Adobe Illustrator keeps saving multiple files of a file I keep resaving?

[kjsedgie]

Every time I have saved a file on ai after I make changes to a file, lately it creates multiple new files rather than just resaving the original file under the same name. For instance, if my file was named "JoeShmo_NewPckgDesign.ai" and I saved it 3 different times throughout the day, it will not override this same file and save it with the new changes under this name. Instead, three completely new files called "JoeShmo_NewPckgDesign 1.ai," "JoeShmo_NewPckgDesign 2.ai," and "JoeShmo_NewPckgDesign 3.ai" show up on my desktop....? Therefore the file with the highest number becomes the latest edition, rather than the actual one I am working on in ai. This is making me unsure which files I should be deleting. How do I stop this from happening? I am running out of storage on my computer and this new feature is NOT helping....

[Monika Gause]

Which version and system is it?

Exactly where do you save your files?

Do you have any autosave extensions running?

[Nilzilla]

It does the same thing to me. If I have a storyboard I designed thats 250mb and I make revisions 3 times and save... I have multiple files that adds up to 750mb on both my computer and cloud.

[Monika Gause]

Can you please answer the questions I posted above?

[Nilzilla]

Im running the latest system on a brand new macbook. It didnt matter where I saved it because it did it regardless. Turns out, after I did an update on adobe, it changed something on my preferences. So what has to happen is you need to quit and restart AI, go to preferences / general then click reset preferences in the bottom right. That should solve the problem.... 15 gigs later...

[liselemon]

Hi there, I am having the same problem. I did as you recommended but it still appears to be saving multiples as opposed to rewriting the auto save. Are there any other solutions?

I am using AI 2021 MacOS Catalin 10.15.7

[Monika Gause]

How are user privileges for the folder set up?

Also: check your antivirus and whatever settings there are in paranoid Mac OS

[liselemon]

Thakns for your reply, I don't quite understand what you mean I'm sorry. User privileges for the folder set up?

[Monika Gause]

Every folder has settings on who is allowed to do what in it. These are called privileges. Please refer to your system's documentation on how to set them up.

[liselemon]

But I've not changed any privileges, why would this be an issue? Would the latest Illustrator update have intervened? 

[Monika Gause]

During the years, operating systems got much more sensitive and Illustrator respects that.

You could contact Customer Care so they take a look into your system. https://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html

[defaultnh1mprc8kn47]

I'm having the same issue, it gets very confusing and consumes a lot of memory, has anyone found a solution?

[Monika Gause]

Other than resetting the preferences, checking user privileges on your system, checking your antivirus and contacting Customer Care?

[liselemon]

I know, I've tried the advice of Monika Gause and still no luck. I am glad it's not just me. I don't really have the time to go playing around with OS issues, I pay for Illustrator every month so that I don't have to have these issues - I'm a graphic designer not an IT specialist. Rant over and I'll drop Customer Care a line when I can.

[Monika Gause]

There's one more thing you could try: turn off "Save in Background" in the Illustrator preferences.

[liselemon]

It worked! Thanks Monika 🙂

[liselemon]

Thanks Monika, I've given it a go. Only time will tell. It doesn't appear to do it to every document but will report back either way.

[jimp87522270]

I am having what sounds like a very similar problem. I just updated my Cloud because of ONE SMALL ISSUE when I updated my system - Photoshop was bombing on the first open file every time and I had to restart the program. This led to me update my CC to all new programs. Now I'm using Illustrator and when I open ONE file - it gives me TWO copies designated .ai:1 and .ai:2 to work on. Why on earth would it do that? Who knows but like every Adobe "upgrade" it creates more problems than it solves (if it was actually intended to solve a problem). Now I'm never sure if the file I WANTED to save is actually saved and what do I do with the second one? Do I have to save that one too to keep the changes in file .ai:1 - or is it okay to close it as is? This is the kind of UTTER NONSENSE that happens with Adobe products all the time. I get the feeling there is a room somewhere at Adobe Central where they have a bunch of people sitting around trying to figure out how they can make our already hard jobs even harder. If anyone knows what is happening here (see photo) I'd sure be glad to hear it. Thanks.

[Ton Frederiks]

I cannot open your screenshot, but from what you describe, I guess you have created a New Window for your file (Window menu > New Window). If so, you can get rid of it by closing it, making a little change in your file and saving your file.

[jimp87522270]

No, I did not create a new window (in fact I've never used that "feature" for anything). In the meantime, I tried some of the cures in the rest of the thread and might have solved the problem - go to general preferences and hit "reset preferences". So far the problem seeems to be solved. Attached (new_screenshot.jpg) is a new image of problem I was having in case other people run across it. 

[Ton Frederiks]

Good to hear you've got it solved, but your screendump looks exactly what happens when you create a new window.

[jimp87522270]

Well then obviously there is some problem with the program because I did not manually create a new window, I did not ask some AI assistant to create one and I have never found a need - in Illustrator or any other program - to open up two copies of the same document at the same time. Seems to me if I want two copies of the same document, the best way to go about it is the same way we've always done it - SAVE AS with another name so the user can discern which document is which and not have to worry if they are overwriting an important file or not saving the changes just made to a working document. 

The other side of the coin is that screen shot was not the first time I had the issue. When I came on board here to discuss it - I opened up a document (again) to take a screen shot for the board here. The problem repeated itself. So if I were "creating a new window" I would have somehow had to make that same mistake more than once (highly unlikely since all I did was open the doc - I didn't work on it at all). I have also opened up multiple documents AFTER I reset the preferences and now the problem is no longer occurring. So something changed by resetting the preferences.

So - bottom line - props to Nilzilla for giving me the answer to my issue.

[Ton Frederiks]

The option to create a new window for your document is as old as Illustrator. It does not create a new document, it just creates a new view for the same document.

One window could show an outline view, the other a zoomed in preview.

When you save a document with multiple windows, it will show those the next time you open the document.

I hope this explains what the New Window command does.

[jimp87522270]

Ah yes, I remember now. I thought it was creating a separate document because of the different file names, but when I reopened that specific file (from the screenshot) it did open it with the extra window again. I closed the extra window and resaved it and then it reopened with only the one window. So thanks for the clarification and we did find a problem - for whatever reason when I "upgraded" it was automatically opening two windows. Interesting point - I looked thru the preferences and did not see an option to always open two windows. Wondering why resetting preferences fixed it.

Just an aside, you dated yourself when you said this feature was as old as Illustrator. If memory serves, that feature was introduced somewhere around CS3 or 4 - I'll let you do the history legwork on that one. Now I'll date myself... I started Illustrator on a beta version of Illustrator 88 (which was actually Illustrator 2 - no CSs back then). So I still do a lot of things the (really, really) old school way - like flashing back and forth between wire frames and preview modes on the single copy of the doc. Totally forgot about the duplicate windows thing because (like a lot of "features" Adobe adds to programs) I have never found a real need for it. I would say about 80% of what I do in Illustrator can be done with the tools that were available in Illustrator 3 (1991?), which I have always said was the best graphics program ever made because it had everything we needed at the time and no filler "features".   😉

[Ton Frederiks]

I don't mind dating myself, I have worked with beta version of illustrator 1.0.

This is Illustrator 1.1 on an (emulated) MacPlus, showing 2 windows, one with the Outline artwork  mode, which was the only way you could edit your file and one with a Preview.