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BrianFirth3373658
Participating Frequently
February 11, 2026
Answered

Problems with placed images in Illustrator 2026

This is getting ridiculous. It has gotten worse with every update. From version 30.1 it has constantly corrupted the save preview with any placed images. Even placing photoshop files does not work. The placed image will either be completely out of place or just will not show up in the preview unless you embed the image. Place the .AI file in Indesign? Nope, the image isn't there. You have to manually embed it every time which, besides being an annoying extra step, it just bloats the file size. I am also getting “there is not enough memory” errors when placing small photoshop files. 

I have reset the Illustrator preferences and that did not help. 

Please stop adding all kinds of useless features and get this program stabilized and reliable again. 

    Anubhav M
    Anubhav MCorrect answer
    Community Manager
    June 18, 2026

    Hello everyone,

    The product team has fixed this with the latest release of Illustrator. Kindly update Illustrator using the Creative Cloud Desktop app (https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/apps/manage-apps/creative-cloud-apps/update-creative-cloud-apps-automatically.html) and let us know how it goes.

     

    Anubhav

    Note: Marking correct for visibility.

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    45 replies

    samuraisam
    samuraisam
    Participating Frequently
    September 28, 2026

     

    Still happening for me in Illustrator 30.8.2 on macOS 26.6.2.

    A large linked CMYK image (TIF or PSD) shows fine in Illustrator but is completely missing from the .ai file's PDF-compatible data, so it disappears when the file is placed elsewhere. Other linked images in the same file are written normally. Relinking, re-placing, removing the clipping mask and flattening the image made no difference.

    Turning off Preferences → File Handling → "Save in background" and re-saving fixes it, and Save a Copy as PDF includes the image correctly.

    The work is under NDA so I can't share files, but I've logged the full details here:

    https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/51740160-linked-images-missing-from-pdf-compatible-data-in

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    Harshika Verma
    Community Manager
    Harshika VermaCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    September 28, 2026

    Hi ​@samuraisam, 

    Thank you for reaching out and reporting the issue. We are checking this with the product team and will get back to you if they need any additional details for the investigation. 

    We will try our best to help.

    Thanks,

    Harshika

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    samuraisam
    samuraisam
    Participating Frequently
    September 28, 2026

    Still happening for me in Illustrator 30.8.2 on macOS 26.6.2.

    A large linked CMYK image (TIF or PSD) shows fine in Illustrator but is completely missing from the .ai file's PDF-compatible data, so it disappears when the file is placed elsewhere. Other linked images in the same file are written normally. Relinking, re-placing, removing the clipping mask and flattening the image made no difference.

    Turning off Preferences → File Handling → "Save in background" and re-saving fixes it, and Save a Copy as PDF includes the image correctly.

    The work is under NDA so I can't share files, but I've logged the full details here:https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/51740160-linked-images-missing-from-pdf-compatible-data-in

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    piotrl14770097
    Participant
    August 26, 2026

    26/08/2026 update 30.8 - GPU preview completely corrupts placed AI file with gradients, gradient meshes and feather effects, while CPU preview works correctly but sluggish and not AA.

     

    Additionally moving while moving anything without live drawing option, bounding boxes, guides and anything relevant disappears and all placed images turn into outline preview mode (bounding box, crossed out) making it impossible to align anything.

     

    NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada, CUDA 12.8, 573.44 drivers

     

     

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    Anubhav M
    Community Manager
    Anubhav MCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    August 26, 2026

    Hello ​@piotrl14770097 

     

    I’m sorry to hear about your experience. Could you please share the following information to be able to help you with this scenario:
      
    1. AiSniffer file:
    - Close all Adobe applications.
    - Navigate to the Illustrator Preferences folder and copy the AiSniffer file to the desktop from this location: 
    %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator 30 Settings\en_US\x64\
     
    2. For the System Report, kindly follow these steps:
    - Please press Windows Key + the letter "R" on your keyboard to bring up the Run command window
    - Type "msinfo32" in the Open field and left-click OK
    - While viewing the Microsoft System Information summary, go to File, then choose Save (Please do not use Export)
    - Save your MSINFO32 report as "msinfo32.nfo" on your desktop to easily locate it after. It can take up to a minute to generate a report.

    3. A sample AI file 

    Kindly upload the files to Google Drive/Dropbox/etc. and share a public link here or via DM so that we can investigate this further.
     
    Looking forward to hearing from you.
    Anubhav

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    mattr95818645
    Participant
    August 25, 2026

    I am having this issue with Illustrator 2026 Version 30.7

    Linked images are not linked. They show up in Illustrator but when that file is placed in InDesign the linked images just show up blank. The Illustrator link palet shows the missing image as ZERO bytes.

    Even the Finder thumbnail does not show the linked images.

    Beyond frustrating. I have gone back to Illustrator 2025 version 29.8.10. Hopefully that works.

     

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    BrianFirth3373658Author
    Participating Frequently
    August 3, 2026

    OMG just updated to 30.7. STILL NOT FIXED!!!! Come on Adobe.

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    Anubhav M
    Community Manager
    Anubhav MCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    August 6, 2026

    Hello ​@BrianFirth3373658 

     

    I’m sorry to hear you’re still having trouble with this. Would it be possible for you to have a debug session with us? If yes, please send me your Adobe ID, country and time zone, phone number with country code, and preferred dates and times between Monday and Friday in a private message.

    To send a private message, click my profile picture and use the Send message button.

     

    Looking forward to hearing from you.

    Anubhav

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    Anubhav M
    Community Manager
    Anubhav MCommunity ManagerCorrect answer
    Community Manager
    June 18, 2026

    Hello everyone,

    The product team has fixed this with the latest release of Illustrator. Kindly update Illustrator using the Creative Cloud Desktop app (https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/apps/manage-apps/creative-cloud-apps/update-creative-cloud-apps-automatically.html) and let us know how it goes.

     

    Anubhav

    Note: Marking correct for visibility.

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    BrianFirth3373658Author
    Participating Frequently
    June 19, 2026

    The issue has not been fixed. I am on Illustrator version 30.5.1 that came out at least 17 days ago. There are no new updates available.

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      Abhishek Rao
      Community Manager
      Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      June 22, 2026

      Hi ​@BrianFirth3373658,

       

      Thank you for the update, and I'm sorry to hear that you're still experiencing this issue.

      I wanted to let you know that a similar issue was previously identified and fixed by the product team. For reference, please see this UserVoice report:
      Files saved are missing images when imported into Photoshop, InDesign, other apps

      Since you're reporting similar behavior on Illustrator 30.5.1, I have logged a new bug and shared the details with the product team for further investigation.

      To help us better understand and reproduce the issue, could you please share either a screen recording or screenshots demonstrating the problem? Ideally, the recording should show the artwork displaying correctly in Illustrator and then incorrectly in Finder, Photoshop, InDesign, or any other application where the issue appears.

      Additionally, if possible, please share the affected Illustrator file saved in Illustrator 30.5.1. For testing purposes, please package the file first via File > Package and then share the packaged folder.

      If the file contains confidential content, feel free to send it to me via DM using a cloud-sharing service such as Google Drive, Dropbox, WeTransfer, or a similar platform.

      The screen recording/screenshots and packaged file will be extremely helpful in assisting the product team with their investigation.

       

      Thank you in advance for your assistance, and I look forward to your response.

      Thanks,
      Abhishek

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      BrianFirth3373658Author
      Participating Frequently
      May 8, 2026

      2 Months later and several updates later and this issue persists. Still placed images in a new document do not save properly and you have to reopen each file and resave. Ridiculous. 

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      Anubhav M
      Community Manager
      Anubhav MCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      May 12, 2026

      Hello ​@BrianFirth3373658 

       

      I’m sorry to hear you’re still having trouble with this. Our team has tried fixing this issue with the Illustrator 30.3 release. Would you mind opening your affected files and resaving them in the latest version of Illustrator to see if the problem persists?
       

      Looking forward to hearing from you.
      Anubhav

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      BrianFirth3373658Author
      Participating Frequently
      May 12, 2026

      I am actually on version Illustrator 30.4 on Mac Tahoe 26.5 now and the problem persists. Placed images in a NEW illustrator file save with preview completely displaced and must be reopened and resaved to correct. This has been ongoing since late in version 29 updates and has severely affected my workflow.

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      selfbuildtype
      Inspiring
      March 19, 2026

      This the worst bug I’ve ever seen in Illustrator. This release is very prone to crashing also.

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      Anubhav M
      Community Manager
      Anubhav MCommunity Manager
      Community Manager
      March 31, 2026

      Hello ​@selfbuildtype 

       

      I’m sorry to hear you’re having similar trouble with Illustrator. Could you please confirm the versions of the OS/Illustrator installed, and share a brief screen recording of your exact workflow and the problem so we can check this with the team?


      For help with crashes, please try the suggestions shared in this help article (https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/fix-crash-on-launch-issues.html) and let us know how it goes.
       

      Looking forward to hearing from you.
      Anubhav

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      selfbuildtype
      Inspiring
      April 9, 2026

      Bug is still present in Illustrator 30.3.0 under macOS Sequoia 15.7.4. Discovered in the previous version of Illustrator. No need for a screen recording, this bug is very easy to recreate as is evidenced by all the other posts here.

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        defaultht2t06b1rtot
        Participant
        March 9, 2026

        Very annoying.  Having the same issue here.

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          efficient_Radiance0D4C
          efficient_Radiance0D4C
          Participating Frequently
          March 7, 2026

          I'm having the same problem. The program is completely buggy. Whether zooming in or changing a color in the toolbar, each two actions result in a different bug. It's a shame that they deliver a product like this.

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            Anubhav M
            Community Manager
            Anubhav MCommunity Manager
            Community Manager
            March 19, 2026

            Hello ​@efficient_Radiance0D4C 

             

            I’m sorry to hear you’re having similar trouble with Illustrator. Could you please confirm the versions of the OS/Illustrator installed, and share a brief screen recording of your exact workflow and the problem so we can check this with the team?

             

            Looking forward to hearing from you.
            Anubhav

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