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Recover Illustrator files after crash

Learn how to recover your Illustrator files after a crash.

Restart Illustrator to recover files

If Illustrator crashes, restart it. If it doesn't respond, force quit and restart. When you restart, the auto-recovery process opens all the unsaved files with the Recovered suffix.

Restart Illustrator to recover unsaved files.
Save the recovered file

Save the recovered files using the File > Save As option. The files might undergo some data loss during the recovery process.

Closed Illustrator or the recovered files without saving up?

Even if you close the recovered files by mistake, you can get them back from the auto-backup location by following these steps:

Note:

As we transition to an improved crash recovery experience in upcoming releases, these steps won't work in newer versions. They still apply to Illustrator 29.1 and earlier.

Windows

  1. Type %AppData% in Windows Search.

  2. Navigate to Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator [version] Settings\en_US\x64\DataRecovery

  3. Open the files with the .aid extension in Illustrator to recover the content.

macOS

  1. Select Go in the menu bar and then select Go to Folder.

  2. Type ~ /Library/ and press Return.

  3. Navigate to Preferences/Adobe Illustrator [version] Settings/en_US/DataRecovery

  4. Open the files with the .aid extension in Illustrator to recover the content.

 If you chose a different location for the auto-backup of unsaved files, go to that location to recover them.

Note:

Auto-backup of unsaved files is turned on by default. If you can't find your unsaved files in the auto-backup location, ensure that you turn on the settings for the future. 

Manage auto-backup and recovery settings 

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Try it yourself
Set up File Save Options in a few simple steps.

To manage the auto-backup and recovery settings, go to:

  • Illustrator > SettingsFile Handling (macOS)
  • Edit > Preferences > File Handling (Windows)
Manage settings for autosave and auto-recovery
Turn on auto-backup to minimize data loss during a crash.

In the File Save Options section, specify the following:

Automatically Save Recovery Data Every

This option, turned on by default, lets Illustrator automatically take a backup of your work.

In the time interval drop-down next to the checkbox, select an appropriate time interval after which Illustrator should take the backup. The backup files will not overwrite the original ones.

Tip:

If you select a time interval that's too short, it may interrupt your flow as you work, especially when working on large or complex files. If you select an interval that's too long, it may increase the risk of data loss during a crash. Select an interval that works best for you.

Folder

If you don't prefer to save the backup data in the default location, select Choose, and then select a different location.

Note:

Ensure you've read/write permissions on the folder and it's not network mounted. 

Turn off Data Recovery for complex documents

This option is turned on by default. Otherwise, Illustrator may pause when backing up large or complex files, and slow down or interrupt your workflow.

Automatically Save Cloud Documents Every

This option is turned on by default. Select a time interval after which the Illustrator cloud documents must be autosaved.

Note:
  • If Illustrator crashes between the specified auto-backup time intervals, you may notice some data loss. 
  • If Illustrator crashes during data recovery, the auto-backup and recovery settings are automatically turned off. In that case, you must turn them on again.

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