Getting "An unknown error has occurred" when trying to save a file in Illustrator on macOS 10.15.7

[neonmamacita]

I'm trying to save an illustrator file but I'm getting an error see below

My Illustrator CC is all up to date. I'm on a Mac 10.15.7.

{Renamed by MOD}

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi there,

Sorry about the trouble. Could you please share a few more details like:

• The exact version of Illustrator
• Does this error occur while saving a specific document or all?
• Is this a new or old document?
• Where are you trying to save this document (Network Drive/ System HDD/ Shared Folder on System/ External HDD)?
• When did this start happening? Are there any recent changes made to your system? For example, any antivirus, system updates, or web extensions installed recently.
• Does resetting Illustrator Preferences ( https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/setting-preferences.html) help to resolve the issue?
  Disclaimer: Please note that resetting preferences will remove all the custom settings, and Illustrator will launch with default settings. You can also take a backup of the folders in case you want to. Location is mentioned in the article.
• Does updating macOS help resolve the issue?

Also, you may try running the app in Root Account and see if you are able to save this document there.

We are here to help. We just need more info.

Thanks & Regards,

Anshul Saini

[D Schultz]

I too am having this problem. I am using a 2019 iMac, 64 GB RAM, OS 11.6. It happens with Illustrator 24.3 and 25.4.1. I will be working along, saving to my internal hard drive as I go, then the error message pops up. The document in question is not terrifically complex; it does have linked images, and uses 16 fonts (a mix of OpenType, system and PS Type 1s).

I have tried Save As, in multiple different formats—to no avail. Save In Background is turned off; my default printer is on, and the driver is updated. I run Onyx to maintain the system and permissions. I have also reset Illustrator prefs to default a few times. But nothing seems to prevent this from happening randomly, to different documents whether simple or complex. I quit Illustrator, re-launch, and that helps for a while. But it has already happened to me *twice* this morning alone. Very frustrating.

[D Schultz]

It just keeps happening . . . another five times this morning. I'm giving up on it for now.

[Monika Gause]

Are you sure that Onyx is not interfering?

What about file names? Too long, unusual characters?

[D Schultz]

I've been using Onyx for quite a few years now, and have never had issues with it before. There is always a first time, but it has always been a very useful tool.

As for the file names, I have followed the same rules for decades now: only one period, no special characters, keep it as short as possible. The same thing happened again twice today on other files than the one that caused me grief this morning. Those files had shorter names, and were even less complex.

I am stumped.

[Larry G. Schneider]

What PS fonts are you using? 

[D Schultz]

The document that gave me the most trouble yesterday had Rockwell Bold (PS Type 1).

Last night, I was working on a different document that had nothing but OpenType fonts in it, no placed or embedded images—a packaging die—and *that* gave me the "Unknown" error message.

[Larry G. Schneider]

How deeply are these things buried in your file system? Is the full Path greater than 256 characters long?

[D Schultz]

No sir. Typical paths are between 75 and 90 characters, from /Users all the way to the file type extension.

[Larry G. Schneider]

Sorry, nothing jumps out as a cause. I'm hoping Anshul can get back to this.

[D Schultz]

Good morning, all. I am *cautiously* optimistic, but AI v 24.3.2 has been running without incident since one of your comments (Mr Schneider) made me poke around under the hood a bit.

I disabled a bunch of old (2014) scripts—some of which had longish names , with some parens thrown in. Then I looked further in the Presets folder, and in Workspaces, I found a file named "Essentials Classic@2x". I took that out, re-launched Illustrator, and . . . for quite a stretch yesterday, and so far today—no error messages have popped up. As I said earlier, I am cautiously optimistic.

Will try the same method with v 25.4.1, and report back.

Regards,

Don S

[Larry G. Schneider]

Great job, Don. Thanks for reporting back with your results.

[D Schultz]

My high hopes have been dashed: got the error message again late this afternoon. The search for a cure continues . . .

[D Schultz]

By chance, would anyone have a list of the System-level fonts that Illustrator absolutely *must* have in order to operate at maximum efficiency? I've used an application called Font Menu Cleaner (©2021, Etresoft, Inc.) in order to trim the overly long font lists within AI; I've begun to think there may be a font I switched off that Illustrator really wants. Shame on me! It was those 5,000 or so Noto Sans things that I was tired of scrolling past . . . 

I am a graphic arts production person, and routinely have fonts flying in and out of active service on any given day. My reference is Kurt Lang's lengthy, well-researched "Font_Management_in_MacOS" (jklstudios.com).

Regards—and thanks,

Don S

[D Schultz]

Update 15 October 2021:

I have just worked an entire week without seeing the "unknown error" message at all. Gulp! Now I've probably jinxed it, but . . .

The most recent (late on 07 Oct) changes I made were to re-enable two system-level fonts: Arial Unicode and Arial Rounded. (I had disabled them by using Font Menu Cleaner, mentioned above.) I will be keeping an eye on this issue, and perhaps thereby assist another graphic artist or two.

Peace,

Don S

[D Schultz]

Update 05 November 2021:

I have switched to AI 2021 (v 25.4.2), followed all the same steps I used for v24.3.2, and Wham! It's happening again. It reminds me of the days when I used to (try to) run MultiFinder . . .

Simple, no-frills documents or more complex, objects at 100% opacity, a limited number of fonts OR the "kitchen sink": An unknown error has occurred.

Save way more often; then you only lose a few minute's worth of work. Sigh—it's a LOT like the early days of computer graphics.

Don S

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi there,

Sorry about the trouble. You may try the following steps and let us know how it goes:

• Try running the app in Hidden Admin Account?
• Does unchecking Save in Background under Illustrator Preferences > File handling help resolve the issue?
  
• If that doesn't work, create a new administrator user account and see if that helps.

We'll be looking forward to your response.

Thanks & Regards,

Anshul Saini

[D Schultz]

Hello to all interested parties.

One idea that had not been suggested was uninstalling any older version of Illustrator. Once I did that—after saving a copy of old plug-ins and extensions—and up to this very minute (since 09 November), I have not had the dreaded "unknown error" message. I had turned off the Save In Background feature earlier, but still got the message a few times.

Once I slimmed down my Applications folder, things have been running without a hitch.

I hope this helps. Happy Holidays!

Don S