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skey000
Participant
October 2, 2017
Answered

The operation cannot complete because of an unknown error. [!now]

  • October 2, 2017
  • 21 replies
  • 105958 views

I'm new to illustrator and am trying to export a png but illustrator keeps coming back with this error.

The operation cannot complete because of an unknown error. [!now]

What could be the cause? I have tried different solutions I have seen for other problems such as deleting hidden layers but nothing seems to be working.

I am running illustrator CC on a windows 10 computer. (Not sure if that helps.)

Thanks.

      Correct answer Sajid Hasan 1999

      I had the same issue while trying to export as PNG. But when I reduced my artboard size then the problem was fixed. I think it is caused by graphics card. if have a low config gpu then it might happen. for me I have igpu so the was suppose to show up. 

      21 replies

      Show previous replies
      A
      anita5E88
      Participant
      February 10, 2021

      Hi
      I had the same problem as this one, and the problem I experienced was that the canvas resolution was too big.
      At that time I wrongly set the canvas size which was originally 1920 cm x 1080 cm, then a warning symbol appeared next to the "create" button (this symbol appears, because the canvas size is too large so some functions will be interrupted later). After I changed the unit to pixels the software worked as usual moment.

      I hope this helps 😄

      P
      peace2000
      Inspiring
      June 7, 2021

      After some experimentation, Adobe chat support encouraged me to avoid creating a text box the size of the artboard. Instead, I should use a text box the same size as the text. The dimensions of the art were large, at 7632x6480px. The art was simple - just the word 'Test' in a large font size. On the exact same art/file, the error occurred when saving to .png at 300PPI but it did not occur at 72PPI.

       

      In sum, the two solutions were:
      1. Keep text in a small text box. OR
      2. Keep the resolution to 72PPI.

       

      I asked support to pass these findings to devs for consideration as it was possibly poor UX for it to be this fussy, and also to pass on that the error provides insufficient information. They refused, saying the app is fine and these two workarounds had been provided. 

       

      Win10 64-bit, AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT, 32GB RAM, SSD scratch disc.

      J
      jc5E1F
      Participating Frequently
      December 7, 2020

      is this is solved? its such a pain in the ass for having this issue. I have the same problem and still cant figure it out

      E
      Einhorn0D4C
      Participant
      September 17, 2020

      "The operation cannot complete because of an unknown error. (Cant)"

      The problem is caused by some files in the directories.

      "c: \ Program Files \ Common Files \ Adobe \ UXP \"

      In Windows 10 (X64)

      Rename to "c: \ Program Files \ Common Files \ Adobe \ 00UXP \"

      (In this way they are not erased and you can return to them, for if other programs fail)

      It contains the routines for the start screen and new documents of the different Abobe programs.

      https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/troubleshoot-home-screen-issues.html

      luck!!! 😉 🙂

      T
      TCG-CLT
      Participant
      April 2, 2020

      So I am fairly experienced in Adobe CC and have worked with Illustraotr everyday for the last 4 years. I recently strated a map of Wilmington NC that measures 60"x48".  I had to start over becuase I needed to zoom the map in more.  Upon starting over the file size nearly quadrupled from the prior iteration (this shouldnt have been the case, because by zooming into the map, the number of labels and paths was cut in half. Since attempting to export this new iteration I have been unable and receive the following error message each time: "The operation cannot complete because of an unknown error. [!now]".

       

      Originally I had both iterations of this file saved on an external drive connected to my Desktop PC running Windows 10

      The (oversized) file came in around 1.78 GB, but by removing the basemap imagery and linking that image I got the file size down to 870 MB.  The Final export would measure 5'x4' (60"x48").

       

      I did manage to remedy my issue however by doing a Save As onto my desktop (included linked images) and exported the new file.  This did not result in an error message.  I wonder if my exported image's file path was too many characters in length...that is te only time I've had such out-of-nowhere export errors. FYI the file path of the file that would not export is: D:\HUCKS MAP STUDIOS\200331_Wilmington NC_Residential Map Poster_Brooks\Exports\60x48 v2.0 (Zoom)\Wilmington NC - Downtown Residential (60x48)-ZOOM v2.0 - Renderings\200401_Wilmington NC - Downtown Residential (60x48)-ZOOM v2.2 - Map Rendering [Converted].ai

       

      Would love to hear anyone's insight.into why the error might have occured.  Thanks

      T
      TCG-CLT
      Participant
      April 2, 2020

      To test my theory about file path length, I re-saved the file from my Desktop back onto my external drive but into a subfolder that wasn't nested within 3 additional subfolders.  When I went to export this file, it exported successfully.

       

      Thus, THIS PROBLEM IS SOLVED for my particular issue, and I'd recommend that anyone who has not had this issue resolved try a similar process for shortening the file path of the export image file.

        M
        Manasi5DD1
        Participant
        May 20, 2021

        Thanks.. It was the easiest solution which worked with me. 

         

        E
        eleanorc14944101
        Participant
        November 3, 2019

        Hi,

        I know this is an old thread, and I don't have an answer as to why this is happening, BUT - this kept happening to me, too, and the workaround I used was to save out the illustrator file as a print-quality PDF, and then open that in Photoshop and save as a PNG. 

        I hope this helps anyone else having this issue, because Adobe seems to be no help whatsoever.

          M
          mt_mind_99
          Participant
          March 24, 2023

          This worked for me.  Thank you

           

          M
          Michał Korzeniewski
          Participant
          May 14, 2019

          Guys, I think I have a solution for you, maybe it will help. I had exactly the same problem, "The operation cannot complete because of an unknown error. [!now]" while exporting files to png. Only you have to do is:

          1. Turn off GPU acceleration (in settings>performance)

          2. Close Illustrator

          3. Open Illustrator, turn on GPU acceleration

          I think that this error might be caused by some troubles between gpu and illustrator while rendering or something.

            O
            omargh
            Participant
            July 26, 2020

            this worked for me. thanks

            C
            Christopher Liam Ivey
            Inspiring
            April 11, 2019

            I'm experiencing the same issue in 2019.  What gives?  The error message is useless.

              Monika Gause
              Community Expert
              Monika GauseCommunity Expert
              Community Expert
              April 11, 2019

              https://forums.adobe.com/people/Christopher+Liam+Ivey  schrieb

              I'm experiencing the same issue in 2019.  What gives?  The error message is useless.

              Which issue?

              Opening files?

              Exporting a PNG?

              Which system is it?

              Where are the files located?

              Is a printer connected?

              Please create a new thread.

              C
              Christopher Liam Ivey
              Inspiring
              April 11, 2019

              Here are my responses to your questions:

              Issue: The operation cannot complete because of an unknown error. [!now] appears when attempting to export art to a .png.

              It may be because the of the desired output dimensions, but I have no way of knowing because of the ridiculous error message.  This is on the latest build of Illustrator, on Windows 7.

              In this case I ran down the issue to canvas size by trying different file formats.  Just commenting on the fact that the message is still not useful.

                Depone00
                Depone00
                Participating Frequently
                January 28, 2019

                Why would you mark this as the answer? You have answered nothing.

                  F
                  Farish
                  Participant
                  January 14, 2018

                  I am having this same problem as well. I do not see an actual answer on what is happening, or what I can do to fix this problem.

                    Monika Gause
                    Community Expert
                    Monika GauseCommunity Expert
                    Community Expert
                    January 14, 2018

                    Please contact support via the link in this thread.

                    Srishti Bali
                    Community Manager
                    Srishti BaliCommunity Manager
                    Community Manager
                    October 5, 2017

                    Hi skey,

                    Please update the discussion if the issue is resolved or if you have any further query.

                    Regards

                    Srishti

                    N
                    nathanl39995532
                    Participant
                    December 5, 2017

                    I keep having this issue when I open and close random files. All files I open and close are in PDF format. It completes the opening and/or closing of the file but still throws up this error--

                    "The operation cannot complete because of an unknown error. [x!fd]"


                    It's rather irritating because I am dealing with hundreds of files throughout the day (not all at once).


                    Files are also fairly small in size (under 1MB).

                    Working on Mac Pro.    OS High Sierra 10.13.1     Illustrator CC 20.0.1

                      Monika Gause
                      Community Expert
                      Monika GauseCommunity Expert
                      Community Expert
                      December 6, 2017

                      nathanl39995532  schrieb

                      Working on Mac Pro.    OS High Sierra 10.13.1     Illustrator CC 20.0.1

                      That version of Illustrator is not compatible with High Sierra. You need to update.

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