missing data on a saved document

[Lily32288186gsqr]

Hi community!

So I have been working on an illustrator document for the past 2 weeks, with many pages and designs. I save my documents every day, several times a day. I closed my document and reopened it several times over the past 2 weeks. Today I restarted my computer for the first time in days. And when I opened my document, It looked like 8 days ago. So I am missing 8 days of work. I am sure I saved this work as the previous days when I opened my document to work on it, everything was there. 

Can anyone tell me what happened and if I can somehow recover my 8 days of work... 

[Monika Gause]

Where did you save the file?

Is "Save in Background" turned off in the preferences? It should be.

Are you sure you opened the right document? Is this maybe a backup file?

[Lily32288186gsqr]

Hey Monika, thanks for your answer 🙂

I saved the file in my usual folder. The Data recovery is off. And when I look at my document in the finder, it says the document was created 3 days ago and modified 2 days ago. When I kno I been working on this document for the past to weeks and last modified it 2 days ago. I am puzzled. 

[Monika Gause]

This looks like an older Illustrator version.

Which system is it?

And it also looks like the Illustrator team should take a look at your document. Sometimes (rarely) they can recover things. 

@Anshul_Saini  can you please help?

[Lily32288186gsqr]

Hey Monika, I use CC 22.0.0 (2018). I been working on this version for years and never experienced this before...

[Anshul_Saini]

Hello @Lily32288186gsqr,

I'm sorry to hear about the issue you're facing with your Illustrator document. It's frustrating to lose work, especially when you've been saving your file diligently.

From your description, it seems like the document you opened may not be the one you've been actively working on. The file properties indicate that it was created and modified on different dates, which is unusual if you've been editing it continuously.

I would suggest searching your Mac for any backup or temporary files related to your Illustrator document. Please check the recent tab in Finder and on the Home page screen of Illustrator under the recent tab. Let us know if you see your latest work thumbnail in Illustrator under "Recent" on the Home Screen.

Also, ensure that you're opening the correct file version. It's possible that there might be multiple copies of your file in different locations.

Additionally, have you made any changes to your machine, like a macOS update or any app/ plugin/ extension installed? Do you use a Time machine on your Mac? If yes, it can help restore the file.

I hope one of these suggestions helps you recover your lost work. Losing data is frustrating, and I hope you can retrieve your 8 days of work.

Best regards,

Anshul Saini

[Lily32288186gsqr]

Hi @Anshul_Saini 

Thanks so much for your very detailed answer and kind help. 

Sadly I already have checked all tha you suggested, and I have to say it is a mystery unsolved. The dates on the document part is the weirdest part of it all. 

The only thing I have done is restart my computer before it all happened. 

I think it's a massive bug from the software as the document appeared like it was over two weeks ago yet says it was created only few days ago, which doesn't make any sense. 

I am now redoing over all the lost work... it is very frustrating, but I don't think there is no solution here sadly.

thanks again

[Anshul_Saini]

I can understand the frustration you must be feeling due to this. Losing work is indeed a challenging experience, especially when it's a mystery why it happened.

It's unfortunate that despite your efforts and the suggestions provided, the issue remains unresolved. While we tried our best to assist, sometimes these anomalies can be difficult to pinpoint and resolve. Your commitment to redoing the lost work is commendable.

If you encounter any more issues or have questions in the future, please don't hesitate to reach out to us for assistance. We're here to help.

I wish you smooth and trouble-free creative endeavors moving forward, and I hope you don't encounter such problems again. If you ever need further assistance or have any other questions, feel free to return to the community for support.

Best regards,
Anshul Saini