
No matter how efficient and careful you are, there are still things that will delay the projects you are making in Adobe Illustrator.
We often lose them due to accidental deletion or unexpected system and app crashes. These errors can either delete the Illustrator files or leave them unsaved. No matter the reason, losing your projects is really upsetting.
But the good thing is, there are some methods you can perform to recover Illustrator files. We listed all the methods on this page so keep on reading.
Solution 1: Recover Illustrator File from Recycle Bin
If accidentally deleted an Illustrator file, one of the easiest ways to recover it is through the Recycle Bin. The bin temporarily holds your deleted files for 30 days. After that, the file will be wiped out.
- Open Recycle Bin/Trash Can and locate your target file.
- Select the file then right-click and select Restore/Put Back.

- After that, your file should be back in its original folder.
Solution 2: Recover Illustrator File Using Revert & Recent Files
The Revert option on Illustrator lets you change a file back to its last saved state. So if ever your file is deleted, you can use this feature to restore it. But keep in mind that since you’re reverting the changes, you will not recover the latest version of the file. You can only use the revert option if you have at least one saved version of the file.
- Launch Illustrator and open the File tab.
- From there, select the Revert option.

- The project should show up on the screen. You can continue working on the project and save it on your PC.
If the revert option didn’t work for you, try opening the file on the Recent Files tab.
- Hit the File tab and select the Open Recent Files option.

- From there, you will see a list of your recent projects.
- Locate your target and click to open it. You can then save it on your computer.
Solution 3: Recover Recover Illustrator File from an Autosave
The Autosave option is the best way to recover unsaved Illustrator files. This feature will automatically save your work if an app crash occurs. Here’s how to do it.
- Open Illustrator.
- If Illustrator has a recovered version of your file, it will open immediately with a [Recovered] suffix in the tabs file name.
- After that, hit the File tab and save your file.
Solution 4: Recover Illustrator Files from an Illustrator Backup
Another option to recover Illustrator files after a crash is by using the built-in backup feature. When enabled, this will create automatic backups on your file and save the recent changes you made. But in order to use this feature, you should enable it beforehand.
Step 1: On your PC, locate the folder that was specified in Illustrator’s preferences for backup files. Here is the default backup location;
For Windows:
C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator Settings\en_US*\x64\Adobe Illustrator Prefs/\DataRecovery
For Mac:
Macintosh hard disk/Users//Library/Preferences/Adobe Illustrator Settings/en_US*/Adobe Illustrator Prefs/ DataRecovery
Step 2: Locate your target file and open it on Illustrator.
Step 3: After that, save the file with a new file name in a different folder.
Solution 5: Recover Illustrator File Using Data Recovery Software
The solutions above are easy but they don’t assure the full recovery of your files. And in cases like this, the best option is to use data recovery software. Good thing I have found a trustworthy program that can easily recover Illustrator files and that is no other than echoshare Data Recovery.
This nifty data recovery tool will recover any type of data including deleted/unsaved Illustrator files. Yes! And rest assured that all the recent changes on the file will be perfectly restored.
And you don’t need to worry about the quality, as recovering data using this tool will not affect your file quality and it’ll be back to its original state. How great is that?
Aside from Illustrator files, this tool can also recover deleted images, videos, and audio. It can also restore unsaved Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and emails. In addition, all file formats are supported by this tool, now you don’t need to install multiple apps just to recover a certain format. echoshare can do the job without worries. Pretty amazing right?
Let’s recover Illustrator files now with echoshare Data Recovery!
Steps to Recover Illustrator Files with echoshare Data Recovery
Step 1: Click the download button above to download and install echoshare on your computer.
Step 2: Launch the program and on the main interface. Select what type of file and how it was deleted then hit Next.
Step 3: Select C disk/System Storage and hit Scan.

Step 4: After a few moments, the deleted files will show up. Tick the ones you like to restore then hit Recover.

Step 5: When it’s done, save the files in a different folder.
Conclusion
Thanks to the solutions above, we don’t need to worry and let our efforts go to waste. If you know someone who is in the same situation, don’t hesitate to recommend this article to them.