2022 Recover Photoshop File Mac: Unsaved, Corrupt, Deleted and Closed
This solution applies to Adobe Photoshop 2022/2020, Photoshop CC 2013-2019, Photoshop CS 2~6, and older Photoshop versions.
To recover a Photoshop file on a Mac, first, stop using the computer immediately to prevent overwriting of the file. Then, download and install a data recovery software like Disk Drill or Stellar Data Recovery.
Can You Recover Unsaved Photoshop File on Mac?
If you've accidentally closed Photoshop CC without saving your project or experienced a full Photoshop scratch disk crash, leading to a total file loss, don't worry! Many factors can cause this, including human error, application crashing, or macOS halting or freezing. Fortunately, you can still recover unsaved files in Photoshop on Mac with a high success rate. This guide will walk you through the process, so you can jump directly to the part that interests you most.
| Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
|---|---|
| Solution 1. Recover from autosave | ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop...Full steps |
| Solution 2. Recover from temp files | Go to Finder >Application >Terminal...Full steps |
| Solution 3. Restore the previous version | Open Time Machine > find backups...Full steps |
| Solution 4. Photoshop recovery software | Download and run Qiling Mac data recovery software > Scan to find...Full steps |
How to Recover Photoshop Files on Mac [4 Solutions]
The upcoming Photoshop file recovery solutions will help retrieve accidentally closed Photoshop files without saving from various locations, including Adobe Photoshop autosave, temp files, previous versions, and Mac Time Machine Backup. Additionally, for deleted, formatted, or virus-damaged Photoshop files, you can use Qiling Mac file recovery software to retrieve lost PSD files.
Solution 1. Recover Unsaved Photoshop File on Mac from The Autosave Location
If you've enabled the Auto Save feature in Photoshop on Mac, your best option is to find unsaved PSD files from its AutoRecover folder. This is because the Auto Save feature will automatically save your work at set intervals, and the AutoRecover folder will contain these saved files.
Step 1. Click "Go" on the Apple menu, select "Go to Folder".
Step 2. To access the AutoRecover folder in Adobe Photoshop CC 2017, go to the "Go" menu in Finder, select "Go to the folder:", and then click on "Library" and navigate to "Application Support" and then "Adobe" and finally "Adobe Photoshop CC 2017" and select "AutoRecover".
Due to different versions of Photoshop or macOS, the specific path of the Photoshop autosave location to access the AutoRecover folder will be different.
Step 3. Open the "AutoRecover" folder and Photoshop will present you with lost or unsaved files. Save the found PSD file as a new project.
Solution 2. Recover Unsaved Photoshop Files from Photoshop Temp Files on Mac
If you can't find an AutoRecover folder on your Mac, try looking for unsaved Photoshop files in the temp folder instead. This is because Photoshop creates temporary files automatically when a new PSD file is being created, and these files are usually deleted soon after the app is closed. To increase the chances of recovering these files, check the temp folder as soon as possible before they are deleted.
Step 1. Go to Finder >Application >Terminal. Run it on your Mac.
Step 2. Enter "open$TMPDIR" and press Enter.
Step 3. To save the PSD file, go to "Temporaryitems", find the PSD file and open it with Photoshop to save it on your Mac.
Solution 3. Recover the Previous Version from Time Machine Backup on Mac
If you forgot to turn on Auto Save in Adobe Photoshop, your files might be saved by Mac's Time Machine if you had it turned on and set up to back up your Photoshop work. Mac Time Machine might have saved your files, but it depends on whether you had it turned on and set up to back up your Photoshop work. Mac Time Machine might have saved your files, but it depends on whether you had it turned on and set up to back up your Photoshop work.
Step 1. Connect the Time Machine backup drive to your Mac, then click on Time Machine in the Dock.
Step 2. To recover lost Photoshop files on a Mac, enter Time Machine, find the backups of your Photoshop files, and click "Restore" to recover the lost files.
Solution 4. Recover Deleted and Corrupted Photoshop File with Software
- Product Name: Deep Data Recovery for Mac
- How It Works: Scan a storage location, whether internal or external, using an enhanced algorithm to recover every bit of lost data.
- Compatibility: If you're experiencing issues with recovering deleted Photoshop files on macOS, you're not alone. Fortunately, there are solutions available to support a full recovery of all versions of Photoshop pictures, photos, and documents on various operating systems, including Catalina, Mojave, El Capitan, and older versions.
- Application:If you've mistakenly deleted, emptied from the trash bin, or had your Mac formatted, you can recover your Photoshop files using specialized software. However, if you were working on an unsaved file, Photoshop's autosave feature will only scan the autosave folder and temp files, and not the unsaved PSD file itself. The software can still help you recover damaged or corrupted Photoshop files that won't open, allowing you to recover the lost file without losing quality.
To recover Photoshop files on Mac, download Qiling Photoshop file recovery software for free and follow these three steps.
Step 1. Launch Deep Data Recovery for Mac, select the desired file types, and click "Next" to initiate the recovery process.
Step 2. Select the disk location where the data was lost and click the "Scan" button to start the recovery process.
Step 3. Deep Data Recovery for Mac will immediately scan your selected disk volume and display the scanning results on the left pane, showing the files that can be recovered.
Step 4. Select the files you want to recover and click the "Recover" button to restore them.
Besides Photoshop file recovery, Deep Data Recovery also works to recover deleted, lost, formatted files like Excel, Word, PowerPoint, images, videos, etc., from multiple storage devices.
Mac Photoshop File Recovery Conclusion
When trying to recover Photoshop files on a Mac, two common scenarios arise: accidentally deleting files or experiencing file corruption. To recover deleted files, users can try using the 'Undo' feature, checking the 'Recently Closed Documents' list, or using the 'Recover' feature in Photoshop.
#1. Photoshop closed, crashed, or hang up before you could save the PSD file
If you've lost an unsaved Photoshop file, you can try to recover it from its autosave location, temporary files location, or a previous version in a Time Machine backup.
#2. Careless deletion or disk formatting causes the Photoshop file loss
To recover PSD files, download Qiling Mac data recovery software, scan the drive where the PSD files were saved, and perform a one-click recovery.
FAQs - Recover Photoshop Files on Mac
Here, we also give a short answer to the frequently asked questions from Mac Photoshop users. The most common question is how to convert a Mac Photoshop file to a Windows Photoshop file.
#1. Where are Photoshop autosave files stored on Mac?
The auto saved PSD files from Photoshop are stored in the Library of your Mac, specifically in the folder: Library > Application Support > Adobe > Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 > AutoRecover.
#2. Can you recover Photoshop files?
The article provides four methods for recovering unsaved, lost or deleted Photoshop files on a Mac. Each method is described in detail, allowing users to choose one or try them all to retrieve their lost files.
#3. Does Photoshop save temporary files?
When you work on a Photoshop file, a temporary file is automatically created, but it's saved to a "Scratch disk" instead of your computer's memory, allowing the program to work with a lot of data at once.
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