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K
K-Ten
Inspiring
June 9, 2025
Answered

Will I Lose Linked Images or Fonts After Reinstalling Adobe on a New Hard Drive?

  • June 9, 2025
  • 2 replies
  • 339 views

Hi everyone,

I am a graphic designer using a Windows laptop. My current 500 GB hard drive is full, and my office is installing a new 1 TB SSD internal drive.

Before the upgrade, I have backed up all my Adobe project files from the last 2.5 years. However, I’m concerned about linked images and fonts in those projects.

  • Will I lose linked images in Illustrator, Photoshop or INDD files after reinstalling if I don't have the original image folders?
  • Will I need to reinstall fonts used in those designs, or are they stored in the project files

Is there anything else I should take care of before the hard drive is replaced? I want to make sure my files open correctly after reinstalling everything.

Thanks in advance!

Correct answer Monika Gause

If you didn't package your projects, then you will need to take great care that all your images folders get migrated. Also: fonts need to be installed on the new system. 

If images are linked from remote locations or external disks, make sure that those get attached again. 

 

Make sure to not rely only on migration software, because those can cause issues. So make a backup before the migration. Also make sure to backup all the brushes and swatches you have installed in Illustrator (if you have any custom ones).

Illustrator might probably need to be properly installed. Migration might not work. Same goes for other CC aps.

2 replies

Brad @ Roaring Mouse
Community Expert
Brad @ Roaring MouseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
June 9, 2025

Yes, fonts will need to be reinstalled. This isn't an issue with any fonts you used from Adobe Fonts, but any you installed previously in your System/Font Manager will have to be brought over. 

Linked images will have to be relinked only because their File Path wil probably change on the new drive but if you have them in the same folder, that should be easy to relocate and relink.

The big advice i have for you is make sure your IT people KEEP the old hardrive and not erase it. You can install this in an external enclosure and use it to copy over anything you might have forgotten, e.g. fonts or images. Once you are sure you're done with it, then it can be erased and used as a respectably-sized external storage, or a good drive to do System Backups to.

 

    K
    K-TenAuthor
    Inspiring
    June 25, 2025

    Hello there! Thanks for your reply. 

    Can I Move All Adobe Project Files to Google Drive and Work Directly from the Cloud?

     

    • Will I face any performance or file corruption issues if I open/edit/save my projects directly from Google Drive?
    • Do linked images or fonts cause problems when working this way?
    • Is it better to keep a local copy synced with Google Drive instead?

     

    Would love to hear from anyone who has tried this approach. Just trying to find a smooth way to manage files long-term without filling up my laptop again.

    Monika Gause
    Community Expert
    Monika GauseCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    June 9, 2025

    If you didn't package your projects, then you will need to take great care that all your images folders get migrated. Also: fonts need to be installed on the new system. 

    If images are linked from remote locations or external disks, make sure that those get attached again. 

     

    Make sure to not rely only on migration software, because those can cause issues. So make a backup before the migration. Also make sure to backup all the brushes and swatches you have installed in Illustrator (if you have any custom ones).

    Illustrator might probably need to be properly installed. Migration might not work. Same goes for other CC aps.

    K
    K-TenAuthor
    Inspiring
    June 25, 2025

    Hello there, Monika! Thanks for your reply. 

    Can I Move All Adobe Project Files to Google Drive and Work Directly from the Cloud?

     

    • Will I face any performance or file corruption issues if I open/edit/save my projects directly from Google Drive?
    • Do linked images or fonts cause problems when working this way?
    • Is it better to keep a local copy synced with Google Drive instead?

     

    Would love to hear from anyone who has tried this approach. Just trying to find a smooth way to manage files long-term without filling up my laptop again.

    Anubhav M
    Community Manager
    Anubhav MCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    June 25, 2025

    Hello @K-Ten,

    Illustrator supports working across networks, removable media, and cloud-synced folders (Google Drive / Dropbox / OneDrive, etc.) and is vigorously tested across multiple configurations. However, not all configurations, including different software, hardware, settings, and access rights, have been tested. Therefore, your configuration can cause errors, crashes, or unexpected behavior. You may learn more about this here: (https://adobe.ly/44017ah).

     

    To avoid such problems, we recommend working on your files from a local directory, like the Desktop, and manually copying them to the removable media, network drive, cloud-synced folder, or using Cloud Documents.

     

    Feel free to reach out if you have more questions or need assistance. We'd be happy to help.

     

    Anubhav

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