Nvivo versions
How many versions of Nvivo are there?
In recent years, there have been several different releases of QSR Nvivo software, in both Windows and Mac versions. Different institutions may subscribe to different versions.
This matters because some features differ and compatibility cannot always be assumed, which can be quite annoying. Where possible, we recommend working with a windows version, because you have more advanced features available. Some windows features are ‘hidden’ for the mac versions.
The most commonly encountered versions :
Between Nvivo versions, there is forwards compatibility only. This means that you can open an Nvivo nvp file made in Nvivo 12 in Nvivo Release 1, but not the other way around. To open an older file in a more recent version, open the file, and then click ‘upgrade’.
Converting Nvivo files between windows /mac versions
To convert .nvp files (windows) to .nvpx (mac), do this within the windows platform, by choosing ‘copy project’-> copy to…
We recommend you work on one platform only and avoid frequent conversion.
Naming and terminology changes
With Nvivo Release 1.0 (Nvivo 13), QSR changed the terminology for key elements. A full list is here.
Some important ones to note:
