Illustrator CS6 will not save files. Unknown Error has occured

[akt77]

I am not able to save my files and illustrator gives the message 'An Unknown Error has occured'. In a previous discussion transparency is called out as the culprit however I am not using transparency in my document and have checked all the items. I have also tried copying the work into a new ai file however this also will not save. This is has happened to me about 5 times since I updated to CS6. Anyone else having this issue?

Update - I just closed Illustrator and lost all my work and then an Adobe update window showed up asking me to update Adobe Air. I recall an Adobe Update window appearing once before when I had problems solving. Could the Adobe update window interfere or prevent me from saving my documents?

[akt77]

I've found a solution that temporarily worked.

Reset the settings, workspace and preferences in illustrator to the defaults. This worked for a few saves but then the Unknown Error returned.

http://digital.community-journalism.net/askanexpert/answers/my-adobe-illustrator-program-will-not-le

[akt77]

Again I think I have found a temporary solution. I have a lot of image files that i've dropped/linked into my illustrator file for inspiration.  If i cut those images out then I can save. If i paste them back in then I cannot. I am sure there is a better explanation for why this is happening I just wish it didn't eat into my work time as much as it has been. This seems to happen at least once a week in different files. Anyone else have any thoughts on this issue?

[Mylenium]

You are not providing any system info or other details. File saving errors can have all sorts of causes, including genuine technical issues with your hardware and external influences from your operating system.

Mylenium

[akt77]

I have an iMac OS 10.6.8

Processor 2.16 GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo

Model Name:	iMac
Model Identifier:	iMac5,1
Processor Name:	Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:	2.16 GHz
Number Of Processors:	1
Total Number Of Cores:	2
L2 Cache:	4 MB
Memory:	2 GB
Bus Speed:	667 MHz
Boot ROM Version:	IM51.0090.B09
SMC Version (system):	1.9f4

Displays:

iMac:

  Resolution:    1680 x 1050

  Pixel Depth:    32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)

Previously I have CS3 and I did not have any issues.

If you need more system info let me know. Thanks!

[akt77]

The last time I had an error was April 26th almost exactly a month ago and now the error message preventing me from saving in illustrator is back. Having had this issue numerous times since I upgraded I know the usually things to try. This time I opened a new file. Copy and pasted my orignal work and scaled it down 25%. This seems to have done the trick and i could save the new file but not the original. The file is not complex so i'm not sure why making it smaller should help me save it. I did trying saving as individual artboards before reducing the size and this worked but did not save any of the work that was not on an artboard.

I am not using text or fonts and I had changed the workspace to the original preset to save.

I appreciate the comment below about not saving to a backup harddrive however this is not my issue. I do not have my backup harddrive on nor am i trying to save to it.

A day later......I also when into my disk utility and repaired my permissions. There were numerous permissions that needed repairing and I'm wondering if this was the problem.'

Since Adobe doesn't seem to have a universal resolution for this unknown saving error I would appreciate if anyone else having this problem adds to this thread. Thanks.

[RBwebbie]

akt77,

My error seemed to be a memory issue.  I'd seen this before with CS4 occasionally, when all of a sudden it went into Outline mode and wouldn't let me back out to Preview because I'd been working too long without saving.  (I think at the time I upgraded from 2GB to 4GB RAM, and things got better.  I've been running CS6 now for a couple months, and this is the first time it's popped up again.)

I was not using Transparency.  I closed every single other program on my PC (didn't resolve issue).  I reduced design size by 50%, then another 50% (didn't resolve issue).  I flattened everything (didn't resolve issue).  Then I selected the most complex part of my design that had been live traced, and went to Object > Path > Simplify > Curve Precision > 99%.  That reduced the points from about 300k to 42k and resolved the issue!  Was able to Preview then Save as normal.

Good luck,

RBwebbie

---

Windows XP Home

Intel Core2 Duo 3.00GHz, 3.5GB RAM

Saving to D: data-only drive with 340GB free space

[akt77]

Hi RBwebbie,

Thanks for your solution and I hope it helps someone.

I have not had any problems saving since my last post but given the monthly frequency of my saving issue it might arise in the next day or two. I do think repairing my permsissions has solved this issue. I am also wary of even having my back-up harddrive on when I'm working illustrator as this seemed to cause problems. Back in the day illustrator CS3 would sometimes crash if i inserted a USB stick into my computer while trying to save a doc to my harddrive. It doesn't seem to like external devices (only a theory).

I only have 2GB of RAM and tried to upgrade but my local computer store said my iMac is maxed out. While everything is running smoothly I am thinking of investing in a new computer if this persists.

It is unfortunate that you had to simply the design to save but I'm glad that you could save your work.

[meitnik]

am running 10.7.5, imac 2012, intel i5 core. 12gb ram. I too moved and deleted and remade my prefs, workspace, lost hours of work, now the saving problem is back. I want to use cs6 not cs5 what gives. I paid for an upgrade that should save!!!!!

update:

I just got off phone with Adobe tech support. They explain I should not be saving to my fireware 800 external hard-drive but to my mac desktop and then manually moving those files to the fireware drive and move them back to my main drive when I want to work on them. REALLY!!!!!!!! I have been using Adobe products for a very long time. Never ever once in documentation do they explain what I was told by support. What! Adobe can't write code to do what nearly all my programs are able to do: write and read from an external hard-drive! Whats the point of having an external harddrive Adobe!!

meitnik

[Observer111]

Interesting. I'm experience a similar issue after i imported a PSD mockup of an iphone. If I delete that object, OR remove it from the artboard area, it saves.

[Franclozano]

I´m having this issue all days, traying to saving, What I do, is is this: save my document as an "Illustrator Template"-.ait), then I close the file, o to the folder where I storage the file, rename the extension of the file, from: .ait; to .ai. And it works normal.

Tray it, tell me later

[Jacob Bugge]

act,

Sometimes it is better to Move the folder  than to just delete the AI preference file.

[Dcox82]

This just worked for me.  Illustrator has been so buggy recently

[dreamycreamy]

there's something that cant be saved or copied (i dont know why unfortunately)

try copying the elements one by one and try saving after each design elements are copied to other page.

You'll get to the point where, after you copied something, you can't save anymore, that's the corrupted thing. I don't know how to fix it, maybe re-do, idk.

sorry for my english

[akt77]

Thanks I will try moving pieces of the artboard over 1 by 1 the next time this happens.

The last time I could not save in illustrator I turned off my back up harddrive and then was able to save the file. I really think there is a connection to having external devices plugged into the computer. I run my itunes through my back up harddrive and when I turn this off illustrator usually behaves.

[maddog4u]

Recieve the unkown error, during save,

Dont panic

Initiate Save again but

Save the file by turning off the Create PDF Compatible File,  feature and it saves just fine and you dont loose your work.

[Egypt Urnash]

> Save the file by turning off the Create PDF Compatible File

+1.

I started getting 'unknown errors' while saving some PDF-compatible versions of files I'd created with that switch off.

I ended up tracking it down to a path deep inside a distortion mesh that had no fill, no stroke, and nothing showing up in the appearance palette, yet was still marked as having some appearance effects applied to it; I hit the 'clear appearance' button in the appearance palette and was able to save just fine.

Tracking method: Delete half your layers, try to save. Does it save? If yes, then undo, and delete half of the layers you just got back via the undo. If no, undo and delete half of the layers you didn't delete the first time. Repeat until it's down to one layer; open that layer up and start deleting half its objects until you're down to one object.

[Jace_R]

I have been getting the same problem with Illustrator not letting me save .ai files (very simple files with no text or complex paths and minimal transparencies).

After looking into this, I have figured out that it is not actually an Adobe issue, it is a problem with the printer driver, try changing the default printer on your PC/Mac and try and resave the files - I know it sounds odd, but I believe illustrator refers to your default printer and driver when saving .ai files (probably for postscript reasons especially if making the .ai files PDF compatible).

If this works, you could then try re-installing your printer driver, but I would first try changing the defaiult printer.

I currently work on a PC, we seem to have a problem occuring with the PPD (printer driver) after a windows update sometimes, the problem with illustrator files occurred the same time I encountered printing problems (files not sending to the printer or the app crashing), we have 9 PC's all running CS6 and only 3 were affected which use the same printer as the default, the others were not affected when trying to save files.

I tried changing the default printer, it worked for me, so hopefully it also works for everyone else.

I look forward to hearing how it goes for you.

[david@springerstudios.com]

"I ended up tracking it down to a path deep inside a distortion mesh that had no fill, no stroke, and nothing showing up in the appearance palette, yet was still marked as having some appearance effects applied to it; I hit the 'clear appearance' button in the appearance palette and was able to save just fine."@Egypt Urnash

Worked like a charm! Thx

[Freshprinceofeugene]

Save the file by turning off the Create PDF Compatible File,  feature and it saves just fine and you dont loose your work.

This has fixed it for me the several times this has happened. Don't know why it works but it does.

[Maria1987]

Hi,

Has anyone checked their links? (Window>Links) I encountered this error a lot of times within one day. Only to find out that I had this corrupted jpeg copied from a previous file. It was big to the point that it became invisible in my artboard. The only way I got to see it was through the Links side window. I remembered how corrupt the jpeg was and deleted it right away. Afterwards, Illustrator didn't have any issues! Worked like it was from Day 1.

Have a look and see if there's something in or out of the artboard through the Links window.

God bless.

[creatifolio]

Hello everyone. I've been having this same problem. I tried to edit a CS4 file in CS6 and save, and CS6 kept crashing and giving me this "Unknown Error." I eventually had to rebuilt the file, artboard by artboard (and save in between.) I chose not to include two layers (with either locked or hidden components) and this seemed to fix the problem. My file is now saving with no problems.

[nielc_john]

Hi akt77,

Newbie here in Adobe AI, also i am so embarrassed where to find that solution but based on my instincts  i didn't give up to fix this problem. Now i want to share what's going on through that particular error. Actually it's not an error, it's just a warning that you can't be able to save files because of your fonts and image that you have embedded through it Ok now, Go to Object > Expand that's all i can help you. email me when you are available

-Nielc John

[ursuss]

I had the same problem. As it was said in some posts above, this error will happen if the document it's too complex (I had 8 big art boards that had masked images, a lot of boxes with transparency and a lot of texts). The only solution I found was to copy the objects I didn't really needed to edit in that moment, to bring them in Photoshop as smart object trough copy and paste and save the resulting file as a layered tiff (to be able to edit the smart objects later, if needed).

Afterwards import the tiff file in illustrator and, there you go, you have a little monster that should save your work.

Actually transforming objects from illustrator into smart object in Photoshop saved my life in many moments when I had problems with the program.

Hope I was clear enough Good luck!

[AMCLLC]

I am having this same issue. Adobe Illustrator CC 17 (the most recent update) will not allow me to save. I have attempted to change the file name, revert to various legacy versions, save to my desktop or hard drive versus my external, export an EPS, etc. I have finally been able to save by expanding everything, but that is not at all helpful for an in-progress document. I do not consider it a work around in the slightest, only a solution that's better than losing your work.

I am running 10.7.5 on a MacPro 2 x 2 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon. All applications are up to date. I am having the same problem on my MacBook Pro, running Yosemite. Again, all applications up to date.

Please help.