How to Recover Unsaved or Deleted Illustrator Files

Losing an Illustrator file can be a devastating blow to the production workflow of any project. Sometimes, it’s unavoidable. Other times, it’s simply by mistake.

This problem can worsen tenfold when that file contains all of the work you’ve been preparing for a client. No matter how it was lost, you’re left wondering how you can get those files back.

Luckily, there are a few ways you can go about recovering those files you so desperately need so you don’t need to start all over again. Let’s take a look at a few ways you can recover unsaved or deleted Illustrator files.

How to Recover Deleted AI Files

Let’s look at a few basic methods of recovering deleted Adobe Illustrator files.

Recover AI from the Recycle Bin

Deleting files can be an easy mistake for many. All it takes is an accidental click of the delete button on your keyboard for your file to seemingly disappear entirely. Luckily, an easy mistake can be easily fixed if the file still resides in the Recycle Bin.

When files are deleted, your operating system sends them to the Recycle Bin before they’re permanently deleted. This gives you a window of opportunity to recover the files you need if they’ve been deleted (whether on purpose, or by accident).

Recovering deleted files from the Recycle Bin is super easy. Follow the below steps to get it done.

After restoring the files, on the either operating system, the files will return to their original location.

Recover using Data Recovery Software

If the aforementioned solution has not worked for you, it might be time to try using third-party data recovery software.

Recovery software specializes in recovering deleted or lost files that are otherwise unrecoverable using the tools provided by your operating system.

Below you will find some easy-to-follow steps that show you how to recover deleted Illustrator files.

1. Download and Install Disk Drill.
2. Open Disk Drill, and select the storage device that the Illustrator was located on.
3. Click Scan for lost data. The application will start looking for files that can be recovered on the selected drive.
4. Select the AI files you want to recover by ticking the box on the left of the file name.
5. Click on Recover, then specify a location where they can be recovered to. Click Next.
6. When complete, you will be met with a results page detailing the file recovery process.

Recover using Recent Files

In Illustrator, go to File > Open Recent. Here, you’ll find a list of the files you’ve recently accessed within Illustrator where you can open them up again.

How to Recover Unsaved AI Files

Let’s take a look at some methods that can assist you in recovering unsaved Adobe Illustrator files.

Recover from an Autosave

Adobe Illustrator has a built-in auto-recovery function for instances where the application crashes before your work can be saved. This gives you the chance to recover the file almost immediately and save it so you don’t lose your work again.

In order to see if your file can be recovered directly within Illustrator, try following the below steps:

1. Relaunch Illustrator. If your Illustrator is not responding, force close it so that you can launch it again.
2. When it opens, you will be met with a dialogue box. Click OK.
3. If Illustrator has a recovered version of your file, it will open immediately with a [Recovered] suffix in the tabs file name.
4. Go to File > Save As to save the recovered file.

Recover from an Illustrator Backup

Alongside the autosave feature, Illustrator also has a built-in backup feature. In some instances of Illustrator, the feature is not enabled by default. So, in order to use this feature, you will have to make sure it’s active first.

To activate the backup feature within Illustrator, follow the below steps.

1. Inside Illustrator, go to Edit > Preferences > File Handling & Clipboard.
2. Ensure that Automatically Save Recovery Data Every: is enabled.
3. If you want to change the location where backups are stored, click on Choose… to specify a location.

• Windows: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator <version number> Settings\en_US*\x64\Adobe Illustrator Prefs/\DataRecovery
• Mac: Macintosh hard disk/Users/<username>/Library/Preferences/Adobe Illustrator <version number> Settings/en_US*/Adobe Illustrator Prefs/ DataRecovery

In order to recover a backup file, follow the below steps:

1. Go to the location that was specified in Illustrator’s preferences for backup files.
2. In this folder, find and open the files with the name recovery or recovered.
3. Once the file is open, use the Save as function to save the recovered file.

How to Recover Overwritten Illustrator Files

Both Windows and Mac operating systems offer a chance at restoring a previous version of your files. For Windows, you can use File History. For Mac, you can use Time Machine.

Essentially, restoring to a previous version will revert you back to a previously saved version of that file. This is helpful if the file has become corrupted, or if you made changes that you cannot reverse. This method can also recover deleted files from previous versions of the folder containing the required file.

How to Repair Corrupted AI Files

Illustrator files, like all other files, are susceptible to corruption. File corruption can happen for various reasons, but the most common cause is because something has disrupted the ‘save’ process of the application, like a power surge or your computer crashing.

To recover your *.ai file using the PDF version, follow the below steps:

1. Open the *.ai file using Acrobat Reader.
2. Save the file as a PDF.
3. Open the PDF in Illustrator, and save using the *.ai extension.

Once you’ve saved it again, you can re-open the file using Illustrator.

Protecting Your Data

Simply put, the best way to protect your data is by having a copy of it. Having a copy of your work ensures that, in the event of hardware failure or data loss, you can get yourself back up and running in no time. There is a range of options out there, suited for many different lifestyles.

Nowadays, many prefer hassle-free cloud-based storage options like Google Drive and Dropbox because they’re automatic and provide easy access to your files from anywhere with an internet connection.

However, for those who work with Illustrator, file sizes may pose a problem, especially for those with a less-than-average internet connection. In that case, physical back-ups to external drives or secondary internal drives may be the preferred option. While this isn’t as plug-and-play as a cloud-based alternative, it can be made easier using specialized tools like Disk Drill’s Guaranteed Recovery feature.

FAQ

Conclusion

Recovering lost or deleted Illustrator files can sometimes be a challenge, but as we’ve discussed, it’s not always impossible. One of the most important factors that go into data recovery is speed, as deleted or lost files do not sit around forever.

If your files have been overwritten, there’s a chance that they cannot be recovered. However, this can easily be avoided going forward by implementing a reliable backup system to keep track of your files, in case you lose them again.