Illustrator PDF Save with “Preserve Editing Capabilities” Fails to Embed .AI Data

[curts64230989]

Product: Adobe Illustrator
Version: 29.5.1 (Mac)
OS: Sequoia 15.3.2 (24D81)
Bug Type: Save/Export Functionality
Priority: High – Data loss / workflow disruption

Issue Summary

PDFs saved from Illustrator with “Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities” checked are sometimes missing the embedded .ai data. When reopened, Illustrator imports the file like a standard PDF — with clipping masks, broken text boxes, and flattened layers — instead of opening it as an editable Illustrator file.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Create a multi-page document in Illustrator.
2. Save the file as a .pdf via File > Save As > Adobe PDF, with “Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities” checked.
3. Close and reopen the file in Illustrator.
4. File opens as a flat PDF instead of as an editable .ai-like file.

Expected Behavior

The PDF should open in Illustrator with full editing capabilities (layers, text boxes, styles), as if it were a native .ai file.

Actual Behavior

• File opens as a PDF with all content inside clipping masks.
• Text boxes are broken or outlined.
• Layers and original object structure are lost.
• File size is unusually small (~1.1MB for a 12-page vector document), suggesting that .ai content was never embedded despite the setting.

Notes

• This issue did not occur in previous versions (prior to 29.5.1).
• Behavior persists across files; reproducible with new documents.
• Files created with this bug cannot be recovered as editable .ai format unless a backup exists.

[Ton Frederiks]

Where did you save those files?

Saving on servers, external devices and in folders synched to the cloud are known to sometimes corrupt files.

[curts64230989]

Just saved them to my mac hard drive as usual. Same file worked correctly as recently as last week.

[Ton Frederiks]

And you did not save them to your Mac hard drive to a folder like DropBox or linked to an iCloud drive?

Also some PDF versions (PDFX or Smallest File Size) do not save the Illustrator Editing Options in the file.

The option is also sticky, turn it off and it will be turned off next time you save another file.

[curts64230989]

Thanks for asking. I saved them to just a regular folder. I never use DropBox or iCloud drive. I wondered if maybe the Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities box was accidently unchecked, but have confirmed several times that it was checked, with the same results.

[Ton Frederiks]

If that is checked, it should embed the Illustrator file into the PDF.

Out of curiosity, is there a reason you save as PDF as working files instead of saving them as regular Illustrator files?

[curts64230989]

I've been doing it for years. I often end up sending my designs to clients or co-workers mid process. It has saved having to save two files. The .ai file and then a .pdf for their approval. Until now, it's always worked flawlessly.

[Ton Frederiks]

I can imagine that is handy, although it may open in Acrobat instead of Illustrator when double clicking or when using Edit Original in InDesign.

But regarding your problem, unless someone comes up with a smart idea, you may want to contact Adobe Support or mention and describe the problem here: 

https://illustrator.uservoice.com/

[Brad @ Roaring Mouse]

I've checked your file and it does not have the .ai side in it at all. The .ai side starts with the phrase %!PS-Adobe-3.0 and follows the PDF code (seen in a Hex Editor). This does not exist in your file.

I cannot reproduce the issue with Illustrator 29.5.1 in any test file I try, so I'm afraid that maybe it was saved without it by accident.

I understand your desire to do it this way, but it's a dangerous way to work in my opinion. One slip, whether by you or by your client, and you've lost your .ai file.

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @curts64230989,

I hope the suggestions from the experts were helpful. I also tested this behavior on my end, and everything seems to work fine. If you're still facing the issue, could you please try creating a brand-new .ai file and save it as a PDF with the “Preserve Illustrator Editing Capabilities” option checked? Then reopen that file in Illustrator and see if the issue persists.

If it does, please share that sample file with us so we can take a closer look.

Looking forward to your update!

Abhishek