Photoshop file disappeared after being saved

[mylinht1019]

I've been working on a project for several days and I saved it each time before leaving my laptop, but today when I went on the file was nowhere to be found. On the other day's when I would open Photoshop the file would be in the "recent files" tab and I could continue where I left off. I've tried searching under all my files on my MacBook but I still cannot find it.

[Muhammad_Elarbi]

I recently had this happen to me with a file working from an external SSD (SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 2TB)

I went on support with Adobe since I could not open Photoshop after it happened, and my SSD manufacturer (SanDisk) -- both essentially just blamed it on Apple or other companies involved and could not provide a real solution to the issue. It is tough to decipher as I have updated both software recently. I am still confused about why this happened and if it will happen again in the future to my files. I do not know the real culprit of his issue but I can assume it is Catalina as this is the first time this issue has happened to me.

If any of you have updated information on this I would appreciate it.

[D Fosse]

Never work directly off an external disk. Always save locally, then copy over.

There is a known issue with Catalina and exFAT-formatted external disks, but apart from that it's common sense. External disks are vulnerable to loose connectors and flaky cables. The connection can be lost in an instant, just by accidentally bumping into something with your hand. Then your file is irretrievably lost or damaged. It's just very risky.

[JohnFranks]

I've just had a file "disappear" with Photoshop 2020. Saved the file to my desktop, I go looking on my desktop and it's nowhere to be found. Open Photoshop, click open file and it's there. I delete the file through the file manager in Photoshop and it doesn't even show in the recycling bin. Save a different file in photoshop as a PNG and the same thing. That. Is. Crap

[Swaffs]

I've had the same problem, never happened before.  I save some designs yesterday and now nowhere to be found.  I've searched by name and files are empty. I had copied as JPEG into word and they are there but cannot get back into Photoshop to edit.  Awful waste of time!

[Inini1]

I just the problem yesterday, actually on friday, but I saved my graphic file in 3 formats, jpg, psd and png. Yesterday I was going to continue working on the file, clicked on the recent document psd file on open and the file disappeared along with the copies I made it seems. I did like everyone on this thread I looked elsewhere on my computer( its a mac) to now avail. I checked my trash box to see if I deleted it but nothing. I am using ps2020 latest version as of this date. I am at wits end! What do I do?

[Fredorigin]

Hi, My problem may not be yours but it was similar. It seems to haapen when the file I'm working with is being worked on by another person at another computer using NAS.

The following is the sequence of what happens:

1. They save the file to the NAS from their PC

2. then I open it on my sytem, work on it a little and then

3. I save it from my PC to the NAS.

When I close the file (from Photoshop) the file is gone.

It may have something to do with "Save in Background" or "Automatically save recovery information"

I just unchecked both in my prefference. So far (i's been 2 days) I've had no problem.

This problem is definately a Photoshop glitch and has the potential of messing up (to put it mildly) my business. 

Take care,

Frederick

[Fredorigin]

Thanks for the reply however I did the same thing. Didn't help.

[Rocco5ECC]

yeeepppp. my file even showed up in Recents and when I clicked on it said this file didnt exist. poof. gonee

[GD Hawaii Teacher]

This happened to my student today. Poof. Did you get any resolution on this? 

[kcobb]

I originally posted this same issue back in Oct. 2019.  I have not gotten resolution.  Files are... poof... gone!  Unfortunately my colleague is now experiencing the same issue.  Sadly, this at least validates what I have been experiencing.  After teaching Photoshop for more than 20 years, I am CONFIDENT something is very wrong.  The tech department at my school does not understand because they install Photoshop on the computers but never USE Photoshop.  

[enzyme01]

Several times this year something similr occurs. Always happens when working on large PSB files. I save every few minutes as a matter of habit when working in photoshop. I have spent a few days working on an image. Today I spent about 5 hours on it. I was almost finsihed editing. I had saved just again a few minutes before hnd. I noticed the save progress bar was stuck on 30%. I closed down all other applications. I waited for about 20 minutes. Still stuck on 30%. I checked finder and it shopwed the last time the file was saved as 7pm yesterday evening! I know for a fact the file was showing as saved throughout today in photoshop. I check the progress bar because as I said this has happened before. I did a finder search on all drives to to see if the file was showing anywhere else. It didnt. I could not save as because the save was stuck. I could not quite photoshop. I had to force quite. I could not relaunch photoshop. I tried to shut down. I had to force shut down. I rebooted and there was none of the images I opned in photoshop were listed in recent files. It is like as if today never happened. As I said this has happned before. Always on very large PSB files. The files are about 15GB. I contatcted adobe chat. I would be as well to have chatted with an aomeba. The adobe chat support is absoulutly not fit for purpose. I wasted 2 hours of my life with someone who had no clue as to the cause, no clue how it can be prevented again. Not one time have I left adobe chat with a solution. Zero. Adobe support is without doubt the worst support I have ever dealt with. 

[jamambajamba]

I've recently had the same problem on my Macbook Pro. I tried both Photoshop 2020 and 2021 - both have the missing file error. I think it's got something to do with the cloud desktop because Photoshop still thinks the file is there (if I go to save - it shows in the folder). But when I search on my mac in the actual folder the files are not there. Working off of external drives it's not happening - only off of files saved to or saved on the desktop. This is a crazy glitch. Hope Adobe and Apple can fix this ASAP!!

[GD Teach]

Interesting that it doesn't happen on an external drive. I teach a Design course each semester. Last semester we had only two files disapear without reason. Last spring we didn't have the opprotunity to finish but the fall semester there was several instances. Right now I have some very timid students working from home. Fingers crossed they don't have many issues since technology is scary to them and having a file go 'poof' could really be a challenge.

[David231884805r0d]

Oh yes it does happen on external drives just happened to me can't find my files anywhere not even just the one I was saving but all of them in a folder not in the recycle bin I did not delete have no idea

[brette84091289]

I just run into the same issue!!! I have used photoshop (as well as illustrator and the entire creative suite) for over 20 years and this has never happened. I am running on windows so this is not a mac issue. I am certain that I saved numerous files such as .psd .png and even .jpg to a folder on my computer and they just disappered today!!! What is going on?!?

The files were not moved and they can not be found in my recycling bin. I can see a preview of the files when I open photoshop in my recent files, but when I click to open them I am given the following prompt "Could not complete your request because the file could not be found". I have clients waiting for images that I have been working on for the past week and now the files I need to send to them are gone! Hours of time just gone! There is certainly an issue with the current version of photoshop. 

I suppose I will have to save every file that I work on to a cloud storage because saving to my own hard drive isn't reliable for some reason.

[Full Coder Dev]

I have the exact same problem. the files on the desktop removed permanently when I save image on desktop and after exactly close photoshop

[Fredorigin]

I hope Adobe listens this is a real problem.

[Fredorigin]

No but here's exactly what happens (to me)

1. I save a file (on Photoshop CC)

2.My wife (working with CS2) opens the file, works on it a bit & saves it.

3. I open the file again. Work on it a bit & save it and poof the file is gone.

This happens with any size file.

We're both working off a Western digital NAS. Both of us use thumbsplus as a file viewer.

We're both working with Dell workstations.

I hope this helps a bit.

[Darren23084791ywup]

This just happened to me.  Tried to open a PSD file fromt the recent files screen.  When I clicked the thumbnail, it disappeared.  puzzled, I clicked the next file thumbnail, and it also disappeared.  I tried finding the file via windows exploere, but the files were not in the file I had previously saved them.  A file search did not turn anything up, there is no trace of these files on my computer.  Who do I invoice for this lost time/work.  This is a majour bug!  how can this happen?

[D Fosse]

A file saved to disk is the domain of the operating system, not Photoshop.

Relying on "recent files" to manage your documents is extremely risky. This is not a file browser. It doesn't keep track of your files - it's just a passive link to a certain address on disk. If that address is empty, because the file has been moved or deleted in the operating system, "recent files" will not be updated! The link just goes dead, as you experienced.

Files cannot just disappear, but they can get saved to places you didn't intend. They will be somewhere on your disk. If this happens, and you catch it right away, a useful trick is to initiate a new save and note where it wants to go. That's where the missing file will be.

[Fredorigin]

Your concern is appreciated. Please read my posts for the srquence of events. For me this does not happen when I open a file using recent filess. In fact I never really open a file that way. Either I go into a folder, click on it and open it or I open the file from a program called Thumbsplus. I've had files disspear no matter how I open the file. In my case I feel it has something to do with two computers saving the same file (concecutively, not at the same time) onto the same hard drive. I've had this happen even when there were hours long gaps (like saving a file from one pc and then trying to open it up on another pc the following morning). You said " If this happens, and you catch it right away, a useful trick is to initiate a new save and note where it wants to go.". All I can say is that I see the file in its intended location and it dissapears before my eyes in an instant. In other words the file was deffinately saved to the correct location. 

[Fredorigin]

PS. My only workaround is to save a design, do a backup and then try opening it again to make sur it's still there. Just to rehash a bit. The file dissapears the second I click on it to open it.

[Fredorigin]

Sorry about the typos 

[jane-e]

---

@Fredorigin wrote:

In my case I feel it has something to do with two computers saving the same file ... onto the same hard drive. I've had this happen even when there were hours long gaps (like saving a file from one pc and then trying to open it up on another pc the following morning). 

---

Can you explain your setup where you have two computers sharing one hard drive?

~ Jane

[D Fosse]

@Fredorigin , my post was a reply to Darren23084 who posted after you. And he is indeed using "recent files".

In your case, you say you are using a NAS. That is also a very risky proposition .

Do not save directly to network/NAS! Save to your local disk, then copy the file over. This advice applies to all external storage devices, but especially to networks.

Working directly over a network is not supported by Adobe. Read this:

https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/networks-removable-media-photoshop.html