You’re probably trying to open:
A native ProjectLibre .pod file that ProjectLibre is mistakenly trying to read as a Microsoft Project .xml file, or
A file that was edited externally or renamed in a way that confused the loader.
This can happen if you:
Changed the file extension manually.
Imported/exported the file through a different system or plugin.
Opened the file using the wrong method or from an import wizard screen expecting MS Project format.
đź’ˇ Fix Steps
1. Double-check the file extension
Make sure you’re opening it as a .pod (native ProjectLibre file), not .xml. If the file was renamed, change it back to .pod.
2. Try this workaround
If you can’t open it directly:
Launch ProjectLibre 1.9.8
Click File > Open instead of double-clicking the file
Manually browse and select the file
Ensure the file type is set to ProjectLibre files (.pod) in the dialog box
3. Reinstall or downgrade
ProjectLibre 1.9.8 might have a bug with certain XML parsing:
Try reinstalling 1.9.8 cleanly
Or test the same file with an older version (like 1.9.7) — available on SourceForge
4. Check with another file
Try opening another .pod file. If it opens fine, your file may be corrupted.
5. Open as text (advanced)
If you open the file in a text editor (like VSCode or Sublime Text) and see something like