Where does Acrobat save temp files?

[SavvyEd]

I have Acrobat X set to autosave every 5 mins. It just crashed, but when I reopened the program, it did not prompt me to recover the autosaved file. Where is it? Can I open it manually?

[Dpakch · Accepted solution]

Here is the location for the AutoSave Folder on Win XP : C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Adobe\Acrobat\10.0\AutoSave

                                                                    Win 7 : C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Acrobat\10.0\AutoSave\

No, you cannot open the tmp folder. File is folder gets deleted automatically once you close Acrobat.

Probably, you can set less time for AutoSave so if incase, Acrobat crashes, you lose minimum data.

Regards,

Deepak

[SavvyEd]

Thank you for replying, Deepak! It didn't ask if I wanted to open the autosaved file at all when I re-opened the program, so I don't think it would have mattered if it were set to save more often.

[Dpakch]

As you said, Acrobat deosn't prompt you to open the Auto saved file. So, when you make changes in any PDF. Do you see any temp file at the above mentioned location ? What's the size of it ? Ideally, when the Acrobat crashes, it prompts to recover the file on the next launch.

[Tekilay]

Hi Deepak,

Yesterday I was working on Adobe Reader XI file and I had some annotations on that (Which are soo important for me) but nevertheless I closed the file by mistake without saving. As you suggested above I checked the

C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Acrobat\11.0 but I don't see autosave folder there although I have the option to auto-save the document to a temporary file every 5 minutes was already turned on. I have 2 dat files in security folder which have the exact same date that i closed the file without saving. I am not sure if those are the one I look for. If yes I do not know how to open the dat file.

I have attached 2 snapshots. Could you please review them and help mw with this issue.

Thanks,

Best regards,

Gamze.

[Dpakch]

Hi,

If you are using Reader then the location would C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Reader\11.0. I followed your steps and an AutoSave folder was automatically created under the mentioned hive. I would also recommend to use the latest Reader/ Acrobat version.

~Deepak

[Test Screen Name]

The file is temporary, not a general backup. The temporary file is deleted if you close (whether you save or not). The only purpose of the temporary saves is to recover if Acrobat or the computer crashes, power cut etc.

[mjncad]

Yeah I just had Acrobat XI puke while saving a file.  No autosave, no recovery, nothing.   

I hate Adobe's software; but every other PDF editor out there that I've tried is worse.

[alreadydone]

One undesirable behavior of Adobe Reader is that when it is busy, clicking on exit button immediately closes all windows without warning. I just did that and lost the >10 documents that were open; when I reopened Reader, the files weren't restored.

[Guest]

I just worked a day on editing a document. Every time I it got glitchy or tried to save it gave me an error message. Every time I opened Adobe Pro again, the auto save file would prompt me to open it. The last time I received no prompt, I'm assuming because I told it finally to check the internet for solutions as well as closing the program, however no internet window ever came up and when I reopened Adobe, there was no prompt to recover the auto-saved file. I opened the file on the screen that I had been working on and it was the original scan....I was frustrated to say the least. I tried to find an autosave folder and it doesn't exist. Is there any hope?

[Test Screen Name]

If you recover from an autosave, it is VITAL to immediately save it to a new location. The autosave is not a permanent thing, it's only used to recover.

[Heysenberg]

Windows offers the possibility to recover deleted files (or folders) ( Recover lost or deleted files​ : "Navigate to the folder that used to contain the file or folder, right-click it, and then click Restore previous versions." )

Could this make it possible to restore deleted Adobe Reader autosafe files?

[Heysenberg]

I cannot find a folder called AutoSafe in C:\Users\Jakob\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Acrobat\DC

Windows Explorer tells me that the folder C:\Users\Jakob\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Acrobat\DC was last modified 30.5.2016 (yesterday). But non of the shown subfolders or files was last modified after 27.5.2016. And when I try to use the windows-feature "Restore previous versions" on the DC-folder it only suggest me 24.5.2016 or 22.5.2016. But I made a lot of comments in Adobe Acrobat Reader DC during 28.5.2016 and 29.5.2016 and the autosave files were only deleted today, I think.

So I am quite confused why I don't find the AutoSafe folder using "Restore previous versions" on windows 7

[Test Screen Name]

Restore Previous Versions uses Windows Backup. do you run a backup with Windows Backup every day?

[Heysenberg]

I don't run Windows Backup every day, but I thought windows does this by default. At least there are shoadow copies from many days without me doing anything to get them.

[Camolasxpto]

I have a similar problem on my computer, in there appear a message that gives a error to recover a file and gonna request help!
images how configuration have saved

and that message gonna show:

[jonz73248272]

Where is this folder located on a Mac?

[sarahn1393171]

Did you find it?

[b_vinaykumar]

For Adobe Acrobat Reader DC

C:\Users\AAAAA\AppData\Local\Temp

[newton0101]

does anyone know where the temp files are saved for Windows 10? adobe acrobat reader? its so poorly designed computers crash from time to time and now I can't find the temp files.

[Bernd Alheit]

Read the other replies.

[Justin22870199m3qh]

Actually, the other replies don't work for Windows 10.  It's a different file structure that doesn't contain /appdata.  Can you please specify here?

[Test Screen Name]

App data is there. But you can't see it. In a File Explorer window type %APPDATA% including both % signs. 

[Test Screen Name]

If Acrobat Reader doesn't invite you to reeopen the file, next time you start it, it is gone forever.

[BartekKlucz]

You can restore comments from tmp file. If Acrobat doesn't invite you to reopen file - do not close it (it will delete your tmp file)!

Follow this steps.:

1. Copy tmp file from C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Acrobat\DC to another location. Usually it is 1.tmp, 2.tmp etc.

2. Make backup of your pdf file (just in case).

3. Close acrobat and reopen just this one document.

4. Make sure that Autosave temporary file... option is enabled.

5. Make any change in the file - ad any comment or something (Acrobat will not create autosave file with unchanged file)

6. Wait 5 minutes. Monitor tmp file location.

7. When autosave folder appears with tmp file in it, kill Acrobat using task manager. Don't close it using File/close or X button. It must be unexpected closing.

8. Check the name of tmp file in AutoSave folder. E.g. in my case I saved 2.tmp file and newly created one was 1.tmp. Rename your saved file accordingly and replace file in AutoSave folder.

9. Open Acrobat directly from start menu (not by clicking your pdf file - open just Acrobat program).

10. Now you should see invitation to restore changes.

I just restored this way one file. I did some tests also and it looks that this solution works for Acrobat Reader DC and Adobe Acrobat X Pro.