How to Recover Unsaved or Deleted PSD (Photoshop) Files in 2024

"Is there any quick way to recover unsaved PSD files? I was editing some PSD files with Adobe Photoshop 2017 when there was a power outage, and I lost some files, most of which were not saved. Can I recover unsaved Photoshop files on Windows 10? Any suggestions would be appreciated."

Adobe Photoshop is a bitmap graphic editor developed and published by Adobe for Windows and macOS. It is predominantly used for web design, creating 3D artwork, and more. However, its high usage rate comes with numerous issues, among which the loss of unsaved Photoshop files is a common concern. You might lose your unsaved Photoshop file due to the following reasons:

• Photoshop error
• Power outage
• User error, such as closing the program without saving
• Sudden crash of Photoshop or the Windows computer

4 Ways to Recover Deleted or Unsaved Adobe Photoshop Files

Can a Photoshop file be recovered if it's not saved? Yes! Here are 3 methods that can help you restore your lost PSD file:

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Losing an unsaved Photoshop file can be very frustrating, no matter what the reason is. If you're in the same boat, try these 2 methods to recover unsaved PSD files in Photoshop CC 2019/2018/2017. Plus, we've also got you covered with a professional Data Recovery Wizard tool for the times when you need to restore deleted Photoshop files on Windows 10/8/7.

If your Photoshop is freezing on startup, refer to the guide on how to fix slow running Photoshop.

[1] Recover Deleted/Lost/Damaged Photoshop PSD Files Using Software

When you accidentally delete or lose important Photoshop PSD files on your computer, you can use the powerful PSD file recovery software – tools Data Recovery Wizard to get them back directly.

The Data Recovery Wizard tool supports the recovery of over 200 file types lost due to deletion, formatting, virus attacks, system crashes, or unknown reasons. In addition to data recovery from HDD/SSD, this data recovery program also allows you to retrieve deleted files from external hard drives, flash drives, memory cards, video players, music players, and more. Download and install this green software now.

Step 1: Choose a location and start scanning

Hover the mouse over the SD card, camera, or hard drive partition from where you deleted/lost your pictures, and click on “Scan”.

Step 2: Choose the pictures you want to recover

When the scan is finished, select “Pictures” on the left. If you're looking for lost photos, click “Lost” at the top of the list. Then, you can filter your photos by device, type, and date.

Step 3: Recover Lost Photos

After the preview, click “Recover” and choose another location to save the photos you want.

2 - Recover an unsaved Photoshop file from recent files

Reopen Photoshop, go to File > Recent Files, and look for the lost, unsaved PSD file. Open and recover it from there.

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3 - Recover an Unsaved Photoshop File from Auto-Save

Adobe Photoshop CS6 and the Photoshop CC 2014/2015/2017/2018/2019 versions have an auto-save feature built-in. This allows Photoshop to automatically back up the PSD file you're editing at regular intervals. As such, you can easily recover an unsaved Photoshop PSD file through auto-recovery.

To enable the Auto Save feature, follow these steps: Launch Adobe Photoshop CC > Click on "Edit" and select "Preferences" > Choose "File Handling" > Enable "Automatically Save Recovery Information Every * Minutes."

1. Navigate to the directory "C:/Users/Your_Username/AppData/Roaming/Adobe Photoshop (CS6 or CC)/AutoRecover." 2. Locate the unsaved PSD file and open it in Photoshop. Then, save it.

By default, the AppData folder is hidden. In File Explorer, go to View > Options, and then click View > Show hidden files. Then, you can select and save the PSD file you want to a secure location on your computer.

Try the above simple solutions to recover unsaved lost Photoshop files. You might also be interested in another similar and popular topic: How to Recover Unsaved Word Documents in Windows 10.

4 - Recover PSD Files from Earlier Versions in Windows 11/10/8/7

If you've set up File History on your Windows PC, you can easily restore a Photoshop file by reverting to an earlier version.

Step 1: Open the Control Panel.

Step 2: Click File History > Restore your files.

Step 3: Click the green “Recover” button to get your PSD file back.

4 Ways to Recover Photoshop Files on Mac

Photoshop files are some of the most data-dense file formats around. When you lose a PSD on your MacBook, how can you get it back? Depending on how or why your Photoshop file went missing, there are several ways to recover deleted (or unsaved) Photoshop files.

1 - Restore from a Time Machine backup

If you have Time Machine enabled on your Mac, you can easily restore a PSD file.

Step 1: Connect your Time Machine backup drive to the Mac, and click the Time Machine icon in the Dock.

Step 2: Go to Time Machine and locate your Photoshop backup file, then click “Restore” to recover the lost Photoshop file on Mac.

2 - Recover Unsaved Photoshop Files from Auto-Save Location on Mac

Another way to recover a PSD file on a Mac is by using the Auto Save feature. If you have this enabled in Photoshop, you can restore your PSD file by following these steps.

Step 1: Click on the Apple menu and choose “Go to Folder…”

Step 2: Type ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop CC 2017/AutoRecover in Go to Folder, and then click Go.

Step 3: Open the “AutoRecover” folder. Save the recovered PSD file as a new project on your Mac.

3 - Recover Lost Photoshop File from Temporary Files on Mac

Step 1. Open Finder > Applications > Utilities > Terminal. Run it on your Mac.

Step 2: Type open $TMPDIR and press Enter.

Step 3: Now go to the Temp folder, find the PSD file, and open it in Photoshop. Save it to your Mac.

4 - How to recover PSD files on Mac with software

When all else fails, data recovery software is your best bet. A reliable data recovery tool lets you easily search for lost data on hard drives, SSDs, and external devices. For instance, with a tool like Disk Drill, you can even recover deleted files after you've emptied the Trash on your Mac.

Note: You can create a backup by first clicking Disk Backup on the left. You can recover photos from the backup image if the disk becomes damaged or photos are accidentally deleted from the disk.

Step 1: Search for the Missing Photos

Select the location where you lost your precious photos and then click on the “Start Scan” button to search for the lost files.

Second step: Select the photo you need.

"tools MobiSaver for iOS" will immediately scan the disk volume you selected. The scanning results will be displayed on the left. You can quickly filter out the photos you previously lost by "Path" and "Type".

Step 3: Recover Lost Photos

Select the photos you need to recover and click the “Recover” button to get them all back at once.

Conclusions

Resolving your issue is easy with the right tools and information. If you've just recently deleted the PSD file in question, you can recover it from the Recycle Bin or Trash. If you accidentally closed Photoshop without saving, you can retrieve the PSD file from the auto-save feature. If the PSD file was permanently deleted, you can use data recovery software to bring it back.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Recovering Unsaved or Deleted PSD (Photoshop) Files

Here, we also provide short answers to common questions for Photoshop users on the Mac.

**1. How do I find a Photoshop file on my Mac?** To locate a Photoshop file on your Mac, follow these steps: 1. Open Finder. 2. In the sidebar on the left, choose "My Files" or "Documents" (depending on your Mac's settings). 3. Search for files with the Photoshop file extension, typically ".psd." 4. If you recently opened a Photoshop file, you might find it in the "Recent Items" section of Finder. 5. Check the "Trash" to see if any Photoshop files were accidentally deleted. 6. If you remember the folder where the file was saved, navigate directly to that location. 7. Use Spotlight search: Press Command + Space, enter the filename or related keywords, and look for Photoshop files among the results. If you use the Creative Cloud version of Photoshop, the files might be stored within the Adobe Creative Cloud app's "Libraries" or a specific synced folder. In this case, check the Adobe Creative Cloud application to find the file location.

Mac's "Libraries" folder saves auto-recovered PSD files:

Go to `Library` → `Application Support` → `Adobe` → `Adobe Photoshop` → `AutoRecover` folder.

Does Photoshop save temporary files?

Yes, when you create a Photoshop file, it does generate temporary files. The difference is that Photoshop works with multiple data sets and saves the temporary files to a “scratch disk” instead of your computer's memory.

How to recover a Photoshop file?

This post walks you through four options for recovering a Photoshop file on a Mac. To restore a lost or corrupted Photoshop file on your Mac, you can choose one of these methods, or try them all.