All Revit Errors & Warnings in One Place

• Another file is already open in this Revit session, and it contains the same linked model you're trying to update.

1. Update the Link

1. Close the second file.
2. Open the Manage Links dialog and refresh the link.

2. Unload the Link (Use this option if you don’t plan to copy elements between the two open files.)

1. Switch to the second file (Ctrl+Tab to go forward, Ctrl+Shift+Tab to go back).
2. Open the Manage Links dialog and unload the linked file for yourself.
3. Go back to the first file and update the link via Manage Links.

• The maximum number of tabs on the Revit ribbon has been reached.

Remove unnecessary Revit add-ins that generate extra ribbon tabs. You can do this by:

• Going to Control Panel → Uninstall a program
• Deleting add-in files from:
  %programdata%\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\ 
• Deleting add-in files from:
  %appdata%\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\ 

Also check:

• C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\ApplicationPlugins — for shared add-ins across versions or Autodesk apps
• C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Revit <version>\AddIns — for built-in or legacy add-ins

• Some required internal parameters are missing in the main model or in a linked file.

1. Repair the model

1. Select the file in the Revit home screen (Recent Files panel).
2. Check the “Audit” box.
3. When prompted with a warning, click “Yes”.

4. Click the arrow next to the “Open” button and choose “Specify”.

5. Select all worksets except the one containing shared levels and grids. Click “Close”.

6. Once the file starts opening, you'll see a dialog:
   “One or more required internal parameters are missing from the model. What would you like to do?”
   Choose either “Repair and open” or “Repair, sync, and open”.

7. If successful, Revit will restore the missing parameters and display a confirmation.

8. After the model loads, verify that everything is in order:
   • Keynote schedules: content presence and no empty values
   • Sheets: keynotes applied, correct revision numbering
   • Revision tags: visibility and data consistency
9. If parameters are still missing:
   • Keep the current model open.
   • In the same Revit session, open an earlier (backup) version of the model.
   • Use the “Transfer Project Standards” tool to copy parameters from the backup.

• The DWG file name or its full path is too long.
• You don’t have access to the folder where the file is being saved.

1. Adjust export settings

1. Shorten the DWG file name.
2. In the export dialog, select “Automatic - Short” for naming.
3. If that doesn’t help — try exporting to the desktop.
4. Then manually move the file to the desired folder.

2. Save to a different drive

During export, choose a different drive or folder with full access permissions.

• Corrupted model elements
• Accumulated internal errors in the project

1. Open with Audit

1. Select the file in the Revit Home screen.
2. Check the “Audit” box.
3. Confirm the warning by clicking “Yes”.
4. Click “Open”.

2. Temporarily disable worksets

1. Select the file in the Revit Home screen.
2. Check the “Audit” box.
3. Click “Yes” on the warning dialog.
4. Click the arrow next to “Open” and select “Specify”.

5. Select all worksets except the one containing shared levels and grids. Click “Close”.

6. After the model opens:
   • Unload all links via Manage Links.
   • Open all worksets.
   • Reload the links one by one.
7. Identify and remove the link that causes errors when updating.
8. Open that problematic linked file with Audit enabled and worksets closed. Sync the model, then close it.
9. Reopen the main file and re-link the updated file.
10. Sync with Central.

• The issue is related to Windows system settings.

The root cause could be a single misconfiguration or a combination of factors. Below are a series of steps — each one might resolve the issue. After completing each step, restart your computer and try opening the model in Revit again. If the problem persists, move on to the next step.

1. Try opening the model while logged into Windows under a different user account.
2. Update Windows to the latest available version.
3. If the issue started after installing new software, try uninstalling that software if possible.
4. Update Revit to the latest build or patch.
5. As a last resort, reinstall Revit.
   (Alternatively, using a different Windows user account might be easier.)

• The model contains a DWG link created in a newer version of AutoCAD.
• The DWG file includes PROXY objects created by third-party applications.
• A newer version of AutoCAD is installed on the computer, but it has never been launched.

1. Launch AutoCAD

1. Open the most recent version of AutoCAD installed on your system.
2. If warning dialogs appear on startup, press Esc repeatedly until they close (they may appear multiple times).

• An element was deleted from a group that has multiple instances, and one of them had dimensions referencing that element.
• The updated family has changed in size, geometry, or reference planes, and views contained dimensions linked to its types.
• Elements were deleted before syncing — dimensions referencing them will trigger warnings for other users during sync.
• Dimensions in the working model are referencing a linked file, and elements in that link were moved or deleted.
• Dimensions are placed inside assemblies or combined models, referencing geometry from linked models.

1. Remove invalid references

1. Expand the error dialog.
2. Select “Delete Dimensions with Invalid References”.
3. If needed, manually recreate the necessary dimensions afterward.

• Corrupted model elements
• Accumulated internal errors in the project

1. Open with Audit

2. Open with Worksets Closed

1. When opening the file, choose “Specify”.

2. Close all worksets except the one containing shared levels and grids.

3. Once the file opens, reload all previously unloaded links one by one.
4. Identify and remove the link that causes errors during reload.
5. Open that problematic linked file with Audit enabled and worksets closed. Sync it and then close the file.
6. Reopen the main project and reattach the cleaned link.
7. Sync with Central.

• The linked model contains another nested link set to Attachment instead of Overlay.
• The linked file doesn’t contain any elements of the category being checked (e.g., Walls).

1. Change Link Type

1. Open the linked model used in the check.
2. Go to the “Manage” tab and open “Manage Links”.
3. Change the link type from “Attachment” to “Overlay”.

2. Add Required Elements

Make sure the linked model contains elements of the necessary category — for example, add Walls if the check is based on wall elements.

• Unstable server hosting the central file.
• A background Revit.exe process is still running.
• Corruption of the central file due to hardware or network failure.

Solution 1 — Restart Processes

1. Close all Revit sessions.
2. Open Task Manager and confirm that all Revit.exe processes are closed.
3. Go to the “Details” tab (click “More details” if it’s not visible).
4. Locate Revitworker.exe, select it, and click “End task”.
5. Relaunch Revit and open your project file again.

Solution 2 — Recreate the Central File

Warning: Data loss is possible if others have modified the central file since your last sync. Before proceeding:

• All team members must sync and close their local copies.
• If sync is not possible, changes will need to be manually recovered from local models.

1. Open the file with both “Audit” and “Detach from Central” enabled.

2. Close all worksets during file opening.
3. Use “Save As” to overwrite the existing central file.
4. Relinquish all borrowed worksets.
5. Sync with Central.
6. Close the file.
7. Create new local copies and resume work.

Solution #1 — Disable Hardware Acceleration

To prevent this error, disable hardware acceleration in Revit:

1. Go to File → Options → Graphics.
2. Uncheck “Use Hardware Acceleration”.

3. For Revit 2018 and earlier:
   • Switch to the Hardware tab.
   • Uncheck Use hardware acceleration (Direct3D).
   • Click OK.
   • Restart Revit.

Solution #2 — Check Linked Files

• Unload all linked models.
• Sync and close the file.
• Reopen it with all worksets active — except those containing linked models.
• If the error persists, reopen the file with Audit enabled.
• Close or unload links for yourself or for all users.

Solution #3 — Recreate Central File

Warning: Data may be lost if others made changes after your last sync.

1. Open the file with both Detach from Central and Audit options checked.
2. When prompted, choose “Specify” and select worksets manually.
3. Close all worksets except the one with shared levels and grids.
4. Delete the old central file from the shared folder.
5. Save the opened file back to the same location as the new central.
6. Relinquish all borrowed worksets.
7. Sync with Central and close the file.
8. Create a new local file and continue working.

Solution #4 — Open with Audit

Open the problematic file with the Audit option enabled.

Solution #5 — Identify the Problematic Element

1. Open journal logs located at:
   %localappdata%\Autodesk\Revit\Autodesk Revit <version>\Journals
2. Look for lines containing DBG_INFO or DBG_WARN — they will include the element ID.

3. In Revit, go to “Select by ID”, enter the ID, click OK, and delete the element.

• When copying families between projects, Revit automatically appends numerical suffixes (1, 2, 3, etc.) to family or type names.
• These duplicate families may end up in pipe or duct routing systems, causing errors.
• Shared nested families used in multiple parent families may create conflicts and lead to errors.

1. Reload the family

1. Load a clean, working version of the problematic family.
2. Make sure no instances are lost or deleted during the reload

• The model you're trying to link already contains another model as a nested link, which is also loaded in the host model (directly or indirectly).
• The linked model is using a path that’s already assigned to another link in the project.

1. Change the Link Type

1. Open the model you’re trying to link into the main project.
2. Go to the Project Browser or Manage Links dialog.
3. Locate the nested links and change their link type from “Attachment” to “Overlay”.
4. Sync with Central.
5. Reload or link the model back into the main project.

• DWG or RVT links are loaded from a local path (e.g., C:\, D:\, or Desktop) instead of a shared/network drive.
• The full DWG file path exceeds 255 characters (Windows limit).
• The full RVT file path on Revit Server exceeds 138 characters.
• The linked model contains nested links that already have these issues.

1. Refresh the Link

1. Open the Manage Links or Project Browser.
2. Use the “Reload From...” option to reassign the correct path.
3. If the error persists, open the linked model separately and resolve the issue there (e.g., shorten the path or fix nested links).

2. Isolate and fix the problematic link

1. Unload all links from the affected workset via Manage Links or Project Browser.
2. Open the corresponding workset.
3. Reload each link one at a time.
4. For the one that triggers the error, use “Reload From...” again.
5. If the error still occurs, open that linked file directly and resolve the issue there.

3. Close Worksets Before Syncing

1. Temporarily close all worksets.
2. Sync with Central.

• Revit may "remember" a link error and display it in unrelated projects opened in the same session. Always restart Revit after resolving the issue.
• Clearing the %Temp% folder can help prevent or resolve unexpected Revit errors. It's good practice to clean it regularly.

How to clean the %Temp% folder:

1. Close Revit.
2. Open File Explorer and type %Temp%, or navigate to:
   C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\Temp
3. Select all files and press Shift+Delete (to bypass the Recycle Bin).
4. If prompted with errors, click “Skip”.

• The file is partially corrupted due to network or hardware issues.
• The model was saved using an older Revit build (e.g., Revit 2019 vs. 2019.2).
• The file contains an invalid data schema (schema error).

1. Sync without changing settings

This approach lets you preserve your changes before the file becomes unusable. After a successful sync, close and reopen the Revit file.

• The position of the linked model has changed, which modified its coordinates relative to the host model.

1. Save

This saves the new position of the host model within the linked model.
Choose this option if you intentionally moved the link and want to keep the new placement.

2. Do Not Save

Any changes to the link’s position will be discarded. Upon the next reload or reopen, the link will return to its previous saved location.
Use this if you moved the link by mistake and want to revert.

3. Disable Shared Coordinates

The linked model remains in its current position, but shared coordinates between the host and link will be removed.
The “Shared Site” field in the link will be set to <Not Shared>.
Use this if you want to preserve the current placement but break the shared coordinate system.