How can I retrieve previous version of InDesign CS6 document when Revert is gray?

[Cogwheel]

Windows 10 / InDesign CS6

Please help me recover my previous version if it can be done and/or let me know how to find the InDesign Recovery folder in Windows 10.

What can you do when you accidentally close a document without saving, and then realise it was a mistake, but "File/Revert" is greyed out?  I seem to have lost one whole day's work (2 days ago, terminated by a power outage) - the changes were retained on opening up the document today, but when accidentally closed instead of saved (distracted by a phishing phone call at the time) ALL those changes from 2 days ago have gone - not just a few made today.

File/Revert is grayed out, and I don't know where to find the  "InDesign Recovery folder contents" - location for Windows 10 is not listed at Recover documents if InDesign crashes or hangs and nothing comes up when I search for this folder.

There is SOOO much carefully crafted work in these lost changes  - the prospect of recreating it is incredibly depressing - so if the previous version is recoverable somehow, I would really appreciate knowing how to get it. 

[Willi Adelberger]

If you have not saved your document you can't do anything to retrieve this file. I am sorry. After closing a document anything not saved is lost forever.

[Cogwheel]

Willi

I fear that you're right, but I want to look into this further, as the changes had survived for two days with the computer turned off overnight twice during that time.  Can you tell me where the InDesign Recovery folder is in Windows 10?

[BobLevine]

If the computer had crashed the file would likely recover when you relaunched InDesign. But you closed it in a normal way, discarding your changes. They are gone and nothing you do will get them back.

You’ll have to recreate all of your work.

[Cogwheel]

Bob

I'm sure you're right, but I would still like to check the InDesign Recovery folder just in case, given the unusual circumstances.  All my programs are on C: drive (a solid-state drive) while all my documents, images etc etc are on I: drive (a conventional hard drive).  I assume the InDesign Recovery folder would be on the I: drive but have no idea where to look.

[BobLevine]

There’s nothing unusual about this.

You failed to save a file and closed it anyway.

But go ahead and knock yourself out:

C:\Users\USER NAME\AppData\Local\Adobe\InDesign\Version number\language\Caches

[Cogwheel]

Thank you Bob and Peter

In the image below, the second item on the list is exactly the right timing to have preserved all that precious work.  Peter says there's nothing I can do to get at it.  I wonder if there's some work-around, or something available that could recover the likely embedded information?  If there is, it will save me a huge amount of time etc, and would no doubt be useful to others in the future.

[BobLevine]

You work is gone and you're wasting your time hoping for a miracle.

Look at the size of those files. There's nothing worth anything in them.

[Peter Spier]

There is nothing in the recovery folder that you, as a user, can access. Recovery data is only usable by InDesign itself during the auto-recovery process.

[Cogwheel]

Thank you

[Test Screen Name]

It's worth understanding what Revert does.

Revert takes the currently open file and reads it back in from disk.

So...

(1) if you opened the file, changed it, and SAVED it, then changed it again, this will go back to the LAST save.

(2) if you opened the file, changed it, and have NOT saved it, this will go back to how the file was when you opened it.

(3) If the file is not edited since you opened or saved it, then the copy on disk is identical, and Revert is greyed out.

Revert doesn't look for or keep any second copies or backups; it just deal with the one file, as it is at this moment, on disk.

[Om Nath Jha]

Hi,

As mentioned by Bob, Peter and other MVPs, unfortunately it cannot be recovered and you are looking for a miracle. The files you showed in that folder cannot be recovered as your document. Best suggestion : Recreate the file.

Regards,

Om

[John Mensinger]

Recreate the file.

Yes, and make a habit of pressing Ctrl+S after each editing task. It only takes a second, and you can still undo (as many times as you've set in Preferences) back through those saves if you change your mind.

[marciah5121209]

In your folder, right click on the document icon. Go to properties. Click on the previous versions tab and see if the one you're looking for shows up. It worked for me when I needed to recover a version I had saved a couple days earlier.

[MargoM.]

marciah5121209 just broke the system 😄

I was trying to roll back to a previous version of a file (after accidentally overwriting a template I had created and wanting to retrieve it) - unfortunately there's no previous versions avaliable under properties for me, but this is a fine example of thinking outside of the box!

@Adobe - you should really think about adding this sort of functionality (ie. ability to recover a previous version of a file) - Microsoft has it in MS Office. They've beaten you to it - and big time!

[BobLevine]

First off, this is an eight year old discussion. But this is not on Adobe, it's on you to adapt a workflow with safety built in. I strongly suggest you start working in a Dropbox or OneDrive folder and you'd be able to recover files with a couple of mouse clicks.

[MargoM.]

First off, this is an eight year old discussion. But this is not on Adobe, it's on you to adapt a workflow with safety built in. I strongly suggest you start working in a Dropbox or OneDrive folder and you'd be able to recover files with a couple of mouse clicks.

I actually do have all of the files saved on OneDrive, but not ure how that helps...?

[BobLevine]

OneDrive keeps versions of files. Go to OneDrive.com. Find the file and click on the three dots and choose Version History.