InDesign Auto-Save Issue

[ali_4619]

Hi I just lost 5 hours of work on my InDesign document. It has been auto saving and suddenly 90% of my work on the design has disappeared. It has reverted to the version I was working on 5 hours ago. Please how do I retrieve all my work?

<Title renamed by MOD>

[Eugene Tyson · Accepted solution]

Sorry to hear, it's happened to all of us, and it's a tough tough thing when it happens. A lot of the times it happens it forces users, like myself who it has also happened to, to get into a habit of saving file not only with the Save command but also creating versions, using Save As and naming adding extra to the file name like FileName_v1.indd and FileName_v2 etc. 

I've certainly got into a habit of at least every hour to do this. 

With that unpleasant reality out of the way, just want to clarify some things.

Hard to know - InDesign has auto recovery if you set that to between 1-60 minutes, it creates auto recovery data for when indesign crashes.

Only InDesign Cloud Documents an autosave - I believe. 

Were you working on the Cloud Document or working locally on your hard drive? 

What is your OS and what version of the OS and version of InDesign etc.?

To cut to the chase
If you're on Mac - then do you have Time Machine running? 

If not I'd strongly recommend you set this up. 

If you're on Windows hopefully the Restore Previous Version is operating on the folders you're working on

Found this handy guide

https://its.uiowa.edu/services/shared-drive-filesiowa/recover-previous-version-file-or-folder-window...

 --------------

Some other things

Check the Recovery Folder Manually

On Mac: ~/Library/Caches/Adobe InDesign/Version [XX.0]/InDesign Recovery
On Windows: C:\Users\[Your User]\AppData\Local\Adobe\InDesign\Version [XX.0]\en_US\Caches\InDesign Recovery
If document was open when InDesign crashed, there’s a chance InDesign stored a recovery version there.

-------------------
Cloud Backup Services

Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive, might be able to restore a previous version.

------------------------
Check Scratch Disks (Mac only)

Sometimes, temporary files get stored in private/var/folders. Using Terminal, search for missing files (ls -lt /private/var/folders).

[ali_4619]

Hi Eugene, thank you so much for this perfect answer and for being so fast! 

[leo.r]

It has been auto saving and suddenly 90% of my work on the design has disappeared. It has reverted to the version I was working on 5 hours ago. Please how do I retrieve all my work?

By @ali_4619

In addition to other suggestions:

Can you please elaborate on what you mean by "It has been auto saving"? Does it mean that you weren't saving the file regularly in hope that InDesign auto-saves it, or that you're running a 3rd-party auto-save utility, or something else?

Also, at what point 90% of your work "has disappeared"? Did InDesign crash, or has the work disappeared after closing and reopening the document, or was there a different kind of event that made the work disappear?

[oliviah89867351]

I would like to add to this discussion that I have had a problem with auto save today. I've lost work by opening a file, making destructive changes then closing it (assuming it will revert to prev version) and Indesign auto saved as it is a cloud doc. I didn't know this was a feature of CC and have discovered it is not possible to disable it either. No luck with recovering older version when I contacted Adobe help either. I know I can avoid this by saving to my laptop but then my file isn't backed up! Terrible feature, wish they would make it optional

[BobLevine]

I recommend using Dropbox or OneDrive. Versions are created with every save and you can revert with a few clicks of your mouse.

[oliviah89867351]

Thanks. Would that involve another subscription? Easier if Adobe just made it optional, or added a simple prompt

[leo.r]

Easier if Adobe just made it optional, or added a simple prompt

By @oliviah89867351

First, saving as Cloud Document IS optional.

Second, if your file is saved as a cloud doc, then you can try to recover an earlier version: locate the file in the Creative Cloud app > Open on Web menu, in the resulting webpage you can find earlier revisions (if any).

[leo.r]

Creative Cloud app > Open on Web menu, in the resulting webpage you can find earlier revisions (if any).

By @leo.r

Some clarifications as there's (yet another) bug in cloud doc implementation:

Once the Open in Web menu opens the file's webpage, you need to first click Files in the left sidebar, then click the desired file. Only then will the Timeline icon appear on the file's page.

[leo.r]

making destructive changes then closing it (assuming it will revert to prev version) and Indesign auto saved as it is a cloud doc.

By @oliviah89867351

Hmm... indeed. I just tried it, and if you make changes to a cloud doc, then close the doc without saving, there will be no usual Save/Don't Save dialog - the file will be saved automatically. 

I didn't know that.

I don't know if it's a "feature" or bug, but this is seriously wrong behavior either way.

(Granted, an earlier version of a cloud doc can be recovered, as I described earlier, but I still don't think it's acceptable behavior. It's an additional hassle to suddenly have to recover changes you never intended to save in the first place.)

[leo.r]

P.S. Oh, and there's also actually the Window > Version HIstory panel, where an earlier revision can be recovered. 

Although, as far as I recall, it doesn't always represent what can be found via the Timeline feature on the web.

[oliviah89867351]

THANK YOU so much. For such useful info, you have easily bettered the help I got from Adobe support. I have been able to get back via the timeline on the web page function as you described. This info is NOT easily found in a web search so I am so glad I posted on here. Can't thank you enough, saved me a lot of time rebuilding my pages.

The version history panel is new to me too, and looks like a mirror for the web based timeline but for this time, it's solved by the initial fix you sent. MANY THANKS!!