relinking images by name from a folder on Illustrator 2018

[lilianec65023813]

Hello, I have a 50 pages Illustrator file full of different images linked. I moved the illustrator file, now I need to relink all the different images, which I would not like to do it individually, instead I would like to command Illustrator to relink all images by their original linked names from a folder. Any help on how to do it?

[Ton Frederiks · Accepted solution]

Illustrator will look for linked images in a folder named links if that folder is next to the Illustrator file.

If your images are all in the same folder (or put into the same folder) and you name that folder links, and put it next to your Illustrator file, then Illustrator will find the links when you open the file.

[lilianec65023813]

Beautiful! Thank you Ton, it worked perfectly adding the link folder close to the file. You saved me hours and hours of work. Thank you very much

[Ton Frederiks]

Good to hear that, Liliane.

Can you mark the correct answer?

[hammer0909]

Ton's suggestion is your best option however if you don't want to move all of the images to the new location of your Illustrator file, your only option would be to relink them manually.

[Ton Frederiks]

Reading your question again:

lilianec65023813  wrote

Hello, I have a 50 pages Illustrator file full of different images linked.

I would suggest to use InDesign in the future for these type of documents.

Indesign was designed to handle multipage documents and handles linked files much (MUCH!) smarter than Illustrator.

[lilianec65023813]

Yes, most definitely I will use InDesign for this kind of project next time.

[gökhanyaka]

You can "package" your assets under the file menu to collect all assets in the same folder then you can chose your images in this folder and move them folder which you saved new illustrator file.

[Ton Frederiks]

But to package them, Illustrator must know where they are...

[gökhanyaka]

I think that Lilian can move a copy of illustrator file to old folder.

[Ton Frederiks]

Yes, if she can move it back to where it came from, the problem would be easily solved.

[schroef]

Thanks for a solution, but i find it hideous that illustrator is I guess the only app which cant use update by folder or does relinking automatically like all other Adobe apps do. Ive seen people posting about this issue far back as 2010!!!! that's 10 years ago. Are they sleeping at Illustrator Dev team?!? Why don't all devs having global meetings to see if options from one app can go to an other. Lots of functions get added from one to other after many years. The development seems so backwards at times, so terribly slow