Illustrator CC dropping/losing links when I save and reopen, even with packaged files

[#1]

I have seen people with  this issue with Ai CC a few other times in the forum and I have not seen it answered yet. My CC Illustrator documents refuse to link once they're closed.

I am making sure to click "Link" when placing the files. I am making sure "include linked files" is checked on saving. I even packaged several of them to save myself time when re-linking, but it doesn't remember that file path upon re-opening either. It doesn't give me a warning dialog, they're just all embedded when I reopen.

It's also odd that previously "include linked images" was always checked as a default, I now have to choose it every time I save a new doc. It's like that one command just isn't getting through.

I HAVE already tried deleting my preferences using shift-opt-cmd upon opening Ai, that didn't change anything.

I opened a file that was part of a packaged folder, relinked a few images, saved, closed and re-opened and all links are gone again.

It isn't just tedious to relink them, having to package or make new folders for every print piece I do creates a lot of redundant files that waste tons of storage space. Its also creating these huge Ai files as a result of the images being embedded.

Any other solutions?

[#2 · Accepted solution]

renees46556870 wrote:

I have seen people with this issue with Ai CC a few other times in the forum and I have not seen it answered yet. My CC Illustrator documents refuse to link once they're closed.

I am making sure to click "Link" when placing the files. I am making sure "include linked files" is checked on saving.

When you check "Include Linked Files", the files get embedded (included) in the Illustrator document and is no longer linked.

[#3]

wow. so so so dumb.

I just updated to CC from CS6 two months ago and I've spent that whole time doing the wrong thing. I see that was always the default in CS6 as well. I don't know how I got this into my head.

Thanks so much for your quick response. Probably a waste of your time but you just pulled a thorn out of my side.

Illustrator keeps losing linked files

This is the other thread I had seen, but it's clearly not the same thing.

[#4]

Glad to hear that solved it.

[#5]

Thank you so much! I literally spent hours trying to figure out why my links wouldn't stay linked after saving my file. That is the dumbest default settings for a linked document.

[#6]

I just ran into this issue and it drove my ai file to an unmanageable size causing me to have to basically start over. Now, I've just wasted the whole day only to realize that "Include Linked Files" actually means ALL links will be embedded!!!!!! What the hell, Adobe?! Maybe you should rephrase that option before it ruins someone else's day. That is all, thanks.

[#7]

I agree, "Embed Linked Files" instead of "Include Linked Files" would make it clearer.

You can make a feature request here:

Adobe Illustrator Feedback

[#8]

Hang on a sec. This is still confusing. I had "Include Linked Files" checked when I first saved my Illustrator file and linked my images. Today, I go to open the same file with the same images I checked to make sure were linked, and they were all embedded instead. So I had to spend time refinding the image links again. I'm packaging the file so the links are all at least easier to find, but are you saying not to check include link files now? That it actually embeds them? So how do we preserve our links? Embedding the images makes the files WAY too big, plus I like to update my images a lot in photoshop, and I can easily do that through the Links palette to my psd files. I'm still looking for a solution here. 

[#9]

The solution is not to check the Include Linked Files.

If you package the file they will stay linked and copied into a folder next to the Illustrator file.

[#10]

Ah, got it. Thank you, Ton for clarifying this. I agree the verbiage is very confusing. I hope Adobe changes this soon, using the "Embed files" instead.