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sharon editrix
Inspiring
February 20, 2026
Question

How do I restore a project file in a Production?

  • February 20, 2026
  • 3 replies
  • 46 views

I made the mistake of opening an older version of a project file while my Production was open, and Premiere got into a weird state where it went to the opening screen when you launch the app, and I couldn't move past it so I had to force quite. When I relaunched Premiere, the Production seemed to revert to a version from sometime yesterday. This despite the fact that I obsessively save every five minutes, and I had last closed and fully saved the Production around midnight yesterday. I checked autosave and of the two bins that contained the cuts I've been working on, one I was able to find a copy from fifteen minutes earlier, but the other bin hadn't autosaved since yesterday at 8:30pm. Is there another way to recover this Project file? I am of course on a tight deadline and dread losing almost a day's worth of work. Thanks!

    3 replies

    R Neil Haugen
    Legend
    February 20, 2026

    I’ve worked primarily in a Production since they came out with it. It’s a massive improvement for me over the old stand-alone mode, which I do need to use at times. But I’ve never had both my Production and a stand-alone project open at the same time, so I’ve not run into this.

    And youwza that’s a mess! Sorry ... 

    Everyone's mileage always varies ...
    sharon editrix
    Inspiring
    February 20, 2026

    Thank you! I’m just so mystified how I could have closed the project the night before, saving everything, and then have it revert to an even earlier version after crashing. Not to mention Premiere not actually saving the project files within the Production when I hit save throughout the day yesterday. I’m wondering if there are temp files hidden on the hard drive that could be recovered. I seem to remember doing something like this twenty years ago. 

    R Neil Haugen
    Legend
    February 20, 2026

    Yea, that’s just bizarre ... 

    Everyone's mileage always varies ...
    R Neil Haugen
    Legend
    February 20, 2026

    Wow, that’s an unusual situation ... and I’m stumped. But I’ve never “mixed” having my Production launched and having a separate stand-alone project open ... so I’ve no experience with this type of issue. Sorry!

    Everyone's mileage always varies ...
    Peru Bob
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    February 20, 2026

    @R Neil Haugen 

    Can you help?