# How to open a SketchUp .skp file without SketchUp

Source: https://0xr.space/m/how/open-skp-file-without-sketchup  
Published 2026-10-15, updated 2026-10-20, by ZeroXR, the maker of Model Explorer (https://0xr.space/).

Open 0xr.space, press Open and choose the .skp. It is read in the browser, from SketchUp 2013 files to the current version, with each face's colour and texture, and shown at its real size: SketchUp works in inches and the model is converted to metres. Every group and component becomes a part you can select, hide or pull apart, and a component placed many times is stored once.

Only faces are drawn. Edges and lines on their own, dimensions, text, section planes and scenes are left out, and geometry on a hidden tag is not shown. A few files from older SketchUp versions do not open, for example ones with radius dimensions; the app says so and you can export the model from SketchUp as .dae, .obj or .stl instead. A very large model, hundreds of megabytes of geometry, can take a minute and may be more than a headset's memory holds.

## Steps

1. Copy the .skp to the computer, phone or Quest, for example from a cloud drive or a 3D Warehouse download.
2. Open 0xr.space in the browser, or the Model Explorer app on a Quest.
3. Press Open and choose the .skp, then wait while it is read; a large file takes a while.
4. Explode it into its groups and components, measure it, or press View in your space, then Scale and 1:1 Size, to stand it in the room at real size.

## Questions

### Do I need SketchUp or a Trimble account?

No. The file is read in the browser with no plug-in, licence or sign-in.

### Which SketchUp versions open?

Files saved by SketchUp 2013 to the current version. Some older files with radius dimensions do not open yet; export those as .dae, .obj or .stl.

### Are textures kept?

Yes. The pictures stored in the .skp are applied to the faces that use them.

### Why are lines and dimensions missing?

Only faces are drawn. Edges on their own, dimensions, text and section planes are not shown.

### Is my file uploaded?

No. It is read on the device, and nothing is sent to a server unless you create a share link yourself.

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