Problem

This article goes over how to troubleshoot corrupt multi-sheet drawings for SOLIDWORKS 2020 & older. For SOLIDWORKS 2021 or newer, take a look at this article: 
Troubleshooting Corrupt Multisheet Drawings (SOLIDWORKS 2021 and Newer) – Hawk Ridge Systems

When a file is corrupted, SolidWorks will usually give an error message:
"SolidWorks encountered an error opening the document".

If this is happening in a multi-sheet drawing, the source of the corruption can be the drawing itself or one of the sheets within the drawing.

Solution Step 1: Identifying Corrupted Sheets

1. Go to File > Open and select the drawing, but do not open the file yet
2. Under the Mode dropdown, select "Quick View" and click Open

3. Right-click on one of the sheets and select "Load Sheet". If the error appears when loading this sheet, then this is likely one of the sheets that is causing the issue 

4. Repeat the previous steps, skipping any sheets that caused the issue after loading the sheet

Solution Step 2: Removing Corrupted Drawing Sheets

Once the problematic sheets have been found, the file can be fixed by removing any corrupted sheets.

1. Use the Quick View mode to load a working sheet by clicking on the "Select sheets to open..." or "Select Sheets" button. Then pick the "Selected" radio button and highlight a working sheet

2. Left-click on any corrupted sheets in the FeatureManager to select them and press the "Delete" key on the keyboard

3. Recreate the corrupted sheets.

Solution Step 3: Repairing the Drawing Template

If the corrupt error message is still appearing after removing the problematic sheets, or there doesn't seem to be a particular sheet that is causing this, it is possible that the drawing file itself is corrupted and not just the sheets.  In this case:

1. Copy the working sheets to a new drawing file by following the "For Drawings" section in the article below:

Unable To Save File – Hawk Ridge Systems

2. Recreate the corrupted sheets in the new drawing.

For additional information on working with and creating Drawing Templates, please see our two-part video series: 

Drawing Templates from Scratch in SOLIDWORKS: Part I

Drawing Templates from Scratch in SOLIDWORKS: Part II

For additional support, existing customers can submit a ticket or new customers can contact Hawk Ridge Systems.