Numbers 5 and am using Sierra. I can open many files but a most important one which I use every day is now saying "can't be opened for some reason".

    We can still open the file using other computers and using Numbers 3.6.2.

    Can anyone help?

     

    Ron

  • by ron777,

    ron777 ron777 Oct 7, 2016 7:59 AM in response to ron777
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iWork
    Oct 7, 2016 7:59 AM in response to ron777

    Sorry I mean I have just upgraded to Numbers 4.