Restart Illustrator after a crash and save any recovered artwork separately. If a saved AI file was deleted, check its existing copies or recover the file from readable storage. Illustrator’s recovery mechanism changed across versions, so do not apply an older DataRecovery-folder recipe to every installation.
Preserve an automatically recovered document
After an unexpected shutdown, restart Illustrator and allow recovery to finish. A successfully recovered document can open with Recovered in its name. Use File > Save As to preserve it before continuing. If the recovered artwork is older than expected, compare the missing edits with the configured recovery interval.
Adobe documents a Windows backup location under %APPDATA%\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator <version> Settings\<locale>\x64\DataRecovery for versions using the relevant .ai or .aid recovery files. If a custom location was configured, use that location. Adobe explicitly excludes versions 29.2–29.8 using .aishm from that manual-opening method. See Recover Illustrator files after a crash.
Check the mechanism for your version
Under Edit > Preferences > File Handling on Windows, inspect the installed version’s recovery/backup controls and location. In Illustrator 30.0, Adobe describes Save in Background as controlling its newer quick-save and auto-backup experience; the older interval control is not interchangeable with it. The newer mechanism also has document compatibility and content requirements. See Adobe’s save and recovery settings.
Record the actual build rather than assuming the newest feature was active during the loss. Do not rename .aishm shared-memory files to .ai or reset preferences before preserving useful recovery data.
Find a saved file or independent copy
For deleted local AI files, inspect Recycle Bin, the original project folder, backups and received/sent copies. For a cloud document, use the correct account’s native document history. A placed PDF or exported SVG can preserve useful appearance, but it may not retain the original AI editing structure.
When no copy remains and the disk is readable, XRecovery can search for residual files. Save candidates to a separate physical device and open them in Illustrator. If an existing AI project is damaged, use Illustrator’s recovery or repair route and preserve a copy before changes.
Check artwork and dependencies
Inspect every required artboard, layer, text object, clipping mask and effect. Open the Links panel and resolve missing assets to the correct original files, comparing more than basenames when duplicate assets exist. Check font substitution and any placed images at useful zoom levels.
Save a new project copy, reopen it and compare a reference PDF or image export. A document that opens with missing linked art is not yet complete. If native recovery fails, retain its data and use another copy or Adobe’s version-specific troubleshooting rather than claiming a successful recovery from a thumbnail alone.
For the next step, see Document Recovery: Deleted, Unsaved, Overwritten or Damaged?.