Retrieving a deleted layer

[mm326206]

How do I get back a layer that I accidentally deleted? (I can't undo or revert because I have already saved the document since.)

[Brett N]

Saving the document doesn't prevent an undo from working, but if you have closed and reopened, everything that isn't present in the file when you open it is gone forever.

[JJMack]

If you have not closed your document and you keep many  history states you may be able to back up to before the deletes.  Otherwise you lost then unless you have backup files.

[mm326206]

Thanks for the responses. I have closed and reopened, so I will not be able to retrieve it I guess. So let me ask another question... I was at work today and opened a Ps document that someone else had created. I don't know what I did (because I'm a relatively new Ps user) and I don't even know how I ended up saving it. The document is floor plans overlayed on a site plan with logos, text, etc. (i.e. too complicated and too many layers for me to be able to re-import the source document and re-format the entire thing.) When I first opened the document, all the floor plans looked normal. But now, one no longer has a white background. The black outlines of the rooms are still there, but there's nothing underneath (I see the gray & white checkerboard background between the black outlines). I need to know how to make that area white again. It seems to me like maybe what happened was I deleted a layer...maybe...?? I can't just use the fill tool to fill white into the background space because (a) the entire shape is not closed, so applying fill to one area fills the entire document and (b) I know that's not the right way to do it... I'm trying to get it back to the way it's supposed to be, not just make it look like it's right when it prints because other people from work may still use the file electronically. Please let me know if you can help!

[Brett N · Accepted solution]

Most likely you deleted the background layer. Just create a new one filled with white (there are many ways of doing this). The grey and white checkerboard indicates transparency.

[mm326206]

Wow! Thank you thank you thank you thank you! I figured it was something very simple, but I had no idea what that simple thing was I just created a new layer, filled it with white, and then moved it behind the site rendering... and that worked! Thank you so much!