How to fix Error: Failed to load state: Unsupported state file format in Terraform

TerraformINTERMEDIATECRITICAL

The "Unsupported state file format" error occurs when Terraform cannot read your state file, typically because it was created by a newer Terraform version. Resolve this by upgrading Terraform or restoring state from a backup.

What this error means

The "Unsupported state file format" error means Terraform cannot read your state file because its format version is incompatible with your current Terraform version. Each Terraform version stores state in a specific format, and older versions cannot read state files created by newer versions. This error typically occurs when: - You upgraded Terraform and then downgraded to an older version - You're using an older version of Terraform than the one that created the state file - The state file is corrupted or was manually modified - The state file is from a different Terraform version that your current installation cannot parse

How to fix "Error: Failed to load state: Unsupported state file format"

1Check your current Terraform version

First, verify what version of Terraform you have installed:

bash

terraform version

Note the version number displayed. This will help you determine if you need to upgrade.

2Upgrade Terraform to the latest version

Download and install the latest Terraform version from https://www.terraform.io/downloads.html or use a version manager:

Using tfenv (recommended):

bash

tfenv install latest
tfenv use latest
terraform version

macOS with Homebrew:

bash

brew upgrade terraform

Ubuntu/Debian:

bash

apt-get update && apt-get upgrade terraform

After upgrading, verify with terraform version again. This is usually the simplest fix.

3Check state file version if possible

If you have access to your terraform.tfstate file, inspect its version field:

bash

grep -e '"version"' terraform.tfstate | head -1

This shows you what state format version the file uses. Compare this to your Terraform version documentation to see if you need to upgrade further.

4Restore state from backup

If upgrading Terraform doesn't resolve the issue, restore your state from a backup:

bash

# Check for local backup
ls -la terraform.tfstate.backup

# Restore it
cp terraform.tfstate.backup terraform.tfstate

For remote backends, check your provider:

AWS S3 with versioning:

bash

aws s3 cp s3://bucket-name/path/to/state.tfstate terraform.tfstate \
  --version-id <version-id>

Google Cloud Storage:

bash

gsutil cp gs://bucket-name/path/to/state.tfstate terraform.tfstate

Always verify the backup is valid JSON before using it.

5Validate the restored state file

Before continuing, ensure the state file is valid JSON:

bash

jq empty terraform.tfstate
echo $?

If it returns 0, the JSON is valid. If it returns a non-zero exit code, the file is corrupted and cannot be recovered using this method.

6Test with terraform init and plan

After restoring or upgrading, test your configuration:

bash

terraform init
terraform plan

If these commands succeed, your state file is now readable. Review the plan carefully to ensure no unexpected changes are detected.

How to fix Error: Failed to load state: Unsupported state file format in Terraform

What this error means

Typical symptoms

Common causes

How to fix "Error: Failed to load state: Unsupported state file format"

Advanced notes

Related errors

Official resources & further reading