Illustrator 29.1 Can't Import AI Files From Other Apps

[Bobby Henderson]

I've been dealing with a new bug encountered in Illustrator 29.1 today. This new version has serious limits with importing AI files exported by other applications. If the AI file has no text objects it will open. But if the AI file has any text objects an error box will be displayed saying:

Illustrator could partially read this file. We recovered as much of the file as possible, but some content might be missing. Open to view the recovered file.

When the file is opened there is no content, just an empty placement box.

Rebooting, doing disc cleanup, etc made no difference. The problem would still persist. The only solution appears to be installing a previous build of Illustrator and opening the exported AI files there.

Update: I tested the problem on my home setup. The problem is present there. The update for Illustrator 29.1 released earlier today (11/20/2024) won't import AI files exported from other applications (such as CorelDRAW for instance). The issue is present in the current beta as well.

This might not seem like an important issue, but it is pretty common to handle art files made by customers or by co-workers who are using other design applications. I've tried resetting preferences and even removing plugins (such as those made by Astute Graphics) but those steps don't fix the problem.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @Bobby Henderson,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Would you mind sharing a sample file after uploading to a file-sharing service here or via DM so I can check it on my end?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

[Bobby Henderson]

I sent you a DM with a sample file uploaded to my Dropbox account.

[Anshul_Saini]

Hi @Bobby Henderson,

Thanks for sharing the file with us. We are able to replicate the same behavior at my end. Let us check with the product team, and we will get back to you.

Best,

Anshul Saini

[Bobby Henderson]

Thanks! I appreciate it. I'm wondering if this issue could be related to the other odd type issues people are seeing with the 29.1 release.

[Bobby Henderson]

Bump: The patch for AI v29.1 released on Nov 26 doesn't address this specific issue. Instead, the new build changes the error behavior. Previously the document would open with an empty placement box in the middle of an art board. Now the document opens with no art board visible at all.  

[Anubhav M]

Hello @Bobby Henderson,

Thanks for sharing the details. I have escalated this to the product team and they are currently investigating it. I will update this thread as I have more info.

Feel free to reach out if you have more questions or need assistance. We'd be happy to help.

Anubhav