Where are After Effects files automatically saved?

[hayks88197235]

I use Adobe After Effects CC 2017, and auto-save is turned on by default. The path of auto-save is marked as "Next to Project". My computer turned off yesterday, because of electricity. So where can I find my lost project?

[P.M.B · Accepted solution]

Wherever you last saved your project.

I'm not sure whether or not After Effects will auto-save an untitled project..maybe it does.

Regardless, when you start a new project you always save it in it's own folder and name it.

Then you can keep any assets & project related files all in one place & autosave will have a project to "save next to".

If you screwed up or don't know what you're doing & were working on an "untitled project" you could try opening AE,  hitting CTRL+ALT+N  to start a new project,  then immediately go (as you always should) to File>SaveAs  & see what folder it defaults to.  If there's something saved it might be there.  Otherwise it might be in Documents\Adobe\AfterEffects (or whtever file path is greyed out in the autosave preference dialogue).   You could also search your computer for ".aep" files.

After that....you're out of luck. Live & learn.

REMINDER:  When you start a project always save it immediately with a unique name in a dedicated project folder.   Then when auto-save, which is set to save "next to project",  saves,  there will be a "project" for it to save "next to".

[ebluBeta]

@gutterfish:

no it doesn't.

AE doesn't automatically save files that have not been saved by the user. this means: untitled files, are not saved... and by extension files that have been converted from older AE versions do not save. I 'get' why this is, but it's poor implementation to say the absolute minimum. And if I'm being completely honest, unbridled fury is fueling my comments. I've just lost some work that will be vary difficult to reproduce with precision, due to a crash caused by AE, with no backups due in no small part to Adobe's inability to understand that 'converting a file from an older version of After effects' does not immediately register to the user as an unsaved, new project. this is AE CC 2018, btw. a Completely bug-ridden mess.

[P.M.B]

I'm not exactly sure what you just said but I was able to gleen that you lost some work.  Bummer.

BTW I never said After Effects saves untitled projects.  I said I wasn't sure.

I also manually save (CTRL+S) every 20 minutes or so just out of habit.

Finally, if I've learned anything in my short time here among you humans it's this:

Outside the context of telling someone a difficult truth...like that they smell or that they're stupid,...

whenever someone starts a sentence with "and if I'm being completely honest", the next sentence is usually an exaggeration if not complete baloney.

[ebluBeta]

you said: "maybe it does"

I was clarifying it for you.

[P.M.B]

ebluBeta  wrote

you said: "maybe it does"

I was clarifying it for you.

I see. Thanks, that's good to know.

[josephm67516777]

Unfortunately this just happened to me in 2023

[creative_Lionheart5C13]

Guess what 😂🙃

[miguel_6053]

3 hours lost. One lesson learnt. it's 2025

[gugi_7260]

just happened to me too omfg Im bouta crash out. Still no automatic backups in 2025????

[flyview]

If you have Auto Save on:

-Documents\Adobe After Effects Auto-Save

And select the last created file.

I also had some issues since the After Effects does not automatically opens the last auto-save part of the project but instead the part where you saved it manually. Hope I could Help.

[DrezTheBest]

Hello,

To have the program auto-save, you have to set it up.  Edit > Preferences > Auto-Save > then pick your settings. 

If you do not have it set-up then you are poop out of luck.  I just switched to CC 2018 and forgot to hook it up.  I checked all adobe source folders, even in appdata.  Nothing.

Also, the auto-save will auto-save an untitled project. 

[P.M.B]

coreye58664253  wrote

Also, the auto-save will auto-save an untitled project. 

That one catches alot of people.

[bradw67930374]

Yeah, I had autosave turned on to save "next to project" yet it did NOT save.

I hate things and stuff.

[Dheezy]

I found a way. Install a software like ëverything" then search for .aep files. then click on date modified and you should have a temp file whether you saved it or not.

[bjorkhag23]

Do you have a linc to that software?

[felipek72547183]

A bit late for this topic but I found a way to recover an unnamed file with a few limitations.

Only condition is you pushed the comp you were working with into media encoder before crashing:

Do a right click on the comp listed in MediaEncoder and choose "Show Source File" (Hope this is translated correctly since I'm using the German version).

It should prompt you a temp folder where your composition is saved.

(tmpAEtoAMEProject-COMPNAME.aep)

This will unfortunately only bring back this comp only and the media used for it but for some people this might do the trick.

[kimberlyr11]

Thank you soooooo mmmmuch!!!

You saved me hours of work.  I was so @#$%#@!&^!!

Going to Media Encoder and right clicking on the Ae file and selecting "reveal source file" found my unsaved Ae project in : AppData>Local>Temp>my file...

[jesusb4ck]

Oh, thank you. I found my projects file with closing Media Encoder in one of the temp folders.

[DGocmen]

Brooo!!! I LOVE U SOOO MUCHH

[ilke236116961ve1]

Just got a crash on unsaved document and i found the autosave at
C:\Users\-username-\AppData\Local\Temp\Untitled Project_AME

Hope it helps somebody.

[Simo359743935w64]

Hey bro, i followed ur steps but I cant find the last one untitled files_ame, there are so many empy files but not that

[ilke236116961ve1]

perhaps your AE crashed before it could autosave the doc. No idea man, sorry.. 

[Simo359743935w64]

• Pls respond i need