Recovery folder doesn't seem to exsist

[milena_6612]

The automatic recovery didn't work when i open InDesign the documents weren't recovered and no message nothing. In the InDesign folder there is no folder called cache or recovery or anything i checked all of them.

In my InDesign settings it says that name it says everywhere with .../Cache/Indesign Recovery... but if i click on it there's no path it just goes to downloads, because there is an indesign file there i guess...

Is there anyway to get any of the documents back? I've never had this issue, usually the documents are there even if i didn't save them.

[milena_6612]

sorry for the typos there's no way to edit or delete a post?

[Abhishek Rao · Accepted solution]

Hello @milena_6612,

I'm sorry to hear about the issue you're facing with document recovery in InDesign. To help you further, could you please provide the following details?

1. The version of InDesign you are currently using.
2. Whether this issue has occurred with a single file or with multiple files.
3. Are you saving your files locally on your machine or to a remote server/cloud storage?

In the meantime, please try below steps and update us: 

1. Check for Hidden Recovery Folders: 
   Navigate to the following path: 
     - For Windows: 'C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Adobe\InDesign\[Version]\[Language]\Caches\InDesign Recovery'
     - For macOS: '~/Library/Caches/Adobe InDesign/[Version]/[Language]/InDesign Recovery'
   Ensure that hidden files and folders are set to be visible.

2. Verify the File Path in Preferences:
   Double-check the recovery folder path in Preferences > File Handling to confirm it points to the correct directory.

3. Temporary File Location:
   InDesign often creates temporary files that may still be recoverable. Check the temporary files location on your system to see if any unsaved content remains.

Let me know if any of these steps help or if additional support is needed!

Best,
Abhishek

[milena_6612]

Hi tysm for the quick reply

1. 18.1

2. multiple files 😕

3. locally

I already did point 1 and 2 that you said because i read them elsewhere, that's what i was trying to say - for one thing the InDesign folder isn't under user but just in a folder called programmes on C: and there is no App Data folder and those things... (I'm on Windows)

and if i go on file preferences in the settings it shows a name like the path you said but it doesn't exist... if click to change it it just goes to the downloads folder...

3. Where can i find a temporary files location?

kind regards

Milena

[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @milena_6612,

Thank you for the details and for trying the suggested steps.

It seems like there might be an issue with the default file paths for InDesign. Let's try a couple of additional steps:

1. Since you're on Windows and InDesign isn't in the expected "AppData" folder, it's possible the application was installed in a different location. Check if it's installed in the "Program Files" folder under "Adobe\InDesign" or a similar directory, rather than the default location in "AppData."

2. Since you mentioned that changing the recovery folder in Preferences leads to the Downloads folder, you may need to manually create a recovery folder in a different location. Once created, update the path in Preferences > File Handling to point to this new folder.

If none of these work, we may need to further investigate your specific system setup. Feel free to provide additional details about the issue.

Let me know how it goes!

Best,  
Abhishek

[milena_6612]

Omg i just found the recovery folder after all - there is another adobe folder under user, in App Data , but it doesn't show up if go there, i found App Data only via the search bar, very strange, i'd put in cache and indesign recovery in the search bar before and there were no results...

Anyways i can only open some of the ones called DBTmp... but none of them are the very recent ones i lost, it's just ones i saved anyway 😕 and the others called DBSharing i can't open, they have recent dates..

I'm starting to think those documents are gone gone

But thank you for your help

[Peter Spier]

If autorecovery fails, you are basically out of luck. Despite what @Abhishek Rao has implied, there are no files in the recovery folder that you can open and use to recover the document yourself.

Now for the standard best practices lecture:

Always do a Save As at the end of any editing session, at the very least, and my prefence is to do some sort of sequential naming system so you have multiple versions saved as backup so you never lose more than one session's work and you can always go back further if you like to branch into a new direction. Save As removes accumulated and now useless change data thast cannot be accessed after the file is closed, and that over time can cause file corruption and crashing.

Even better is to ALSO do a "real" backup to an external drive or cloud folder.  You never know when your hardware is going to leave you in the lurch on deadline and an image of your suystem stored off the computer can save your bacon.

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

I suggest a Save As at the beginning of any editing session in case the fingers automatically type Cnt./Cmd-S out of habit! 😁

[Peter Spier]

I tend to do that, too, just so I'm sure I've saved the new version and won't overwrite a backup, but I always save as at the end of the session to clear the junk.

[Peter Spier · Accepted solution]

The folders are HIDDEN by default. You must either type the full path manually or set File Explorer to show hidden files and folders. To do that open File Explorer, click View, then Options at the far right end of the ribbon. In the dialog that opens, click the View tab and scroll down to Hidden Files and Folders, clcik the radio button to show them, clcik Apply, then OK.