User Guide

Import Captivate Classic projects into Adobe Captivate

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  1. Captivate User Guide
  2. Get to know Captivate
    1. What's new in Adobe Captivate
    2. Adobe Captivate System Requirements
    3. Download Adobe Captivate
    4. Frequently Asked Questions
  3. Adobe Captivate releases
    1. Adobe Captivate 13
      1. Adobe Captivate (13.1) release notes
      2. Adobe Captivate (13.0) release notes
    2. Adobe Captivate 12
      1. Adobe Captivate 12 summary
      2. Adobe Captivate (12.6 update) release notes
      3. Adobe Captivate (12.5 update) release notes
      4. Adobe Captivate (12.4 update) release notes
      5. Adobe Captivate (12.3 update) release notes
      6. Adobe Captivate (12.2 update) release notes
      7. Adobe Captivate (12.1 update) release notes
  4. Project setup
    1. Slide navigator
    2. Project dimensions
    3. Set preferences
      1. General preferences
      2. Generative AI preferences
      3. Project preferences
      4. Quizzing preferences
    4. Themes
    5. Configure URL access for Adobe Captivate features
  5. Import from PowerPoint
    1. Import PowerPoint presentations into Captivate
    2. Select PowerPoint slides to import into Captivate
    3. Work with text on imported slides
    4. Work with shapes on imported slides
    5. Add media to imported slides
    6. Add interactions and animations to imported slides
  6. Import from Captivate Classic
    1. Import Captivate Classic projects into Adobe Captivate
    2. Import Captivate Classic simulation projects into Captivate
  7. Generative AI in Adobe Captivate
    1. Generative AI overview
    2. Generative AI FAQs
    3. Generative credits
    4. Generate text 
      1. Generate text overview
      2. Write effective prompts for text generation
      3. Generate text using quick prompts
      4. Generate text using custom prompts
      5. Provide feedback to improve text generation
    5. Generate images
      1. Generate image overview
      2. Generate images using prompts
      3. Choose image content type - Photo or Art
      4. Use reference images for Composition and Style
      5. Best practices for effective image generation
      6. Provide feedback to improve image generation
    6. Generate avatar
      1. Generate avatar overview
      2. Customize the avatar
      3. Create transcripts for avatar narration
      4. Generate avatar narration
      5. Provide feedback to improve avatar generation
    7. Generate transcripts
      1. Generate transcripts overview
      2. Generate transcripts for closed captions
      3. Best practices to use transcripts effectively
  8. Add and edit text
    1. Add text to a project
    2. Add Adobe fonts to a project
    3. Add quotes
    4. Author in right-to-left languages
  9. Add and edit images
    1. Add images to a project
    2. Edit the background image on a slide
    3. Add SVGs to a project
  10. Add and edit media
    1. Add videos to a project
    2. Add and edit audio
    3. Add audio for widget interactions
    4. Add closed captions
    5. Add web objects to a project
  11. Interactive components
    1. Add a button
    2. Add an input field
    3. Add a radio button group
    4. Add a dropdown
    5. Add a checkbox
    6. Variables in Adobe Captivate
  12. Create quizzes
    1. Add a Multiple-choice question
    2. Add a True or false question
    3. Add a Match the column question
    4. Add a Short answer question
    5. Add a Sequence question
    6. Add question pools and random question slides
    7. Import questions as CSV
  13. Add widgets
    1. Add a Card
    2. Add Tabs
    3. Add a Certificate
    4. Add a Carousel
    5. Add a Hotspot
    6. Add Drag-and-Drop
    7. Add a Timeline
    8. Add Click to Reveal
    9. Add an Accordion
    10. Add a slider
    11. Add a stack card
  14. Interactions and animations
    1. Add interactions to a project
    2. Create interactive video with overlay
    3. Create a slide-level interaction
    4. Create an object-level interaction
    5. Add animations to a project
    6. States in Adobe Captivate
  15. Enhance your e-learning project
    1. Add padding to content blocks and components
    2. Add a header to a project
    3. Add a footer to a project
    4. Create a long scroll project
    5. Add a conversation slide
    6. Add characters to your Adobe Captivate project
    7. Assets in Captivate
  16. Simulation projects
    1. Simulation overview and setup
    2. Demo mode
    3. Training mode
    4. Assessment mode
    5. Full-motion recording
  17. Timeline and TOC
    1. Timeline panel in Adobe Captivate
    2. Table of Contents in Adobe Captivate
    3. Lock and hide slides in Adobe Captivate
  18. Review and collaborate
    1. Share for review
    2. Create and manage reviews
    3. Add review comments and collaborate
    4. FAQs and Troubleshooting guide for sharing projects for review   
  19. Preview and publish
    1. Preview your project
    2. Publish your project
  20. Accessibility
    1. Create accessible eLearning content in Adobe Captivate
    2. Make a slide accessible
    3. Make slide objects accessible
    4. Make an interactive component accessible
    5. Make a widget accessible
    6. Make a quiz accessible
    7. TOC and Playbar accessibility
  21. Design options in Adobe Captivate
    1. What are design options?
    2. Parts of a design option
    3. Create custom design options
    4. Modify a custom design option
    5. Export a custom design option
    6. Import a custom design option
  22. Additional resources
    1. Top How-tos in Captivate
    2. Captivate Classic vs Adobe Captivate
    3. Upgrade older Captivate projects to the latest version
    4. Create and deploy Captivate packages in Admin Console
Important

Importing Captivate Classic projects into Adobe Captivate 13.1 (beta) is a one-way migration. Some features are partially supported or not supported yet. Always keep a backup of your original CPTX file, review the Import Logger, and resolve critical issues before publishing.

What is Captivate Classic project import?

The Captivate Classic project import feature lets you bring existing Captivate Classic (.cptx) courses into Adobe Captivate 13.1 (beta). You can modernize and maintain legacy content without rebuilding every project.

When you import a Classic project:

  • Adobe Captivate 13.1 (beta) creates a new, non-responsive project from your CPTX file.
  • Imported slides are marked with a Captivate Classic icon so you can identify legacy content.
  • Most text, media, shapes, quiz questions, actions, and accessibility settings are preserved where an equivalent exists in the new authoring environment.
  • Use the Import Logger to review anything that did not convert perfectly and fix or redesign those elements before release.

Why should I import instead of rebuilding?

Organizations often have large libraries of eLearning courses built in Captivate Classic. Maintaining those projects in Classic while moving to the new Captivate is costly and unsustainable.

Problem: You need to open and reuse Captivate Classic projects in Adobe Captivate 13.1 (beta) without fully redeveloping each course.

Solution: Use Captivate Classic project import and Import Logger to convert, review, and repair projects before publishing.

Prepare before import: prerequisites and best practices

What do I need before importing?

Prerequisite Details
Latest Captivate Classic version Open your project in the latest Captivate Classic 11.8.3 or later, and save it before importing.

Backup CPTX file

 

 Keep a backup copy of the original CPTX. Import is one‑way; you can’t send projects back.

External assets available

 

 Verify that images, audio, video, and other external files are accessible on your system.

Best practices before import

  • Always work from a backup.: There is no round-trip back to Classic; once converted, you cannot open the new project in Captivate Classic.
  • Normalize projects in the latest Classic.: Opening and saving in the latest Captivate Classic minimizes import errors.
  • Prepare simulations correctly. Use Save for new Captivate for simulation projects before importing.
  • Check external media: Confirm that linked media (audio, video, images) is available and in expected locations.

What's supported and what's not supported

Project compatibility

Supported project types

  • Standard, non-responsive Captivate Classic projects
  • Blank projects without responsive layouts

Partially supported project types

  • Simulation projects
  • Full-motion recording (FMR) content may not import as expected
  • Some simulation formatting may require manual adjustment after import

Unsupported project types

  • Responsive projects (Fluid Boxes or Breakpoints)
  • Virtual Reality (VR) projects
  • Video demo (CPVC) projects

What features import successfully

The import logic follows what exists in Adobe Captivate: whatever has a counterpart in the new authoring environment gets imported. Imported projects are created as non-responsive slides (like PowerPoint import) and retain most of the original look and feel.

Element Supported
Text captions, shapes, and formatting Yes (text with styling and properties)
Images PNG, JPEG, SVG, GIF, BMP
Audio MP3, WAV (object audio, slide audio, background audio)
Video MP4
Web objects Including PDFs and web pages
Bookmarks and overlays Yes
Closed captions Linked to audio or video

Basic project elements

Most properties for each object are mapped where a one-to-one or equivalent exists in Captivate. Where no equivalent exists, the Import Logger will list issues and suggested workarounds.

Quiz slides and scoring

  • Quiz slides are imported as question slides (responsive quiz slides in the new project)
  • Question text, answer options, and scoring logic are preserved
  • Correct answers, points, and negative marking are mapped
Note

Advanced quiz styling and additional objects placed on quiz slides (for example, extra images or text) are not preserved—only question type, question text, and options are brought over.

  • Supported quiz types: Multiple choice, True or false, Other standard objective question types
  • Unsupported quiz types: Pretest questions, Rating scale (Likert) questions, Hotspot questions, Fill-in-the-blank questions, Survey slides
  • Actions, animations, and accessibility
    • Advanced actions are imported but must be verified
    • Animations map to the nearest supported effect in Captivate
    • Tab order, reading order, timeline order, and object timing are preserved

Features not imported

The following Captivate Classic features are not supported in the current beta version:

  • Virtual Reality (VR) slides
  • Slide notes
  • SWF or Flash-based content and widgets
  • Drag-and-drop interactions
  • Motion paths
  • Themes and master slides
  • Unsupported quiz types (listed earlier)
Note

Themes and master slides are not imported. Objects keep their look and feel, but the Themes panel in Captivate is not populated from the Classic theme. Master slide objects are imported as individual objects on slides. Some shapes (for example, certain banners) may not have a direct mapping and are imported using a fallback shape (for example, rounded rectangle).

Import a Captivate Classic project

  1. Open Adobe Captivate.

  2. On the home screen, select Import > Captivate Classic Import (Beta).

  3. You can read about the beta release, then select Continue.

  4. Browse to and select the Captivate Classic CPTX file. Wait for the import to complete (this can take some time for large projects). The imported slides open in the new project and are marked with the Captivate Classic icon.

  5. Save the new project in Captivate.

Review imported content with Import Logger

The Import Logger is an in-app utility that records issues found when importing a Captivate Classic project, grouping them by type and severity, linking each issue to the affected slide, and suggesting workarounds so you can fix or redesign unsupported elements before publishing.

  1. Import a Captivate Classic project.

  2. Select the Flag icon to open the Import Logger panel.

  3. In the Active tab, review issues grouped by error type.

  4. Select an entry to view details; double-click (or use the slide reference) to navigate to the affected slide.

  5. Review issues against the corresponding slide. Decide whether to apply the suggested workaround or redesign the element.

  6. Use filters to refine issues by error type, severity, or object type.

  7. After addressing issues, archive resolved entries in the Archived tab to keep the log organized.

  8. Resolve critical issues before publishing.

Import and publish the project

  1. Import the project.

  2. Review and fix issues using the Import Logger utility.

  3. Configure publish settings.

  4. Select Preview and then select any of:

    • Publish to Computer
    • Publish to SCORM
    • Publish to Adobe Learning Manager

  5. Test the published output in a browser and LMS if applicable.

Fix or redesign unsupported elements

  1. After import, open the Import Logger utility.

  2. For each Active issue, go to the slide reference.

  3. Apply the suggested workaround when available, or redesign the element using native Captivate 13.1 components.

  4. For disabled or read-only interactions, recreate them on new slides with native Captivate interactions.

  5. Archive the issue in the Import Logger once resolved.

Limitations of the feature

Beta version limitations

  • Complex animations may not map accurately; the import maps to the nearest supported effect or falls back to a similar animation in Captivate.
  • Objects set to display for the rest of the project import as separate objects per slide.
  • Multi-state objects are imported as view-only and cannot be edited (preview behavior is preserved, but you cannot change formatting or states after import).

Known limitations and future enhancements

The current beta version does not support all Captivate Classic features. Some areas are expected to improve over time, including:

  • Expanded simulation support
  • Improved state object editing
  • Additional animation effects

Best practices

Before import

After import (using the Import Logger)

Content and structure

Open and save in latest Classic

Review the Active log after every import

Recreate native interactions on new slides

Use Save for new Captivate for simulations

Do not ignore warnings

Verify advanced actions

Keep a backup of the original CPTX

Use slide references

Replace unsupported animations

Verify external assets are available

Apply workarounds or redesign

 

Frequently asked questions

  • Can I import my Captivate Classic project into Adobe Captivate (beta)?
    Yes. On the home screen, select Import > Captivate Classic, then browse to and select your CPTX file. Standard, non-responsive Classic projects are supported.
  • Will my project look and behave exactly the same?
    Text, media, and shapes are preserved. Some interactions may be disabled or read-only; themes and master slides are not preserved. Use the Import Logger to view what needs attention.
  • Is the original Classic file modified?
    No. Import creates a new project. Keep a backup of the original CPTX.
  • Can I open the imported project back in Classic?
    No. The new format is not compatible with Classic. Always keep the original file.
  • Are quiz questions imported?
    Yes. Quiz slides import as question slides. Question text, answer options, scoring logic, correct answers, points, and negative marking are preserved. Pretest, Likert, hotspot, fill-in-the-blank, and survey slides are not supported.

  • What about audio and video?
    MP3, WAV audio and MP4 video are supported. Ensure external assets are available before import.

  • Are advanced actions and JavaScript supported?
    Advanced actions are imported but must be verified. Custom JavaScript is imported if it does not rely on deprecated APIs.
  • How do I open the Import Logger?
    After importing, select the Flag icon to open the Import Logger panel. The logger shows the slide number and object name; double-click an entry to go to that slide.

  • What do Active and Archived mean?
    Active = issues that still require attention (grouped by error type, with slide references and workarounds). Archived = issues you have already reviewed and addressed.

  • Can I send Import Logger data to Adobe when reporting an issue?
    There is no in-app way to send Import Logger data automatically. When reporting via community forums or feedback channels, include the original CPTX (if possible), a description of the import behavior, and screenshots of Import Logger entries.

  • Should I fix every warning before publishing?
    Resolve critical issues before publishing. Do not ignore warnings even if the slide seems to work; they may affect output or behavior.

Troubleshooting

Import issues

Issue

What to do

Import fails or project doesn't open

Ensure the project was saved in the latest Captivate Classic version before import. For simulations, use Save for new Captivate.

Missing or broken media

Verify external assets (images, audio, video) are available in the expected locations. Relink if necessary after import.

Advanced actions behave differently

Review triggers, variables, and timing in the new project. Verify and adjust in Captivate 13.1.

Animation differences

Replace unsupported effects with supported alternatives. Complex or custom sequences may lose fidelity.

Report issues and provide feedback

When reporting an issue or sharing feedback, include:

  • The original CPTX file (if possible)
  • A brief description of the import behavior observed
  • Screenshots of Import Logger entries, if available

There is currently no direct way to send Import Logger data automatically. Use community forums or feedback channels to report findings.

Reference tables

Benefit

What it means for you

Reuse existing content

Preserve text, images, audio, video, and shapes without re-authoring entire courses.

Transition to new Captivate

Move your library into Adobe Captivate 13.1 (beta) and publish to modern standards.

Reduce rework

Focus on fixing unsupported or degraded elements instead of recreating everything from scratch.

Identify issues quickly

Use Import Logger to view exactly what imported, what failed, and recommended workarounds.

Prerequisite

Details

Latest Captivate Classic version

Open your project in the latest Captivate Classic and save it before importing.

Backup CPTX file

Keep a backup copy of the original CPTX. Import is one-way; you can't send projects back.

External assets available

Verify that images, audio, video, and other external files are accessible on your system.

Simulations prepared

For simulation projects, use Save for new Captivate in Classic to ensure compatibility.

Element

Supported

Text captions, shapes, and formatting

Yes (text with styling and properties)

Images

PNG, JPEG, SVG, GIF, BMP

Audio

MP3, WAV (object audio, slide audio, background audio)

Video

MP4

Web objects

Including PDFs and web pages

Bookmarks and overlays

Yes

Closed captions

Linked to audio or video

Area

Support

Actions

Advanced actions are imported but must be verified. The UI for editing actions in Captivate differs from Classic (for example, layout); behavior should remain the same; review triggers, variables, and timing. Custom JavaScript actions are imported if they don't rely on deprecated APIs.

Animations

Animations map to the nearest supported effect in Captivate. Where no direct equivalent exists (for example, a specific scale value), the import falls back to a similar animation or none. Motion paths are not supported in imported projects because they are not supported in the new Captivate. Complex or custom sequences may lose fidelity.

Accessibility

Tab order, reading order, timeline order, and object timing are preserved. In Classic there are two accessibility fields (name and description); in Captivate there is one (accessibility text). The Classic description is imported into Captivate's accessibility text. Speech agent language mappings are imported when available.

Practice

Why

Open and save in latest Classic

Ensures compatibility and reduces import errors.

Use Save for new Captivate for simulations

Required for simulation project compatibility.

Keep a backup of the original CPTX

Protects the source; no round-trip to Classic after import.

Verify external assets are available

Prevents missing media after import.

Review the Active log after every import

Catch unsupported or partially supported elements early.

Do not ignore warnings

Even if the slide appears functional, warnings may affect publish or behavior.

Use slide references

Navigate directly to affected content from the logger.

Apply workarounds or redesign

Fix unsupported elements before publishing.

Archive resolved issues

Keeps the log organized and shows what's left to fix.

Resolve critical issues before publishing

Ensures reliable output.

Recreate native interactions on new slides

Disabled or read-only imported interactions need native replacements.

Verify advanced actions

Review triggers, variables, and timing after import.

Replace unsupported animations

Use supported effects instead of complex or custom sequences.

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