Participant

Answered

Illustrator - An Unknown error is detected. To help us investigate further... ShareWithAi@adobe.com

Forum|Forum|3 years ago
July 19, 2022
12 replies
16139 views

I just want to let everyone (and especially Adobe, obviously) know that this is still an issues in Illustrator v 26.3.1 on Windows. I installed Illustrator v26.3.1 fresh on a recently installed Windows 11 computer, and I encountered the same problem on my first attemt to save an .ai file.

The work-around that worked was unchecking BOTH "save in background" AND "export in background". Unchecking either one on its own still produces the error.

So if Anshul is right and it was fixed in v26.2.1 it has either regressed in v26.3.1 or it was fixed in the Mac branch of the code, but not in the Windows (11) branch of the code.

Either way it's still an active bug in Illustrator v26.3.1 on Windows 11.

P.S. The suggested "go to File and Package" etc message on the error dialog doesn't work. The "Package.." option is greyed out.

Last observation: This is a really bad bug to ship your software with, Adobe. You can't expect your customers, who pay a premium price for a premium product, to hunt down weird work-arounds to do something as basic as saving a file. And from the articles I found on this issues while looking for an answer it has been a bug for quite some time. That is, honestly, unacceptable. I hope you prioritize getting it properly fixed.

Bug

Correct answer kellybente

I had this problem on Sept 15, 2023. I systematically deleted elements until it would save properly. The offending element was legacy text.

J

John24472726qybf

Known Participant

This is STILL an issue with Illustrator 29 (2025). In fact, I just updated to the new performance and bug fix update, Illustrator 29.4, last night, and the first file I opened this morning, I got the same error code. Usually, I can save the file as an eps and then come back and save as an ai file later. But this time, when trying to save as an eps, I got a new error, "Can't save the illustration. Not enough memory was available, or the object was too complex." Well, I have about 250GB of free space on my Mac and it's a 1.5MB file. The file has a few super-simple vector art illustrations (solid colors with probably less than 100 anchor points combined) and a word typed out in about a dozen different fonts (all Adobe fonts) — that's it. Not complexed.

I

Isha23605472m0yc

Participant

i am facing the same problem right now! i tried to make new files and making the same stuff there as well but it constantly doesnt let me save it the dialogue box keeps asking and saying email a packaged file to them but to send them the file it needs to let me save it! whic does not happen so what are we supposed to do? and its not even like my file is heavy its literally text with offset path on it thats all majorly that with one png in the background! please let me know a fix of this

A

Anubhav M

Community Manager

Hello @Isha23605472m0yc,

Could you check if Illustrator behaves this way with all files or files from a specific folder location (internal/external/network drive or a cloud-synced folder like Google Drive/Dropbox/etc.), so I can better assist you?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Anubhav

I

Ihdaa37445190jayf

Participant

Hello, I still suffer from this issue and I tried all the solutions above and nothing worked. This is super annoying

C

Casamia

Known Participant

The only thing that works is saving as a PDF and reopening after restarting Illustrator. If you have the latest version (2025) at least, the PDF will be intact.

Y

Yolanda34282227tkla

Participant

Hi, same here using version 29.2.1 and still experiencing this issue. I cannot open my file. Cannot get past this warning. Illustrator just quit itself once I clicked OK.

Moeez85

Participant

I’ve tried all the methods, but nothing seems to work. However, I’ve discovered the right solution that will always work. If nothing else helps, the best approach is to identify the specific object in the document causing the issue. Sometimes, it can be as small as a dot.

For example, if you have five artboards:

Select the first artboard (objects+text) and press Ctrl + X to cut it.
Then, press Ctrl + S to save the document.
If an error appears, press Ctrl + Z to undo the action and move to the next artboard.
Repeat this process for all the artboards until you find the one causing the issue.

Once you’ve identified the problematic artboard, gradually select objects or text within it and repeat the same procedure. This method will help you pinpoint the exact object causing the problem.

C

Casamia

Known Participant

This is STILL an issue in Illustrator 2025. It's working fine in the 2023 version. It's not problem text or legacy whatever. It's your problem Adobe. I pay you for this software. Stop blaming it on me. Never mind trying to get all your AI crap into the software - fix it so it works for the people who actually use it every day. If I'm risking losing all my hard work, it's NOT worth it.

N

neelk43188084

Participant

To solve this I just ungroup everything and save the file again. EUREKA! it works.
I am not sure it will work for everyone, but it works for me at least. So just sharing my way.

E

EymenAkbayir

Participant

what the hell this issue is still going on ??????????????
Why we are paying for Adobe and they dont fix the issues all long years

I still have the same problem until I save as PDF then Open then Save Ai

rather than making randomly updates and only changing the Program intro pictures Do best version and stop making updates

in early years we were using same illustrator version for long years without any issues in these days every week there is update and in every update there is new error

Monika Gause

Community Expert

I've never seen this error.

As you might have read in this thread, in this case it has been caused by a corrupt element in a file. That can happen. If it happens regularly, you might want to check your hardware and system.

You can contact Support for help with your system at https://helpx.adobe.com/contact.html They can login to your system.

D

dirias

Participant

This is still an ongoing issue. I have latest Adobe software updates via cloud and latest Windows 11 updates installed. The issue is not isolated to legacy type formats either.

K

kellybenteCorrect answer

Participant

I had this problem on Sept 15, 2023. I systematically deleted elements until it would save properly. The offending element was legacy text.

K

kellybente

Participant

Deleting this group solved the issue.

P

Paula222857870i7l

Participant

I had the same issue and found my problem.

I was working on my Illustrator project from my PC. The project is saved on my OneDrive. I went to a meeting and opened the project on my Macbook. In that meeting, I typed notes directly onto my project's artboard and saved the file.

The next day, I opened it back up onto my other PC. (I work from my home, so I have multiple computers). I made some additional changes and hit save. Then that error came up.

Then I noticed that the notes I had typed up were nowhere to be found. Then by accident, I clicked on a blank space and text box appeared with no text. I deleted them all then hit save again. The document saved. Turns out, I had corrupt text boxes.

Anshul_Saini

Community Manager

Wow, I'm sorry to hear that you had the same issue with Illustrator as others reported on this post, @Paula222857870i7l.

It sounds like you figured out what caused the problem, which is great! I really appreciate you reaching out and sharing your findings and workaround with others. That's so helpful!

May I ask if it's possible to share a file or screen recording demonstrating the issue? This way, we can share it with the product team, and they can see what's causing the problem. They may be able to create a potential fix for this issue in the future. Thank you for your time and for helping others with their Illustrator problems!

Looking forward to your response.

Thanks,

Anshul Saini

J

jaredm17851757

Participant

I would love some help with this also!

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