Open a project from a newer TIA Portal version
"The project was created with a newer version of TIA Portal" means exactly that: TIA Portal upgrades projects from older versions, but it never opens a project saved with a newer one, and there is no way to save a project back for an older version. Installing the newer version just to look at the program is a big download and needs its licence.
Upload the project here (the .zap archive or the zipped project folder) and you can read all
of it, whatever version saved it, from V11 to V20.
What you can do with it
- Read and print the program: a PDF and an offline HTML viewer with every block, LAD and FBD networks drawn, SCL and STL code, interfaces, data blocks, tags and a cross reference.
- Move text blocks into your version: SCL blocks, STL blocks, data blocks and PLC data types
come as external source files (
.scl,.awl,.db,.udt). In your TIA Portal, add them under "External source files" and use "Generate blocks from source". Import the PLC data types first, then the data blocks and the code blocks that use them. - Take the tags along: the PLC tags come as CSV and Excel, with names, addresses, data types and comments.
What stays with the newer version
LAD and FBD blocks have no text source form, so they cannot be moved this way: the printout shows each network as drawn, to rebuild it by hand. Hardware configuration, HMI screens and technology objects also stay in the original project. If someone with the newer version can help, asking them to export the blocks you need is quicker for large LAD programs.
STL sources (.awl) only import into S7-300, S7-400 and S7-1500 CPUs, as STL does not exist on
the S7-1200.
Privacy
Results are deleted automatically after 30 minutes, or straight away with "Delete now".
More about what this tool reads and writes: Siemens PLC Project Viewer (TIA Portal, STEP 7, STEP 5).