# Pareview reads my single file fine but not as group!
**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/pareview-reads-my-single-file-fine-but-not-as-group/11281
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Tags:** vtk
**Created:** [January 27, 2023, 3:09am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/pareview-reads-my-single-file-fine-but-not-as-group/11281 "2023-01-27T03:09:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Cavid\_Azimi](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/Cavid_Azimi)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2023, 3:09am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/pareview-reads-my-single-file-fine-but-not-as-group/11281/1 "2023-01-27T03:09:17Z")
Paraview reads single file without asking any specific reader and it works perfectly fine. However, when I want to read the files as group, it asks reader to choose and I have no idea what to choose?! I check most of them and they do not work for me. Anybody know any solution?
My files in the link below:
[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UZofth-d3CKRGJtkUkgezoLxhbc1Is0s?usp=share\_link](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UZofth-d3CKRGJtkUkgezoLxhbc1Is0s?usp=share_link)
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### Author:  [@mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2023, 7:35am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/pareview-reads-my-single-file-fine-but-not-as-group/11281/2 "2023-01-27T07:35:30Z")
Hi @Cavid_Azimi
The Step\_…vtk is a .pvsm file, rename it to pvsm.
A fileseries is not a literal file but a concept.
Then just open the virtual Step\_…vtk
hth,
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### Author:  [@Kenneth\_Moreland](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/Kenneth_Moreland)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2023, 4:30pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/pareview-reads-my-single-file-fine-but-not-as-group/11281/3 "2023-01-27T16:30:47Z")
To be clear, @mwestphal means to rename `Step_..vtk` to `Step.pvsm` or something else with a `.pvsm` extension.
`pvsm` files need to be loaded by using `File` → `Load State` instead of `Open`. I do note that this `pvsm` file must have been created with a different set of `vtk` files. I tried loading it, and the filenames were different than the ones you provided.
If you don’t care about loading the `pvsm` file (né `Step_..vtk`), you can just delete it. The real problem is that ParaView is grouping the `pvsm` file with the `vtk` files, and that breaks the reader.
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### Author:  [@Cavid\_Azimi](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/Cavid_Azimi)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2023, 5:03pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/pareview-reads-my-single-file-fine-but-not-as-group/11281/4 "2023-01-27T17:03:22Z")
Thanks @mwestphal and @Kenneth_Moreland for responces.
After renaming the file to Step\_…pvsm, I can open it and it works fine. But, when I tried using `File` → `Load State`, it popped-up “Load State Options” window and after leaving the default option crashes!
Is there any advantage using the `File` → `Load State` instead of Opening?
Thanks,
Javid
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### Author:  [@Kenneth\_Moreland](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/Kenneth_Moreland)
#### Post date: [January 27, 2023, 7:42pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/pareview-reads-my-single-file-fine-but-not-as-group/11281/5 "2023-01-27T19:42:32Z")
To be clear `File` → `Load State` is for loading the `pvsm` file exclusively. It does not load a group of files and will behave unexpectedly if you try to load anything other than a `pvsm` file. My guess is that you tried to load something that was not the `pvsm` file. Or possibly it was written with files that you no longer have.