It is a common occurrence to mistakenly delete or lose a Photoshop file due to a system crash. In a matter of seconds, hours of hard work can seem to go down the drain. But don’t panic just yet! Recovering a Photoshop file is achievable, and in this blog post, we will guide you through the process step by step.
Auto-Recovery in Photoshop
Photoshop has an auto-recovery feature that automatically saves your work every 10 minutes by default. You can adjust this timing to your preference in the Photoshop settings. To do this, go to Edit, then Preferences, and finally File Handling.
If your Photoshop crashes or shuts down unexpectedly, relaunch it and the auto-recovered version of your unsaved work should pop up on your screen.
Recovering Files Manually
If the auto-recovery method doesn’t work, you can try recovering the Photoshop file manually from the temp files. Here’s how:
- Open the My Computer/This PC folder.
- Navigate to the C:\ drive.
- Open the Users folder.
- Go to your Username folder.
- Open the AppData folder.
- Go to Local and then Temp.
- Here, you’ll find all the temp files. Look for a file named something like “Photoshop Temp12345”. This is your lost Photoshop file.
- Copy the file and paste it to your preferred location. Change the file extension to .psd.
- Open the file in Photoshop.
Third-Party Photoshop File Recovery Software
If the above methods fail, you can use third-party software to recover Photoshop files. There are several reliable options available online, both free and paid. Always ensure that the software you choose is from a trustworthy source.
Remember: Prevention is better than cure. Regularly save your work and maintain a backup to avoid such scenarios in the future. Happy designing!