Adobe Illustrator files of creative branding that I created in 2019 and 2020

[josephearles]

Why is it that Adobe Illustrator files of creative branding that I created in 2019 and 2020 cannot be opened. I get a default message after attempting to open the .ai file saying this format is not recognized??? FRUSTRATED!!!

[Monika Gause]

There have been a couple of issues with older fildes for some people recently. Please check if you are running the latest version 26.2.1

Also: do the files have an .AI extension?

do they contain special characters (non ASCII) in their name?

move the files to your harddisk, then open

In case someone sent the files via email: ask them to first ZIP and then send

Check if the file size is reasonable. If it is 0 KB, the files might be really lost.

Do the files still open in Acrobat? If so, then at least they contain a PDF part, which can be used just in case

[Anubhav M]

Hello @josephearles,

Sorry to hear about this experience. As suggested by Monika, I would request you to first try and open the file in Acrobat and check if it works. If it doesn't, kindly share a few more details like:

• The exact version of the OS and Illustrator
• Since when are you facing this problem?
• Have any recent changes been made to your computer (OS Update/ Antivirus/ Plug-Ins)?
• Is it acting this way with some specific files? If yes, kindly share the link to download the file here or via DM.
• Where is the file located (Internal/External/Network drive)?

Also, you may try the steps shared in this community post (https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator-discussions/the-file-is-an-unknown-format-and-cannot-be-o...) and share your observations with us.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,

Anubhav