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Guitarmadillo
Guitarmadillo
Participating Frequently
October 18, 2019
Question

Illustrator 2019 crashes when saving on macOS Mojave

  • October 18, 2019
  • 3 replies
  • 1055 views

Hello, I can't seem to find the answer I'm looking for so hopefully someone can help me.

 

I've been working on a flyer for an event and unfortunately when I tried to save the document, it crashed. So, I re-opened the file and recovered what I lost, but still wasn't able to save. I then went on the forums and found someone that said to delete my preferences and/or un-install and re-install Illustrator, which I did both of. Now I've lost the original file, decided to build it back up from scratch, and am still running into the same problem.

 

At this point, I'm worried I'm going to lose this project yet AGAIN just because I can't save, and the only solutions I see to fix it so far require taking actions that wipe my recovery data. I'm not done with the project yet, so exporting a JPG or PNG (which I CAN do) won't do me much good other than serve as a reference for when I have to re-make it a 2nd time.

 

 

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3 replies

Monika Gause
Community Expert
Monika GauseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
October 18, 2019

Is a printer connected, set up as the default printer and turned on? Missing a printer is one of the top causes of crash when saving.

Also: do you save to your harddisk? If not, try that.

Guitarmadillo
GuitarmadilloAuthor
Participating Frequently
October 18, 2019

1. There WAS in fact an old printer connected to my Mac that isn't even in this house. I deleted it and tried saving the document again but no luck. Do I need to change printer settings in Illustrator as well, and not just in MacOS System Preferences?

 

2. I've tried saving to my desktop, the hard drive, and even a few external disks--no luck! But, as the commentor above pointed out, I AM able to save other documents in Illustrator, just not the one in question.

 

Thank you!

 

Guitarmadillo
GuitarmadilloAuthor
Participating Frequently
October 18, 2019

To update on the "save to hard disk" question--I actually just attempted it again (saving to my Macintosh HD) and was given the following error:

 

"Can't save the illustration. You do not have enough access privileges.

ID: -5000"

 

Which I have never seen before. Mind you, I rarely ever try saving directly to my HD, so I'm unsure if the two errors are related.

Rishabh_Tiwari
Rishabh_Tiwari
Legend
October 18, 2019

Hi there,

 

Sorry to hear about the trouble you are facing with Illustrator while saving the file. I would request that if you can share a few more details like:

 

  1. Operating System and it's exact version.
  2. Is the issue related to a specific document?
  3. When did this start happening? Are there any recent changes made to your system? For example, any antivirus, system updates or web extensions installed recently.

 

Regards

Rishabh

Guitarmadillo
GuitarmadilloAuthor
Participating Frequently
October 18, 2019

Hello! Thanks for the response.

 

1. macOS Mojave 10.14.4 (avoiding the Catalina update at all costs for now) on a Late 2013 iMac.

2. After reading this question I tried opening up a different file and tried saving that. To my surprise, it worked! Still no luck saving the document in question, though, unfortunately.

3. It seemed to happen out of the blue, really. I'd had my computer on and working fine for a full work day, and had little to no issues saving and exporting other documents. As soon as I tried to save this one, it crashed. This document isn't even that large, either, so I'm curious as to why it won't save.

 

Thank you!

Sebastian Bleak
Community Expert
Sebastian BleakCommunity Expert
Community Expert
October 18, 2019

When you did your uninstall/reinstall, did you make sure to remove the old preferences and not bring them back during the reinstall?

https://youtu.be/d2wTGaIGO_w

 

For now, have you tried copying all of your artwork and pasting into a new document? Maybe try a different file format like PDF or EPS so that you don't lose your work.

Guitarmadillo
GuitarmadilloAuthor
Participating Frequently
October 18, 2019
I am unsure if I brought them back after the reinstall. I suppose I'll have to check! Unfortunately I have already tried copying and pasting into a different document, as well as trying all different filetypes, to no avail.
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