diff --git a/.github/workflows/selfcheck.yml b/.github/workflows/selfcheck.yml
index 6d100c4ddc8..1d9f963ddde 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/selfcheck.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/selfcheck.yml
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Self check (unusedFunction / no test / no gui)
         run: |
-          supprs="--suppress=unusedFunction:lib/errorlogger.h:197 --suppress=unusedFunction:lib/importproject.cpp:1671 --suppress=unusedFunction:lib/importproject.cpp:1695"
+          supprs="--suppress=unusedFunction:lib/errorlogger.h:197 --suppress=unusedFunction:lib/importproject.cpp:1695 --suppress=unusedFunction:lib/importproject.cpp:1719"
           ./cppcheck -q --template=selfcheck --error-exitcode=1 --library=cppcheck-lib -D__CPPCHECK__ -D__GNUC__ --enable=unusedFunction,information --exception-handling -rp=. --project=cmake.output.notest_nogui/compile_commands.json --suppressions-list=.selfcheck_unused_suppressions --inline-suppr $supprs
         env:
           DISABLE_VALUEFLOW: 1
diff --git a/lib/importproject.cpp b/lib/importproject.cpp
index 2d63fa8bbb7..0e6ca353480 100644
--- a/lib/importproject.cpp
+++ b/lib/importproject.cpp
@@ -529,27 +529,51 @@ bool ImportProject::importSlnx(const std::string& filename, const std::vector<st
         return false;
     }
 
+    if (std::strcmp(rootnode->Name(), "Solution") != 0) {
+        errors.emplace_back("Invalid Visual Studio solution file format");
+        return false;
+    }
+
     std::map<std::string, std::string, cppcheck::stricmp> variables;
     variables["SolutionDir"] = Path::simplifyPath(Path::getPathFromFilename(filename));
 
     bool found = false;
     std::vector<SharedItemsProject> sharedItemsProjects;
 
+    auto processProject = [&](const tinyxml2::XMLElement* projectNode) {
+        const char* pathAttribute = projectNode->Attribute("Path");
+        if (pathAttribute == nullptr)
+            return true;
+
+        std::string vcxproj(pathAttribute);
+        vcxproj = Path::toNativeSeparators(std::move(vcxproj));
+
+        if (Path::getFilenameExtensionInLowerCase(vcxproj) != ".vcxproj")
+            return true; // skip other project types
+
+        if (!Path::isAbsolute(vcxproj))
+            vcxproj = variables["SolutionDir"] + vcxproj;
+
+        vcxproj = Path::fromNativeSeparators(std::move(vcxproj));
+        if (!importVcxproj(vcxproj, variables, "", fileFilters, sharedItemsProjects)) {
+            errors.emplace_back("failed to load '" + vcxproj + "' from Visual Studio solution");
+            return false;
+        }
+        found = true;
+        return true;
+    };
+
     for (const tinyxml2::XMLElement* node = rootnode->FirstChildElement(); node; node = node->NextSiblingElement()) {
         const char* name = node->Name();
         if (std::strcmp(name, "Project") == 0) {
-            const char* labelAttribute = node->Attribute("Path");
-            if (labelAttribute) {
-                std::string vcxproj(labelAttribute);
-                vcxproj = Path::toNativeSeparators(std::move(vcxproj));
-                if (!Path::isAbsolute(vcxproj))
-                    vcxproj = variables["SolutionDir"] + vcxproj;
-                vcxproj = Path::fromNativeSeparators(std::move(vcxproj));
-                if (!importVcxproj(vcxproj, variables, "", fileFilters, sharedItemsProjects)) {
-                    errors.emplace_back("failed to load '" + vcxproj + "' from Visual Studio solution");
-                    return false;
+            if (!processProject(node))
+                return false;
+        } else if (std::strcmp(name, "Folder") == 0) {
+            for (const tinyxml2::XMLElement* childNode = node->FirstChildElement(); childNode; childNode = childNode->NextSiblingElement()) {
+                if (std::strcmp(childNode->Name(), "Project") == 0) {
+                    if (!processProject(childNode))
+                        return false;
                 }
-                found = true;
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/test/cli/project_test.py b/test/cli/project_test.py
index 7421ca406a6..64bb406a709 100644
--- a/test/cli/project_test.py
+++ b/test/cli/project_test.py
@@ -147,6 +147,16 @@ def test_slnx_no_xml_root(tmpdir):
     __test_project_error(tmpdir, "slnx", content, expected)
 
 
+def test_slnx_invalid_xml_root(tmpdir):
+    content = '<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>\r\n' \
+              "<Invalid>\r\n" \
+              "</Invalid>\r\n"
+
+    expected = "Invalid Visual Studio solution file format"
+
+    __test_project_error(tmpdir, "slnx", content, expected)
+
+
 def test_slnx_no_projects(tmpdir):
     content = '<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>\r\n' \
               "<Solution>\r\n" \
@@ -161,6 +171,22 @@ def test_slnx_no_projects(tmpdir):
     __test_project_error(tmpdir, "slnx", content, expected)
 
 
+def test_slnx_no_projects_in_folder(tmpdir):
+    content = '<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>\r\n' \
+              "<Solution>\r\n" \
+              "  <Configurations>\r\n" \
+              '    <Platform Name="x64" />\r\n' \
+              '    <Platform Name="x86" />\r\n' \
+              "  </Configurations>\r\n" \
+              '  <Folder Name="/common/">\r\n' \
+              '  </Folder>\r\n' \
+          "</Solution>\r\n"
+
+    expected = "no projects found in Visual Studio solution file"
+
+    __test_project_error(tmpdir, "slnx", content, expected)
+
+
 def test_slnx_project_file_not_found(tmpdir):
     content = '<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>\r\n' \
               "<Solution>\r\n" \
@@ -179,6 +205,26 @@ def test_slnx_project_file_not_found(tmpdir):
     __test_project_error(tmpdir, "slnx", content, expected)
 
 
+def test_slnx_project_file_in_folder_not_found(tmpdir):
+    content = '<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>\r\n' \
+              "<Solution>\r\n" \
+              "  <Configurations>\r\n" \
+              '    <Platform Name="x64" />\r\n' \
+              '    <Platform Name="x86" />\r\n' \
+              "  </Configurations>\r\n" \
+              '  <Folder Name="/common/">\r\n' \
+              '    <Project Path="common/test.vcxproj" />\r\n' \
+              '  </Folder>\r\n' \
+              "</Solution>\r\n"
+
+    expected = "Visual Studio project file is not a valid XML - XML_ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND\n" \
+               "cppcheck: error: failed to load '{}' from Visual Studio solution".format(os.path.join(tmpdir, "common/test.vcxproj"))
+    if sys.platform == "win32":
+        expected = expected.replace('\\', '/')
+
+    __test_project_error(tmpdir, "slnx", content, expected)
+
+
 def test_vcxproj_no_xml_root(tmpdir):
     content = '<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>'