Inspiring

Question

Illustrator Save As PDF overwrites the original .Ai document

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
September 27, 2021
11 replies
7688 views

I create a normal AI document. Make my graphic and save it as an AI document. In the course of my work, I need to send something to my client and save the document save as .pdf.

As if by magic, the AI_Document has now become a pdf document. I have lost hours of work this way if you don't notice.

This stupid and absolutely not comprehensible behavior sucks. That's why I save the document: save as and don't just save the document.

For this behavior it now urgently needs a patch! Immediately! Thx

{Renamed by MOD}

Import and export

A

Ava3585477329rv

Participant

I still have this issue, and my workaround is to simply double-check my files are still .ai before i close them. If it's turned into a PDF I "save as" to make a copy that is an .ai once again. I've started naming my PDFs with dates etc but the new file names don't seem to fix the issue...

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craig_2198

Participant

Agree this is an insanely stupid setting. If you're saving for print you save as PDFX etc. Which by definition should strip editing.

I know all this and yet I have done exactly the same by error. It should not be possible to make such critical errors.

Monika Gause

Community Expert

As of version 2025 you can create PDFs by Export for screen, export as, Save a copy. Go a different route if you wish to avoid errors.

The way "Save as" behaves is set up by operating system interface guidelines. Complain to Apple or Microsoft about it.

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craig_2198

Participant

Export for screens would result in an file incompaticle with printing (it would be RGB).

Save a copy: danger still lurks. Chances are user saves an non-master .ai copy (ie a low res draft for a client), continues to work on it > Saves > Closes. Reopens a low res file. Yes, we shouldn't, but we can and therefore, do. This is the one that needs addressing. Photoshop does not allow Save to (ie) jpeg when layers etc exist, the user is forced to Save As.

Export. This works. But the above is still a horrorshow which can result in an obscene amount of wasted time.

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Cedric30035656r3qs

Participant

I completey identify with this. Have had the same issue until now and only just reading your post has made me realise what on earth has been going on. Thank you.

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afredrix

Participant

The reason, from my experience, that it sometimes does this and sometimes doesn't, is based on whether you're saving the entire doc or just selected pages as a pdf. If you just do a smaller range of pages, the .ai doc is the one that remains open in illustrator. But if you save as a whole pdf, no matter the quality, the doc is now replaced by the pdf on your open program.

I feel your pain though. I've had unnecessary problems come as a result of forgetting that I was suddenly working on the pdf and not the ai file any more. Thanks to those with the tip for "Save as a copy."

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Alex22152189jley

Participant

Hi!

Unfortunately in the 2021(and up) version of illustrator when you 'save as PDF' it makes the file you are working on the PDF, instead of keeping it on the original AI file.

I still have the 2020 version on my laptop computer where it does as you say- when I save a PDF it still allows me to work on the AI and saves the PDF as a different copy of the file.

I have the 2021 version on my work comp, and it doesn't allow me to save as a copy.

It's the newer updates.

No patch unfortunately.

Jacob Bugge

Community Expert

Borsellino,

A failsafe way to create a PDF with the limited purpose "to send something to my client" (and/or (to) obtain a small file size) is to Print it to Acrobat (or other PDF creating software).

That will certainly leave your AI document be.

Anshul_Saini

Community Manager

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about that. I agree with everyone's comment above. However, as you said, you have said you saved the file as .Ai document, and while you "Save as" PDF, it will not rewrite .Ai file. If you saved the PDF with the "Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities" option checked, you should be able to edit it unless the file is too complex or corrupted.

Also, I would request you to share a few more details like:

Which OS and version of Illustrator is this?
Does this happen with other documents as well, or was it a specific case?
Does changing .PDF to .Ai or opening PDF in Illustrator you get editable layers?
Where are you saving the files (Network Drive/ System HDD/ Shared Folder on System/ External HDD)?

We will be looking forward to your response.

Thanks & Regards,

Anshul Saini

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BorsellinoAuthor

Inspiring

Hello

Of course the AI document is still there when I save it to "save as". But because you then in Illustrator (and this behavior has only Illustrator and not always) suddenly continue to work in the pdf document and this is often not noticed then graphics are deliberately deleted and saved. These are then no longer present in the original file (ai) because I have made a new Dadei (pdf). That I then immediately continue working in this file is simply not normal for me.

- OS 11.5.2
- Yes, Iget editable layers
- Saving the files on System HDD

I know now how Illustrater works. Thanks for your help.

Anshul_Saini

Community Manager

Thank you for sharing the details. I would suggest if you could also post it here (https://illustrator.uservoice.com/). This way, you will keep getting all the updates related to this request, and other users can also upvote, which would help us prioritize. Also, share the link here so others who visit this post can go to that link upvote the UserVoice, and I will forward it to the Product team. They may consider changing it in the future.

Regards,

Anshul Saini

Met1

Legend

How is it magic when you said you saved as .pdf - you are doing it.

Besides, your ai file should still be there - you can't overwrite a file with an.ai suffix with a file with a .pdf one, unless of course while in the process of saving your .pdf document you typed in a .ai suffix... but even so, you should have had a warning that you were about to overwrite an existing file.

The "absolutely not comprehensible behavior" is rooted in your working practice.

Monika Gause

Community Expert

To prevent that, use "Save a Copy" instead of save as. And then also give it a new name.

But what I don't really get: the original file should still be there, since when saving as a .pdf, you won't overwrite the .ai. So what has happened? You saved as PDF and then continued working? Did you save as PDF and turned off "Illustrator editability"?

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BorsellinoAuthor

Inspiring

Hi, I saved as PDF and then continued working? But because I didn't need all the graphics for the customer I deleted them and didn't save them in the AI document. My mistake. But it is still not a normal behavior of Illustrator. Thank anyway.

Monika Gause

Community Expert

It's a normal behaviour of "Save as". Save as will always keep the newly saved document open.

Whereas "Save a copy" keeps the original document open.

sishamIAGD

Community Expert

It is always best practice to save the original file as .ai and as @Vishu_Aggarwal states save a .pdf version seperately.

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