Opening Workshared Files Independent of the Central Model

Use this procedure to open a file independently for clients who want to see changes or make changes without saving them. Clients can view the file and modify it without worrying about borrowing elements or owning element worksets. This is also useful for project managers who are not working in the project file, but might want to open it for review without interrupting the team.

1. Click Open (Project).
2. In the Open dialog, navigate to the central model and select it.
3. Select Detach from Central.
4. Click Open.

If a non-workshared file is opened with Detach from Central selected, Revit ignores the option, and opens the file normally.

After you open the file, it no longer has any path or permissions information. It is in a state similar to when worksharing was first enabled; all elements in the file can be modified, but no changes can be saved back to the central model. If you save the file, it is saved as a new central model.

Note: If a longer-lasting independent copy of the central model is needed, such as when the central model is suspected to be corrupt, detach from the central model and save it as a new central model. Note that existing local files cannot synchronize with this new central model, and new local files created from the detached central model cannot synchronize with the old central model.