Why does my Autodesk Inventor file need to be saved?

September 30, 2022 Heath White

Issue:

When you’ve made changes to your Inventor files, you expect them to require a save.  However, there are times when you’ve only opened a file and have made no changes, but upon closing the file indicates that it requires a save and you’d like to know why.

Graphical user interface, application, table

Description automatically generated

Causes:

There are a variety of reasons a file may need to be saved, but the challenge is understanding what that cause may be. The most common reasons a file needs to be saved other than explicit edits, are property updates or view updates.

Solution:

If you would like to better understand why a file needs to be saved, you can use the following steps to gather some diagnostic information about the file, which can help you make an informed decision on whether to save the file or not.

The first step is to go to the “About” information in the upper right-hand corner as shown.

Second, choose the “About Autodesk Inventor Professional” line item.

Graphical user interface, text, application, email

Description automatically generated

While the “About” window is open hit the “Ctrl” + “D” keys to bring up the Diagnostic Window.

Graphical user interface, table

Description automatically generated with medium confidence

This window is non-editable but will indicate what is causing the file to be recognized as “Dirty” which tells Inventor that a file needs to be saved. You can use this information to determine if you truly need to save the file or not.

If you are using Autodesk Vault, keep in mind that if a file is considered “Dirty” it MUST be saved before it can be checked into Vault.

About the Author

Heath White

Sr. Technical Support Specialist, Manufacturing

Follow on Linkedin More Content by Heath White
Previous Article
Inventor 2022 Part Appears Dark
Inventor 2022 Part Appears Dark

Parts created in previous versions of Inventor Professional, and opened in Inventor Professional 2022, will...

Next Article
AutoCAD Electrical .DAT file cannot be checked into Vault 2022 or earlier
AutoCAD Electrical .DAT file cannot be checked into Vault 2022 or earlier

Checking ".DAT" files into Vault without the use of a CAD application.

Need tech support? Let us help!

Learn More