How To Recover Unsaved or Deleted illustrator Files
Adobe illustrator is a powerful vector drawing program that can use for everything from creating illustrations and diagrams to designing logos and illustrations for web graphics. Whether you're a professional graphic designer or just getting started, illustrator is a versatile program that can help you create stunning artwork. Sometimes the loss of illustrator files, inevitable or accidental, can be a disaster, especially production process. The issue worsens if it contains all your hard work for a client. Whatever the way of losing the files, the question remains: how to recover illustrator files that did not save? Or how to retrieve deleted illustrator?
Do not worry. You will not have to start your work from scratch again; we will help you. Here, we have got you a bundle of 6 ways to sort your life and help you recover illustrator files on Mac or Windows PC in easy steps.
- Quick Navigation
- Part 1. Can I Recover an Unsaved or Deleted illustrator File?
- Part 2. How To Recover Unsaved illustrator Files on Mac/Windows
- Part 3. How To Recover Deleted illustrator Files Without Backup
- Part 4. How to Enable illustrator Autosave to Protect Your Data
- Part 5. Frequently Asked Questions for illustrator Recovery
Can I Recover an Unsaved or Deleted illustrator File?
Before moving on to how to restore an illustrator file not saved, you must find out if you can get them back at all. The answer is yes; you can make the recovery of any unsaved or deleted illustrator file possible when any sudden crash occurs. There may be various reasons for the impact to happen like;
- 🖥️ System crash unexpectedly, power outages or even application closing without saving the data can lead to loss or unsaved illustrator files.
- ⛔ When working on a large illustrator file, frequent operations caused it to close abruptly due to insufficient memory.
- ❌ You accidentally deleted and formatted the drive, causing the illustrator file to disappear.
- 📜 The illustrator file is missing for other unknown reasons.
If you encounter the above problems that result in file loss, don't despair! You can restore unsaved illustrator files via Autosave, revert option, temp files, and more. You can also recover permanently deleted illustrator in Windows 11/10 and Mac with the best software. Read on!
How To Recover Unsaved illustrator Files on Mac/Windows
If you use Adobe illustrator regularly, you know how frustrating it is to lose work because you forgot to save it. Luckily, there are some ways you can recover an unsaved file in illustrator.
Ways 1. Recover from illustrator's Autosave
Adobe illustrator's most valuable feature is the Autosave function, which automatically saves your work at set intervals. It can be an invaluable safety net if your computer crashes or you accidentally close your file without saving it. Here are steps to recover unsaved illustrator files on Mac or Windows PC by Autosave:
- Start by relaunching the illustrator, and tap on OK once the dialog box appears.
- You will see your lost Files autosaved version in the format: [Recovered] (FileName). Then you can resave it by hitting Ctrl + S.
Applicable Scenarios: If the autosave feature gets turned on beforehand, you can restore unsaved files in illustrator; otherwise, it cannot. You can recover unsaved word documents by Office's Autosave in the same steps.
Ways 2. Restore from an illustrator Backup
If you're thinking of how to recover illustrator files not saved in Windows 11/10 and macOS, we must tell you that besides the Autosave feature, a built-in backup option is available for your rescue.
- Open the following folders in Explorer.
- for Windows PC: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe illustrator [version] Settings\en_US\x64\DataRecovery
- for macOS: /Users/username/Library/Preferences/Adobe illustrator [version] Settings/en_US/Adobe illustrator Prefs
- Double-tap on the required file to launch it in illustrator.
- Head back to the File menu from Adobe illustrator and tap on the Save option to resave it.
Applicable Scenarios: You mistakenly closed the illustrator file with the Recovered suffix. At this point, you can still use this option to recover an unsaved illustrator file.
Ways 3. Use Revert Option
The Revert option in Adobe illustrator allows you to undo changes you made to a document quickly. It can be beneficial if you change your mind about an edit or want to restore to the previous version.
- Go to File > Revert.
- From the list of given files, you can detect the one you were working on recently, open it again and start working.
Applicable Scenarios: It works not only in the event of deleted illustrator files but also when you save the File to some other location and cannot find it.
Ways 4. Check the Temp Files
As an illustrator, you know that temp files are essential to the creative process. They help you save your work in progress and experiment with different ideas without starting from scratch every time. It can also help you recover unsaved illustrator documents in Windows 11/10 and Mac at critical moments.
- Go to the following location:
- for Windows PC: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe illustrator [version] Settings\Temp
- for macOS: /Users/username/Library/Preferences/Adobe illustrator [version] Settings/Temp/
- Once you've found the file you're looking for, open it in Adobe illustrator and save it as a new file.
Ways 5. Restore to an Old Version
Windows Previous Version and Mac Time Machine is a utility that allows users to access and recover saved over illustrator files from a backup on a Mac or Windows PC. This can be useful if you accidentally remove illustrator files or make changes you regret later. But, they are helpful only when you have already enabled them.
To Find Unsaved illustrator Files in Windows 11/10 by Previous Version
- Go to the folder where the illustrator document is saved.
- Right-click and select Restore previous versions.
- In the new window, select a recent version and click the Restore button.
To Recover Saved Over illustrator Files on Mac by Time Machine
- Connect your external drive as a backup to your computer.
- After opening Time Machine, select the saved illustrator file according to the timeline.
- Click the Restore button to save the target file.
Applicable Scenarios: You must enable backup before the event occurs. This method works if your illustrator file has turned corrupt or you have made a few irreversible changes.
Losing an illustrator file can be a nightmare, especially if it contains all your hard work for a client. While the above methods can help you recover unsaved illustrator files, the best way to avoid the issue is always to save your work frequently.
How To Recover Deleted illustrator Files Without Backup
Whether you have lost your illustrator file in the event of a sudden PC crash, you accidentally removed or formatted a drive, you can retrieve permanently deleted illustrator files with data recovery software. Here, iBeesoft Data Recovery gives you a perfect solution that can help you find lost items and repair corrupt data. It can also recover deleted PDF, photoshop, photo, video, music files, and more.
- Download and install the iBeesoft Data Recovery.
- After its launch, choose a location where illustrator files are lost and tap on 'Scan' to begin the scanning process.
- Preview recoverable illustrator files and tap the Recover option to save them on your PC.
If you are a Mac user looking to recover deleted illustrator files on Mac, then iBeesoft Data Recovery Software for Mac can come to your rescue. If you accidentally hit the delete button while working on an illustrator file but didn't empty the recycle bin, you can open the recycle bin to find it.
How to Enable illustrator Autosave to Protect Your Data
As a designer, one moment of forgetting to hit "save" can mean hours of lost work. That’s why having a reliable autosave feature in your design software is so important. If you use Adobe illustrator, you’re in luck – the program offers a robust autosave feature that can help you avoid data loss. It will come into play from getting lost whenever your illustrator crashes suddenly happen. So, to recover the unsaved illustrator file in the preference panel, You must follow the steps below to turn this option on:
- Go to Edit > Preferences, then go to File Handling and Clipboard option.
- Select the "Automatically Save Recovery Data Every" checkbox under the Data Recovery option.
- Now go for a selection of time intervals. It will be given under the drop-down menu and help you save the backup.
- Now tap on Choose option to select the folder you need to save files after recovery is completed.
- Make a selection of checkboxes saying Turn off Data Recovery for complex documents and experience an uninterrupted and smooth workflow.
- Now tap on Ok.
By enabling the autosave feature in illustrator, you can rest assured knowing that your work is always protected.
Frequently Asked Questions for Illustrator Recovery
If you're an illustrator user, you probably know that the software sometimes quits unexpectedly, resulting in corrupted or unsaved files. You may also encounter problems with accidental loss of illustrator files. While this can be frustrating, there is no need to panic. In most cases, you can recover illustrator files after not save or removed. Here are some frequently asked questions about illustrator file Recovery:
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A: You can find and change the autosave location of an illustrator by tapping on Edit > Preferences > General > File Handling and Clipboard.
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A: Yes, you can open illustrator and go to File > Revert to check previous versions of illustrator files.
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A: Sometimes, the version of this illustrator file is too high. You can choose a base version to save when saving.
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A: Several factors can contribute to illustrator file corruption, including hardware problems, software glitches, and viral infections. However, in most cases, it results from an incorrect save or an unexpected power outage.
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A: If you have a backup, then you can get it yourself. In other cases, you have to rely on data recovery software. It can be a complex process, so it's best to entrust your data to an excellent app like iBeesoft Data Recovery. It can help you recover permanently deleted files in Windows 11, 10, 7 and, macOS
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A: The best way to restore Adobe illustrator files is to use iBeesoft data recovery software. It can retrieve files that disappeared or were removed from your hard drive, memory card, or another storage device.
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A: You can try recovering unsaved illustrator files by going to File > Revert. This will bring up a list of any unsaved documents that illustrator has saved automatically.
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A: Yes, You can find it in the illustrator autosave files folder. By default, it should be: C:\Users\computer username\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe illustrator [version] Settings\en_US\x64\DataRecovery
Conclusion
The best protection for your illustrator files is duplicating them on another device or gadget or maintaining a backup copy. For example, you can use solutions like Dropbox or Google Drive that provide cloud storage facilities to keep them safe. Along with this, it helps automate data storage, and you can access it from almost everywhere.
However, if you cannot do so and accidentally suffer from the loss of a file and are thinking about how to recover illustrator files not saved, solutions, as mentioned earlier, can help you well. But iBeesoft data recovery software can be your light in the dark and work better than any other solution. It assists you with its simple interface and helps you recover deleted illustrator files in three simple steps. Finally, make your life easier with our excellent solution for illustrator recovery.