They use lossless compression to reduce project size for easier sharing or storage.
Launch your version of TIA Portal (V14 or newer). Retrieve the Project: Do not use File > Open , as this will fail for .zap14 files. Select Project > Retrieve from the top menu. Navigate to your downloaded file and select it. Download ZA14 zip
The software will ask where you want to decompress and save the actual project files. Select a short, simple file path (e.g., D:\Automation\ProjectName ) and avoid special characters like # , % , or & to prevent errors. Common Issues They use lossless compression to reduce project size
If your download is a standard .zip file rather than .zap14 , you must first extract it using tools like 7-Zip or the Windows "Extract All" feature before you can see the actual TIA Portal components inside. Select Project > Retrieve from the top menu
Save the .zap14 file from your source (email attachment or cloud storage) to a known location like your Downloads folder or desktop.
Unlike standard project files, these archives must be "retrieved" rather than simply opened.