Data Recovery Pit

The Data Recovery Expert

How to Recover Photoshop Files

Photoshop

As a professional Photoshop user, you must know how difficult it can be to work on, process, and consequently recover large PSD files. The larger they get, the more complex the rendering process will be. That’s why you have Photoshop’s autosave feature as a professional to recover these files. The feature lets you save your work regularly, especially when you add significant touches to your graphics. But, sometimes, even this feature fails to get the job done in case of a system failure or hard disk crash.

This is something you can’t always rely on, as hours of effort can disappear in a second. If you’ve already lost your file, this guide will help you recover the Photoshop files you lost in the editing process. Let’s find out more, along with the causes of why it may happen to you.       

Ways to Recover Photoshop Files on a PC

There can be as many reasons as you can consider; data corruption, unexpected shutdowns, voltage fluctuations, faulty storage devices, inability to save your work while working, and so on. Luckily, there are some effective methods to restore Photoshop files.

1. Look for the File in Recycle Bin

Recycle Bin is the closest solution to fix the problem of how to recover deleted Photoshop files since that’s where all deleted files are sent. Therefore, open your Recycle Bin and see whether it contains any of your lost PSDs. If so, copy them to a secure location on your system.

2. Head to Recent Files to Recover Photoshop Files

You can quickly get your unsaved Photoshop file back from the recent files option in Photoshop. To recover files using this method, start Photoshop and go to Files. Select the Recent option; you’ll find all your most recent works here. Choose the file you wish to restore and open it; your saved file is as good as new. Save this file on your phone for future use.

3. Recover PSD FIles Using Autosave

The autosave feature is activated by default in the latest versions of Photoshop. Thus, if you’re wondering whether Photoshop’s Autosave function works, the short answer is yes. Autosave is activated to save your work every so often while you work. In this case, you can turn it on by following these steps.

  1. Run Photoshop and go to the Edit menu visible on the toolbar.
  2. Select “Preferences” and head to General.
  3. Set the autosave recovery time for files to 5, 10 minutes, or any number of minutes in the File handling tab.
  4. The Photoshop autosave folder on your C drive contains the photos you’ve previously saved.
  5. The autosaved files on Windows can be found in the directory:
    • C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop\AutoRecover

Note: Unsurprisingly, if you haven’t turned autosave on previously, this method won’t work.

4. Restore Photoshop Files from a Temp File

Photoshop also has a feature that saves temporary files of the project you’re working on, in addition to autosave. So you may use it to retrieve your deleted PSD file. Here is how you can do it:

  1. Press Windows+R and hit enter key.
  2. Type %temp% in the run command.
  3. Now you’ll see a temporary files folder. Search for the files having names that begin with Photoshop followed by alphanumeric characters.
  4. This will be done manually, so it may take some time filtering each folder and file by date and time of creation.
  5. Once you spot the file, save it in a safe folder.

5. Restore PSD Files from the Previous Version

If you remember the name of your last-saved file, this method is what you should go for. To recover PSD files from the previous version:

  1. Right-click the PSD file in question and select ‘Recover Previous Version’.
  2. Next, choose the version of the PSD files you want to recover from the pop-up list.
  3. Once restored, run Photoshop and find the file that you’ve restored. Save it.

6. Recover Photoshop via Windows Backup and Restore

When you’re dealing with Photoshop work, taking backups is essential. If you’ve backed up your system at set intervals, there is a solid chance you can recover Photoshop files from a restore point. Therefore, on your system, go to the backup folder and look for the file you’re looking for.

  1. Go to the Start button, select Control Panel → System and Maintenance → Backup and Restore.
  2. This is where you’ll find the restore point. Run it to retrieve PSD files.

7. Use File History to Recover Lost PSD Files

Another useful tool for restoring your Photoshop files is the “File History” tool. It contains most Photoshop recovery files, and you can recover them. Here’s how to do it.

  1. Open Control Panel, go to File history, and select Restore personal files.
  2. Proceed to the green restore button displayed at the bottom to restore Photoshop files.
  3. Now, open the file in Photoshop and save it.

8. Use File Recovery Tool for Windows

If nothing seems to work, you should opt for a professional file recovery tool to ensure your Photoshop files are retrieved safely. The following steps demonstrate the use of iMyFone D-Back Hard Drive Recovery, though we’re unaffiliated.

  1. Download and install iMyFone D-back Windows Data Recovery tool.
  2. Launch the application and choose the location to scan for lost files.
  3. Proceed to scan and select the pictures you want to retrieve. You can also filter the search criteria for faster results.
  4. Preview the files, and you confirm them, select them and press the “Recover” button.

Instructions to Recover Photoshop Files on Mac

In case, you are using macOS, here are some solutions for recovering lost (or unsaved) Photoshop files, regardless of why or how you lost them.

1. Use Time Machine Backup for Mac

If you have activated Time Machine backup on Mac, you should not have problems recovering lost Photoshop files. Here’s how:

  1. Connect the Time Machine backup drive to Mac
  2. Select “Time Machine” in the Dock.
  3. Enter Time Machine.
  4. Locate Photoshop backup files, and select “Restore”.

2. Use AutoRecover to Retrieve Unsaved Photoshop Data

The AutoRecover function on Mac may be used to recover PSD files. If you enable this option in Photoshop, follow the instructions below to restore PSD files.

  1. Proceed to “Go” on Apple menu and select “Go to Folder”. 
  2. Type ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/AutoRecover under.
  3. Replace the name of the software if you’re using a different one.
  4. Press Go.
  5. Once you open the “AutoRecover” folder, save the restored PSD file as a new project on Mac.

3. Restore Photoshop Files from Temp Files on Mac

Proceed to open Finder → Application → Terminal.

  1. Launch Terminal on your Mac.
  2. Type open $TMPDIR and hit the Enter key.
  3. Head to “Temporaryitems”, and locate the Photoshop file.
  4. Open it with Photoshop app to save it to a different location.
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