How to recover an unsaved Photoshop file on Mac?

Data Recovery
1

I was working on a design in Photoshop on my Mac when the program unexpectedly crashed. I didn’t get the chance to save my file, and I’m really stressed about losing hours of work. Is there any way to recover an unsaved Photoshop file on a Mac? Any help would be appreciated!

4

If Photoshop crashes on Mac and you haven’t saved your file, you do have a couple of options to try. First, check the AutoRecover folder. Photoshop usually saves a temporary copy every few minutes. Open Finder and navigate to:

~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop <version>/AutoRecover/

Replace <version> with your specific Photoshop version number. Hopefully, you’ll find a file there that you can open and recover most of your work.

Another thing to try is Time Machine. If you have it set up, you can browse through backups to see if there’s a recent version of the file. It’s not exactly perfect for files that weren’t manually saved yet, but worth a shot.

In case you can’t find the file through these methods, you might need to dive into data recovery utilities. Disk Drill for Mac has been a lifesaver in retrieving lost files in situations like this. It scans your hard drive for recoverable data, even if the files weren’t formally saved. You can check out their Data Recovery Videos on Youtube for detailed guides on how to use it.

Lastly, for future prevention, always make sure you have Auto Save enabled in Photoshop and take frequent manual backups if possible. It’s an unfortunate learning curve with creative software but it saves a lot of pain down the road. Good luck!

3

Let’s be real, there’s very little chance you’ll be able to recover it. Adobe Photoshop isn’t known for reliable auto-recovery. You might look into the auto-recovery folder under “Library > Application Support > Adobe > Adobe Photoshop (your version) > AutoRecover.” Spoiler alert: it rarely works.

If you want to try recovery software, sure, give Disk Drill for Mac a shot. It’s not magical and has a pretty steep learning curve, plus you’ll probably need to pay for the pro version to recover anything useful. It can be hit or miss and sometimes it just wastes your time. Good luck, but don’t get your hopes up. Always save often, lesson learned.

2

Recovering an unsaved Photoshop file on Mac can be a real pain, especially after putting in hours of work. But there are some options you can try before throwing in the towel.

  1. AutoRecover Function: Photoshop has a built-in AutoRecover feature that can be a lifesaver. It typically saves your work every five minutes or so. First, navigate to the following location to see if your file is there:

    • Open Finder > Go > Go to Folder…
    • Type in: ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop [version]/AutoRecover
    • Replace [version] with the Photoshop version you’re using, like Adobe Photoshop 2021.

    Look for files named like your working file or something like AutoRecover followed by a series of numbers/letters. Open the files that look relevant and see if your work is in there.

  2. Temporary Files: Sometimes, unsaved work might be hanging around in temporary files. They might be hidden, but you can try looking for them:

    • Go to Terminal from Launchpad or Applications > Utilities.
    • In Terminal, type: open /private/var/folders and hit Enter.
    • Navigate through the folders looking for anything related to Photoshop or Adobe. This isn’t foolproof but worth a try if you’re desperate.

  3. Check Time Machine Backup: If you have Time Machine set up on your Mac, it could have backed up a version of your file while you were working on it.

    • Plug in your Time Machine backup drive.
    • Navigate to the folder where you habitually save your documents.
    • Enter Time Machine from the menu on the upper right and look for any earlier versions of the file you’re working on.

  4. Disk Drill for Mac: If none of the native methods work, you might have to try a third-party recovery tool like Disk Drill. It’s pretty robust with file recovery:

    • Download Disk Drill from here
    • Install and open Disk Drill.
    • Select the drive where your Photoshop file was located and start a recovery scan.

    Disk Drill can help locate lost or deleted Adobe Photoshop files that aren’t easy to find. It’s user-friendly and can dig up quite a bit that might otherwise be lost forever.

  5. Hidden Backups: Photoshop might occasionally save hidden backups in various application data locations. Although it’s a long-shot, some users report finding their info in weird but accessible spots:

    • Open Finder and go to: ~/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop [version] Settings
    • Look for folders or files named like your project. Drag these into Photoshop to see if there’s anything salvageable.

  6. Restart Your System: Sometimes, merely restarting your Mac can help free up hidden temporary files or caches that hold your unsaved work:

    • Save any ongoing important work in other applications.
    • Restart your MacBook.
    • Check the aforementioned temporary files or AutoRecover directories once more.

These methods can often help you reclaim your hard work. It’s always a bummer to lose unsaved work due to a crash, but with some of these steps, you might just be able to recover most, if not all, of your Photoshop file. Always good practice to save often and even use a cloud sync service if you can! Good luck!