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1

Is There a Way to Restore Actions from Cloud or Time Machine?

Explorer ,
Feb 16, 2023 Feb 16, 2023

A couple of months ago I created a post about how CC app does not show latest versions of the apps and that I cannot update anything. Nothing has changed since then and offered solutions were too inconvenient and I didn't do them.

 

Earlier today I thought what if I try to update them from web app and I clicked install button for each app and it directed to me Creative Cloud app. There I can see them being "updated" (from 24.0 to 24.1.1) to latest versions with one major issue, they are not updated, they are installed as "fresh" so I lost all my preferences, actions, etc.

 

I had custom action sets that are saved in Actions panel but not exported. Is there a way to bring them back? I regularly backup using Time Machine and tried to locate these files with no luck. I don't mind the preferences but getting these custom actions is top priority for me.

 

Appreciate any help.

TOPICS
Actions and scripting , macOS
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correct answers 1 Correct answer

Community Expert , Feb 16, 2023 Feb 16, 2023

More here:

 

https://prepression.blogspot.com/2017/01/photoshop-custom-action-file-backup.html?m=1

 

The Actions Palette.psp file can often be used to migrate the entire panel/palette or to possibly retrieve unsaved actions. The location of the Actions Palette.psp file can be found in locations similar to:

 

Mac:
/Users/username/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop CC 2022 Settings⁩/Actions Palette.psp


Win:
C:\Users\username\appData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop 2022\Adobe Photoshop 2022 Settings\A

...
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LEGEND ,
Feb 16, 2023 Feb 16, 2023

Actions can be exported to an atn file, otherwise they are temporarily stored in Photoshop preferences. You can try going back with Time Machine and restoring your Adobe preferences but I'm not sure that Adobe documents exactly which file they are saved in.

Adobe doesn't create a fresh set of preferences for a dot release, only for say version 24 to version 25. So nothing should have changed. Try quitting everything and restarting your computer to see if things are back the way you had them.

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Community Expert ,
Feb 16, 2023 Feb 16, 2023

Hi, @Lumigraphics and @Incredible_Rose0D4C one can find the location of the Actions palette.psp prefs in this helpx document: https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/preference-file-names-locations-photoshop.html

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Community Expert ,
Feb 16, 2023 Feb 16, 2023

More here:

 

https://prepression.blogspot.com/2017/01/photoshop-custom-action-file-backup.html?m=1

 

The Actions Palette.psp file can often be used to migrate the entire panel/palette or to possibly retrieve unsaved actions. The location of the Actions Palette.psp file can be found in locations similar to:

 

Mac:
/Users/username/Library/Preferences/Adobe Photoshop CC 2022 Settings⁩/Actions Palette.psp


Win:
C:\Users\username\appData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop 2022\Adobe Photoshop 2022 Settings\Actions Palette.psp

 

(Replace “username” with your user account name and also replace 2022 with your version name/number. The Windows appData or Mac Library directory may be hidden. You can search the web for how to make hidden folders visible for your OS if this is the case).

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Community Expert ,
Jul 04, 2025 Jul 04, 2025
LATEST

Thanks Stephen. Il worked.

For the record I was on Photoshop 26.4.0. and I could not find any 26.6… update on my C. Cloud App, so I was missing new features..

But there was a Photoshop install icon on the CC app tab just as if I did not have it aldready installed.

Clicking on Install replaced my 26.4.0 without warning so I lost all my settings.

Now SNAFU again.

😉

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