Nov 13, 2020 • Filed to: Recover & Repair Files • Proven solutions
How to recover unsaved illustrator files? Have you ever come across the situation where the illustrator crashes suddenly and you forgot to save the files? Don't worry, this article will help you to know about the different types of files created by Illustrator and understand the process to recover unsaved illustrator file cs5, recover unsaved illustrator file cs6, etc. Also, it will focus on the importance of the 'Autosave' feature in Illustrator and how 'Recoverit Data Recovery' can be used to recover the lost illustrator files from your computer.
Part 1: Is it possible to recover an unsaved illustrator file?
Yes, it is possible to recover an unsaved illustrator file after a sudden crash of the Illustrator. Sometimes, the editor crashes due to the following reasons:
Adobe is changing the world through digital experiences. We help our customers create, deliver and optimize content and applications. If you have previously saved a set of keyboard shortcuts other than the default, then the keyboard shortcuts are stored in a.kys file in Illustrator's preferences folder. You can copy this file into the same location (in Ai’s preferences folder) in the new computer. You can then choose this set from Illustrator’s Keyboard Shortcuts dialog. Adobe is changing the world through digital experiences. We help our customers create, deliver and optimize content and applications. You can open the Preferences dialog box in each application by choosing Edit→Preferences (Windows) or Application Name→Preferences→General (Mac). The Preferences dialog box opens, as shown in this figure. Click an item in the list on the left side of the dialog box to navigate from one topic to the next.
- Software Crash
- Outdated Software
- Incompatible version
- Software bugs
In addition to these, during the data recovery illustrator will be taking backup of large files and if the backup goes wrong at some point, then Illustration will hang and crash.
Part 2: What types of files illustrator create?
Illustrator uses the Save as an option to create the following file formats:
1) AI Illustrator (.ai)
Adobe Illustrator document is the native file format of the Adobe Illustrator which supports all the features provided by the illustrator.
2) Illustrator EPS (.eps)
Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) is used to place the graphic elements into a page. Generally, a .eps file can be an image on a page or a complete page too.
3) Illustrator PDF (.pdf)
This is the most common format that is available in recent days and is also known as the native format for Adobe Acrobat reader. PDF file format supports many features like annotations, notes, search options, and hyperlinks.
4) Illustrator SVG (.svg)
Scalable Vector Graphics files are generally used on the World Wide Web(WWW). Illustrator allows you to save .svg files which provide you with the option to save part or the entire font. In addition to these options, .svg compressed (.svgz) files can also be saved using Illustrator.
Part 3: How to recover unsaved or deleted illustrator file?
Tip 1: Relaunch the AI app and save the recovered file
You can recover the illustrator file after the crash by simply restarting Adobe Illustrator. Yes, it as simple as it sounds. You can do it by following the steps mentioned below:
1) Relaunch Adobe Illustrator.
2) A dialog box will appear asking for recovery of the unsaved files as shown below.
3) Click 'Ok'.
4) A file with the suffix 'will be shown on AI.
5) Head to 'File' menu -> Click on 'Save a Copy'-> Give a dissimilar version name and click on 'Save'.
Also, to the above process, you can fix the crashing issue using the 'Run Diagnostics' option that appears after relaunching Adobe Illustrator.
Once you click on 'Run Diagnostics', the application will start in safe mode and identifies the possible reasons for the crash. Follow the resolution steps displayed, relaunch AI and save the recovered file.
Tip 2: Restore Illustrator file from backup
Backup files are stored in 'C:UsersAppDataRoamingAdobeAdobe Illustrator [your version of Adobe Illustrator] Settingsen_USAIPrefs'. To recover illustrator from the backup folder, follow the below steps:
Where Are The Undo Preferences For Adobe Illustrator On The Mac Pdf
1) Navigate to the location where the backup files are stored.
2) Look for the files with the name 'recovery' and select the illustrator file which you want to recover and rename the file.
3) Double-click on the file and it will launch in Illustrator.
4) In AI, click on the 'File' menu -> 'Save as', rename the file and select the folder where the files need to be saved, and click on 'Save'.
Tip 3: Recover the lost Illustrator files with Recoverit Data Recovery
Is your illustrator file with type .pdf lost because of accidental deletion of file or crash of your computer? Don't worry you can recover the illustrator file after a crash using the 'Recoverit Data Recovery' as it performs a detailed scan and retrieves all the lost illustrator files.
Following the below steps help you recover the illustrator file not saved:
Step 1- Select a Location
Launch the tool after installing and to recover lost illustrator files, choose the location where the deleted files were stored.
Where Are The Undo Preferences For Adobe Illustrator On The Mac Pro
Step 2 – Scan the location
Recoverit will start an all-around scan. Usually, it takes a few minutes to finish the scan and retrieve the PDF and SVG files.
Step 3 – Preview the scanned files
1) From the list of .pdf and .svg files, you can click on the PDF file.
2) A preview will be displayed with a recovery button under the PDF preview.
3) Once the recover button is clicked, the illustrator file will be stored on the computer.
Bonus Tip: How to enable illustrator Autosave to prevent data loss after illustrator crashes
Whenever Illustrator crashes, the data recovery option available on AI turns off automatically. To recover an unsaved illustrator file you need to set the data recovery in the preferences panel. This can be done by following the below steps:
1) Go to 'Preferences' - > 'File Handling & Clipboard'.
2) Under 'Data Recovery', select the checkbox 'Automatically Save Recovery Data Every:'
3) Select the time interval from the drop-down to save the backup.
4) Click on 'Choose' to select the folder to which the recovered file needs to be saved.
5) Select the checkbox 'Turn off Data Recovery for complex document' for a smooth and uninterrupted workflow.
6) Click on 'OK'.
The Bottom Line
All the above solutions provide a detailed answer to the question 'how to recover lost illustrator files?' Software crash and any other unexpected failure cause sudden data loss when you are using any software.
In the article, you have seen how 'Recoverit Data Recovery' can be used to restore the lost or unsaved illustrator files. Apart from this, it is important to enabling the 'Autosave' feature in AI to minimize the loss of data and ensure that the productiveness is not affected. You must also remember that the 'Autosave' feature may also cause data loss if the backup process faces an interruption or risk.
Rescue & Fix Files
- Recover Document Files
- Repair Document Files
- Recover & Repair More
- Clear & Delete File