Help! can i retrieve an unsaved indesign file from dbt file

[Kate24263846spxt]

Hello, 

I have been working on an InDesign file which I think I shut down without saving today. I really need to work. There is a file from the time i shut down indesign in dbt format found in the cache, indesign recovery folder- is there a way to retrieve that work? 

I have a deadline this monday and cannot reach an operator over the weekend.

[Barb Binder · Accepted solution]

Hi @Kate24263846spxt:

How Adobe InDesign Automatic Recovery works

When you are editing your InDesign file, the application will automatically save your changes every minute. All your work progress/changes will be stored in a temporary file (begin with “dbt”) which can be found in the Adobe InDesign recovery folder. When you save your work (“File” > “Save” or “Save As”) or exit from InDesign normally, the temporary file will be deleted. However, if the program closes abnormally and then you run the program again, InDesign will attempt to use those temporary files to open whatever was open at the time of the last crash and recover unsaved changes to your InDesign file.

Steps to Recover INDD File with InDesign Temporary file

1. You need to restart the InDesign application immediately after the crash. If the application is still running, close it, and then open it again.
2. When the application opens, it checks the InDesign recovery folder. Any document that was open when InDesign crashed will be retrieved from the temporary files. If the auto-recovery feature locates your file, it will open it.
3. Save the recovered InDesign file.

When InDesign opens your file, it will have an auto-recovery name assigned to it. It may appear as “[original name] recovered” and if the document was unnamed it will appear as “Untitled Project 1 recovered”. You will need to save the file with a new name, go to “File” > “save as” enter the name and choose the location you desire to save the file.

Note：If InDesign fails to use the temporary file to recover unsaved INDD file for you after the restart, many posts will tell you to locate the InDesign Recovery folder manually and force the program to recover data. BUT. It won’t work. Just because the information contained in the InDesign Recovery folder is in encrypted format.

—https://ios-data-recovery.com/recover-unsaved-deleted-indesign-file/

I hope you are recover your file. Looking ahead, many of us have learned to make incremental back-ups, using save as each day, for example. It is also a good practice to store your working documents on a cloud drive like the Creative Cloud drive or Dropbox, both of which make automatic incremental backups for you.

~Barb