Recovering unsaved photoshop files

Photoshop is a powerful tool, relied on by designers, photographers, and digital artists around the world. Its ability to manage large files and intricate layers allows for incredible creative expression.

1. Why Photoshop Files Go Unsaved

Before jumping into solutions, it’s important to understand why Photoshop files might go unsaved in the first place. Common scenarios include:

Application crash: Photoshop unexpectedly quits before you can save your work.

Power outage/system reboot: The computer turns off suddenly without saving.

Forgetting to save: It happens to the best of us.

Accidentally closing without saving: You click “Don’t Save” by mistake.

Corruption or bug: Photoshop may malfunction and corrupt temporary save data.

Adobe introduced the AutoSave and Recovery feature in newer versions of Photoshop to mitigate such losses, but results may vary depending on your settings and actions taken after the crash.

2. How Photoshop AutoSave Works

Since Adobe Photoshop CC 2017. AutoSave and AutoRecovery have become standard features.

What is AutoSave?

AutoSave periodically stores a recovery file of your current project. This is not the same as the file you manually save—it’s a separate, hidden file saved in a temporary directory.

How to Enable AutoSave

AutoSave is enabled by default. To verify:

Go to Edit > Preferences > File Handling (on Mac: Photoshop > Preferences > File Handling).

Look for Automatically Save Recovery Information Every [X] Minutes.

Make sure it’s checked. Set a small interval (e.g., 5 minutes) for better protection.

Photoshop stores recovery files until you manually save or close the document without saving. If Photoshop crashes, it uses the recovery file on restart.

3. Check AutoRecover Folder

After a crash or unexpected shutdown, reopening Photoshop may automatically restore your unsaved files via the AutoRecover system.

If not, you can manually search the AutoRecover directory.

On Windows:

AutoRecover files are stored here:

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C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop [version]\AutoRecover

Steps:

Press Windows + R, type %AppData%, and hit Enter.

Navigate to Adobe > Adobe Photoshop [version] > AutoRecover.

Look for .psb or .psd files with timestamps.

Open them in Photoshop and save immediately.

On Mac:

Use Finder to go to:

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~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop [version]/AutoRecover

Steps:

Open Finder.

Press Cmd + Shift + G.

Enter the above path.

Locate any .psb or .psd files.

Open and save the recovered files.

4. Reopen Recent Files from Photoshop History

Photoshop maintains a list of recently opened files. This list sometimes includes autosaved versions.

To Access:

Open Photoshop.

Click File > Open Recent.

Review the list and open any that match your lost file.

If you find the right file, save it immediately.

This is especially helpful if the file was opened but never manually saved.

5. Recover from Temp Files on Windows

If the autosave folder is empty, you may still find temporary files created during the session.

Steps:

Press Windows + R, type %temp%, and press Enter.

Search for files with names like Photoshop Temp or starting with pst or ps and ending in .tmp.

Sort files by date to locate recently modified ones.

Copy the file to your desktop and rename the extension to .psd or .psb.

Try opening in Photoshop.

Sometimes these temp files contain enough information to restore some of your lost work.

6. Recover from Temp Files on Mac

Mac also creates temporary files during Photoshop sessions.

Steps:

Open Terminal.

Type the command:

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open $TMPDIR

Look for Photoshop or Adobe folders.

Browse for .tmp, .psb, or .psd files.

Copy and rename them, then try to open in Photoshop.

This method may require patience and testing multiple files to find the right one.

7. Use File Recovery Software (Panda Assistant)

If the previous methods don’t work, file recovery software can scan your drive for deleted, unsaved, or corrupted Photoshop files.

Panda Assistant

Panda Assistant is a trusted data recovery program that works for Photoshop files lost due to deletion, crashes, or disk errors.

Features:

Recovers deleted .psd and .psb files.

Can restore files from formatted or crashed drives.

Supports preview before recovery.

Available for both Windows and Mac.

How to Use:

Download and install Panda Assistant.

Launch the app and choose the drive where Photoshop was installed.

Select Document Recovery or PSD Recovery mode.

Start the scan (quick scan first, then deep scan if needed).

Preview and restore your lost Photoshop file.

This tool is especially useful for recovering files deleted or emptied from the Recycle Bin.

8. Recover Deleted PSD Files

If your PSD file was saved once but deleted later, you may be able to recover it:

From Recycle Bin (Windows):

Open Recycle Bin.

Search by file name or sort by date.

Right-click and Restore.

From Trash (Mac):

Open Trash from Dock.

Locate the deleted PSD file.

Right-click and choose Put Back.

If the file isn’t there, proceed with recovery software like Panda Assistant or Disk Drill.

9. Check Creative Cloud Backups

If you’re using Adobe Creative Cloud and synced files through it, Adobe may have saved a copy.

To Access:

Go to https://assets.adobe.com/files.

Log in with your Adobe ID.

Navigate to Files > Cloud Documents or Deleted section.

Look for your PSD file and restore it.

Creative Cloud also allows for version history, which can be useful if you’ve overwritten changes.

10. Recover from Third-party Cloud Backups

If you saved the file to OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, or another service, check their web interfaces.

Google Drive:

Go to drive.google.com.

Search for the PSD file.

Use Manage Versions to view and restore previous versions.

Dropbox:

Log in to dropbox.com.

Find the folder.

Click the file > Version History.

Restore an earlier version.

Cloud storage often keeps version histories for 30 days or more.

11. Tips to Prevent Unsaved File Loss

Once you’ve recovered your file—or learned the hard way—it’s time to set up protections:

Enable AutoSave:

Set Photoshop to save every 5 minutes via Preferences > File Handling.

Save Early, Save Often:

Make manual saving a habit. Use Ctrl + S or Cmd + S frequently.

Use Cloud Storage:

Store projects on Google Drive, Dropbox, or Adobe Creative Cloud for auto-backup.

Save Incremental Versions:

Use a version naming system like:

ProjectName_v1.psd

ProjectName_v2.psd

Use a UPS:

Avoid power loss by using an Uninterruptible Power Supply.