How to Import an ESX File into Xactimate

To import an ESX file into Xactimate Desktop, go to Tools > Data Transfer > Import, point the folder icon at the folder that holds the file, select Select Data, then Import. In Xactimate Online, select + New Project, open the Import tab, choose the file and select Import.

An ESX file is the project file Xactimate exports and imports, and importing it is how you open it. Verisk’s help docs say projects always export as .esx files. For what an ESX carries that a PDF report doesn’t, see PDF vs. ESX.

Before you import: a quick checklist

• A Windows machine. Verisk lists 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 for both Desktop and Online and says Xactimate is not supported on macOS.

• Data Transfer rights. Verisk notes that Data Transfer isn’t available to every user.

• The file saved to a folder. Desktop’s import screen asks for a folder, not a file. Hover’s guide adds that if your browser offers to open the .esx after download, save it instead.

• A current version of Xactimate. A DocuSketch estimator lists version compatibility as a common import error.

• The right profile. A profile is a set of estimating settings, often carrier-specific, inside your instance, which is your company’s Xactimate account. Each project is assigned to one profile. If the sender used a carrier profile you don’t have, expect trouble.

How to import an ESX file into Xactimate Desktop

Method 1: Data Transfer

These are Verisk’s documented steps:

1. From the project dashboard, select Tools.

2. Under Data Transfer, select Import.

3. Select the folder icon to open Browse For Folder.

4. Pick the folder on your computer that contains the .esx and select OK. You are choosing the folder here. You pick the file in the next step.

5. Back on the Tools page, select Select Data to open the Data Transfer dialog.

6. Check the project you want and select Import.

If Data Transfer doesn’t appear under Tools, Verisk says to ask your instance administrator to update your security group in Xactimate Admin. The screen accepts .esx and .chx project files.

Method 2: Drag and drop

DocuSketch describes a faster route. Drag the .esx onto your Local projects page, wait for the “Import Successful” message, and select Close.

Open the imported project

Select Local in the left menu, where magicplan’s guide says the new project appears after import. Double-click it to open.

If the project has no price list, Xactimate prompts you to choose one along with a tax jurisdiction. You can also set it later under Claim Info > Parameters and request a price list for that project.

How to import an ESX file into Xactimate Online

Import as a new project

From Verisk’s create and import projects article:

1. On the Projects page, select + New Project.

2. Select the Import tab.

3. Select Select a file from your computer, choose the .esx and select Open. This route takes one file at a time.

4. Select Import.

You can also drag an .esx from your computer straight onto the Projects page.

Import several files with Data transfer

For a batch, use Data transfer:

1. Select Tools, then Import.

2. Drag files into the Data transfer window, or browse for them.

3. Add more files if you need to, then select Import.

If a project already exists, Xactimate asks you to choose Skip, Overwrite or Merge/rename. Overwrite replaces the existing data. If you have been writing a supplement in your copy, choose Skip or Merge/rename.

Open it

Opening a project in Online needs the ClickOnce browser extension, which Verisk lists in its system requirements. Verisk’s FAQ adds that the Estimate Writer won’t open if you block third-party cookies and pop-ups.

How to get an imported ESX onto Xactimate mobile

Verisk’s mobile docs move projects through the cloud. I found no Verisk instructions for importing an .esx from a phone’s storage, so import on a computer first.

1. If you imported in Desktop, select the project under Local and select the Send to cloud icon. Verisk notes that Desktop also autosaves to the cloud unless you turned autosave off.

2. If you imported in Online, look for the project in the mobile app under Cloud. Verisk’s mobile docs say a project uploaded “to Xactimate online” appears under Cloud > My Projects, which lists the estimates assigned to you. All Projects lists every project in your instance.

3. In the mobile app, tap the menu, select Cloud, then My Projects or All Projects, and tap the cloud icon next to the project to download it. On Android, tap the three dots on the project’s row and select Take Ownership instead. Either way, it appears in your Local list.

As of November 2026, mobile requires iOS 18 or later, or Android 13 or later, and Verisk says the Android app gets limited functionality from January 2027 and will be discontinued in Q2 2027.

Importing ESX files from sketch and measurement tools

Field tools export ESX so their sketches land in Xactimate. Here is how each vendor documents the handoff, as of November 2026.

magicplan

In the app, open Files and Sharing and run the export labeled “Verisk”. You get an emailed link, or you can download the file from magicplan Cloud. The integration requires a PRO subscription in the US or Canada. magicplan notes that Xactimate allows 100 MB of photos per project, so turn on photo compression for photo-heavy jobs. Import with either method above. magicplan’s ESX files default to the Carrier profile. To move one to another profile, duplicate the project in Xactimate and pick the profile on the copy.

DocuSketch

Under Download Options, choose the Verisk (Xactimate) sketch to get an .ESX file. Estimates download as PDF or ESX. If you download a zipped bundle, unzip it first, because the .esx is inside. Then drag it onto Local.

Hover

Hover recommends its Verisk integration over a manual import. Its help center warns that a manual .esx import defaults to the Carrier profile and may override preset variables, so some values can come in “zeroed out.” To do it manually, Hover says to merge the file into the claim:

1. In Hover, select Export on the property details page, check .esx and select Download.

2. Import the file into Xactimate, then on the Local tab check both your claim and the Hover job.

3. Select the merge icon on the right, then Next in the Project Wizard.

4. Choose your claim as the Source Project, confirm the Hover Job ID under Merging Order, and select Finish.

5. Open the sketch from the Estimate tab. If it’s blank, pick the newly added sketch from the drop-down.

Verisk confirms that merging projects copies data without deleting the originals, so you can remove the extra project afterward. Merge works on any two projects of the same type, such as two Estimates. For more on getting floor plans in, see converting a sketch to Xactimate.

Eagleview

Eagleview sells ESX files as an add-on through an Eagleview One subscription. Add the ESX file to a report order, or upgrade a past order under Add-ons in Order History, then download it from the delivery email or Order History. Eagleview’s import step is to drag it into Xactimate’s New Project window.

iGUIDE

iGUIDE offers an Xactimate ESX add-on. It’s ready within minutes for Instant and within 24 hours after the iGUIDE is published for Standard and Premium. Verisk also documents a route that skips the file entirely: you request iGUIDE data inside Xactimate using a token generated in iGUIDE.

Troubleshooting a failed ESX import

“Profile unavailable” or a carrier profile error

DocuSketch reports a “Profile unavailable” error when the file’s profile isn’t on your machine, and suggests checking Preferences > Project. In one 2023 r/adjusters thread, the error detail named the sender’s carrier profile. Commenters there suggested asking the sender to re-export the project under a profile you have, if their company allows it. I didn’t find this in Verisk’s help docs, so treat it as field practice.

Data Transfer is missing

Your security group doesn’t include it. An instance administrator can change that in Xactimate Admin.

The file came from a newer version

Update Xactimate. Verisk gives a concrete case: projects set to the Large Restoration / Remodel labor efficiency can’t be opened by users on older versions.

The project imported but won’t open

In Online, Verisk’s checklist is to confirm ClickOnce is enabled, the Online Estimate Writer is downloaded and the project isn’t checked out. If all three check out, reinstall ClickOnce. A checked-out project is locked to another user or device. With the right rights you can take ownership. Otherwise the other person has to sync it back, or an administrator can unlock it.

The file is corrupted, compressed or misnamed

DocuSketch’s checks are that the file hasn’t been compressed, really ends in .esx, and has no characters like !, ? or @ in its name. A commenter in the same Reddit thread saw corrupt files sent from cloud-synced desktops before the save finished. The fix there was to have the sender save and send it again.

You imported an image or PDF

A floor plan JPG or a PDF isn’t a project file. Xactimate takes images as photos or Sketch underlays under Estimate > Sketch > Options > Import, and takes PDFs only as attached, template or line-item documents.

Exporting and sending an ESX back

• Desktop. Close the project first. Then drag it from Local onto a folder, or use the Export icon.

• Online. Select the project, choose Export, then Save project to download an .esx. Export to Excel gives a spreadsheet, not a project file.

• XactAnalysis assignments. Finish on the Complete tab and exit. The assignment returns to XactAnalysis through the cloud.

• Email. Xactimate’s Reports screen can email a PDF report. To send the editable project, export the .esx and attach it to an email.

Only have a PDF?

Then there’s nothing to import, because Xactimate takes PDFs only as attached, template or line-item documents. You can re-key the estimate by hand, or convert it. ClaimsFlow converts PDF estimates into Xactimate ESX projects that you import with the steps above. Across all projects, 97.6% of line items convert, and any that don’t are flagged in a Conversion Report. Median conversion time is 99 seconds, and the average is 5.5 minutes. You still need Xactimate to open the result (see what Xactimate costs). The full walkthrough is in how to convert a PDF to ESX.

FAQ

How do I import an ESX file into Xactimate?

In Desktop, use Tools > Data Transfer > Import, pick the folder, then Select Data and Import. In Online, use + New Project > Import. Both also accept drag and drop.

How do I open an ESX file?

You open it by importing it into Xactimate, then double-clicking the project in your Local list in Desktop or your Projects list in Online. DocuSketch says you can only open an .ESX with Xactimate.

What is an ESX file?

It’s the project file Xactimate exports and imports. Verisk’s help docs say every exported project is an .esx. For how it differs from a PDF, see PDF vs. ESX.

Why won’t my .esx file import?

Check your Xactimate version, the sender’s profile, your Data Transfer rights, the file name and whether the project is checked out to someone else. If all pass, ask the sender for a fresh export.

Can I import an ESX file on a Mac or a phone?

Not on macOS. Verisk supports Intel Macs dual-booting Windows, but not Apple silicon Macs. On a phone, import on a Windows computer first, get the project into the cloud, then download it in Xactimate mobile.

Try ClaimsFlow on your next estimate

Next time the carrier sends a PDF instead of an ESX, upload it to ClaimsFlow and import the ESX you get back. New accounts get 150 line items free. After that it’s $0.35 per converted line item, with no monthly commitment. Start at claimsflow.io.

Xactimate is a registered trademark of Verisk Analytics, Inc. Other product names are trademarks of their owners. ClaimsFlow is not affiliated with or endorsed by Verisk or the other companies mentioned.