Are there compatibility issues going from MS Project 2013 and saving it in MS Project 2007?  In other words I am running MS 2013 and my client has 2007.  If I save my project in 2007 and send it to him will it be totally compatible?

Hi Kdaly,

Based on your description, you wonder to know the compatibility between MS Project 2013 and MS Project 2007.

The file extension of Project 2007 and 2013 are the same *.mpp. But sharing or exchanging files with people who are using an older version, there are 2 circumstances for your reference.

1. When opening a project that was created with Project 2007.

The project opens in Project 2013, but youll see [Compatibility Mode] on the title bar. This tells you that the project is saved in the older file format, which doesnt recognize newer features like the timeline, manually scheduled tasks, and new fields. If you want to use all of the available features that Project 2013 offers, youll need to convert the project to the newest file format.

Before converting an older project, first consider if you need to collaborate with people who are still using Project 2007. If the answer is yes, you should continue working in Compatibility Mode. If no one is working on the project using Project 2007, its best to convert the project to the newest format. To do this, click File > Save. You will be prompted to save the project to the 2013 format.

1. You save your Project to the Project 2007 format.

Downgrading a project to Project 2007 turns off the newer features that are available in Project 2013 (including manual scheduling, visual reporting, new fields, and the timeline view) but doing so makes the project compatible for sharing with other people who are still using Project 2007.

After converting a project from Project 2013 to the older Project 2007 format, be sure to inspect the views where you might have used newer features like manual scheduling, visual reporting, new fields, and the timeline view. Project data that was created with newer features may not be visible or editable in the Project 2007 format.

Please refer to this article about compatibility between Office 2013 and older version:

http://www.icts.uct.ac.za/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=7076

Please Note: Since the web site is not hosted by Microsoft, the link may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this information.

Hope its helpful.

Regards,

George Zhao
TechNet Community Support