Restore Logic Pro X files corrupted by Google Drive

If you've ever stored Logic Pro X project files (.logicx) in Google Drive, you may have gone back to them after a while only to discover that Drive has turned them into unreadable .pkgf files.

The good news is that it's not permanent and you're about to learn how to undo the damage. The bad news is I can't guarantee this will work for you, only that it's worked for me on multiple occasions.

How to recover Logic .pkgf files from Google Drive

1. Copy the file name, without the .pkgf extension (we'll need it shortly).
2. Right-click and compress the .pkgf file.
3. Double-click to uncompress the resulting .zip file. Instead of turning back into the .pkgf file you just compressed, it'll become an extension-less file with an arbitrary 6-digit file name.
4. Re-name the resulting file by pasting the original file name from your clipboard.
5. Add the .logicx extension at the end of the file name and confirm your changes.

If all goes well, you'll end up with your original Logic Pro X project file, back in .logicx format, fully intact. By the way, it's important to use the native Archive Utility for this—it doesn't work with common alternatives like Archiver. I don't know why.

How to prevent this from happening

It's unclear whether the problem is with Google Drive or with Apple, but until it's fixed there are two ways to avoid this problem. Either:

1. Don't store Logic Pro X project files in Google Drive, or
2. Have Logic organize your projects as a folder instead of as a package.