2024 Hint | How to Recover Unsaved Photoshop (PSD) Files on Mac

Applies to: Adobe Photoshop 2022/2020, Photoshop CC 2013-2019, Photoshop CS 2-6, and earlier versions of Photoshop

The solutions on this page are aimed at recovering unsaved Photoshop files on macOS, while recovery of Photoshop temporary files on Windows is covered on the linked page.

How to recover unsaved Photoshop files on Mac?

Closed Photoshop CC without saving your project, or had a full scratch disk crash in Photoshop? Many times, it leads to the loss of all Photoshop files, with the most common reasons being human errors, app crashes, or macOS stopping/freezing. Can you recover unsaved Photoshop files on Mac? Here, you'll learn how to **recover Photoshop files on Mac** with a fairly high success rate, whether they're unsaved, deleted, or corrupted. You can skip to the section that interests you the most.

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How to Recover Photoshop Files on Mac [4 Solutions]

The upcoming Photoshop recovery solutions will help you restore unsaved and lost Photoshop files from Adobe Photoshop auto-save location, Photoshop temporary files, previous versions, and Mac Time Machine backup. Besides, for deleted, formatted, or virus-infected Photoshop files, you can undoubtedly rely on the Mac file recovery software to recover lost PSD files. Keep reading to find the most suitable method to recover unsaved or lost Photoshop files on Mac.

Solution 1: Recover Unsaved Photoshop File from Auto-Save Location (Mac)

If you had Auto Save turned on in Photoshop for Mac, your best bet is to look for an unsaved PSD in its Auto-Recover folder.

Step 1: Click the Apple menu and choose Go to Folder.

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

Note: The specific path to the Photoshop Auto-Save location for accessing the Auto-Recover folder might vary depending on the version of Photoshop or macOS.

Step 3: Open the Auto-Recover folder, and Photoshop displays any lost or unsaved files. Save the recovered PSD as a new Mac project.

Solution 2: Recover unsaved Photoshop file from Photoshop Temporary files on Mac

Sometimes, you might not find the AutoRecover folder on your Mac, which has been reported to happen with some Photoshop CC 2017 users. This is normal, so there's no need to worry. You can try to look for your unsaved Photoshop files in the temp files. On a Mac, Photoshop creates temporary files automatically when you create a new PSD file to store information. Usually, these temp files disappear soon after the Photoshop application closes. Therefore, to ensure the possibility of successfully recovering the temp files, you should check the temp folder as soon as possible before they vanish permanently.

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

Step 2: Type open $TMPDIR and press Return.

Step 3: Go to the “Temporary Items” folder and locate the PSD file, then open it in Photoshop and save it to your Mac.

Solution 3: Restore a previous version from Time Machine backup on your Mac

If you forgot to turn on Auto Save in Adobe Photoshop, your file might still be recoverable via Mac's Time Machine, provided that you have it set up and that it backs up your Photoshop work.

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

Step 2. In Time Machine, browse for the Photoshop backup file and click "Restore" to get back the lost Photoshop file on your Mac.

Solution 4: Recover Deleted and Corrupted Photoshop Files with Software

• Product Name: Tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac
• Working Principle: Utilizes enhanced algorithms to scan storage locations, whether internal or external drives, to find every lost piece of data.
• Compatibility: Supports full recovery of all Photoshop image, photo, and document versions on macOS Ventura, Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave, El Capitan, and earlier operating systems.
• Applications:
  • [1] Recovers Photoshop files accidentally deleted, emptied from the Trash, or lost due to disk formatting or virus damage on your Mac.
  • [2] For unsaved Photoshop files, the software can only scan the Auto-Save folder and temporary files, not the unsaved PSD file itself.
  • [3] Fixes Photoshop files that couldn't complete requests, are damaged, or have errors, allowing you to restore lost but corrupted PSD files without quality loss.

Download the Photoshop File Recovery software and recover Photoshop files on Mac in 3 simple steps.

Step 1: Search for the missing file

Select the disk location where you want to search for the lost files (it can be an internal HDD/SSD or an external hard drive) and click on the “Search Lost Files” button.

Note: Before you proceed with data recovery, it's recommended that you click 'Disk Backup' from the left sidebar to create a backup of your HDD/SSD to prevent further data loss. After the backup, the software can recover data from your disk image, and you can use your HDD or SSD again.

Step 2: Browse the scan result

The software immediately scans the disk volume you select and displays images, files, audio, video, and email on the left.

Step 3: Select the files and recover them.

Click to preview the data, and then hit the "Recover" button to get them back.

Aside from Photoshop file recovery, Data Recovery Wizard for Mac can also help you retrieve deleted files on Mac, as well as restore lost, formatted Excel, Word, PowerPoint, images, videos and more from various storage devices.

Conclusion – Recover Lost Mac Photoshop Files

Regarding the topic of "How to Recover Photoshop Files on Mac," we primarily discussed two scenarios and provided corresponding solutions for each.

#1. Photoshop closes, crashes, or stops responding before you can save a PSD file

Here, you can attempt to recover an unsaved Photoshop file from its auto-save location, a temporary file location, or previous versions from a Time Machine backup.

2. Photoshop files lost due to accidental deletion or disk formatting

At this point, you should download and use Mac Data Recovery Software, scan the drive where the PSD file is saved, and recover it with a single click.

Frequently Asked Questions - Recovering Unsaved Photoshop Files on a Mac

We also have a brief FAQ for users of Photoshop on the Mac.

Question #1: Where does Photoshop save auto-recovery files on a Mac?

On a Mac, Photoshop automatically saves to the following location: Library > Application Support > Adobe > Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 > AutoRecover folder.

#2. Can you recover a Photoshop file?

Yes, the article has walked you through 4 solutions to recover Photoshop files on Mac. You can choose one of them or try them all to restore unsaved, lost, or deleted Photoshop files on your Mac.

Question 3: Does Photoshop save temporary files?

Yes, when you create a Photoshop file, a temporary file is automatically made. The difference is that since Photoshop is a program that deals with large amounts of data, it saves the temporary files to a “scratch disk” instead of your computer's memory.

Question: Where do Photoshop files go when deleted on Mac?

Where do deleted files go? They will be moved to the Trash. If you have emptied the Trash, you can perform a Mac Trash Recovery to get back your lost PSD files.