Two of my most recent files cannot be found

[Sam36963656rr02]

I was using photoshop to edit two of my pieces yesterday. When I tried to open the two files today, an error message popped up stating the files could not be found. I tried updating photoshop, resetting my preferences and searching thought my computer and bin to locate my files but they are nowhere to be found. All of my older works are saved and accessible but it's just my two most recent works which have gone missing. I've spent more than a dozen hour working on them, is there a way to recover these files and resolve this issue?

[Lumigraphics]

Use Windows Explorer to find them, Recent Files is just a simple path and moving files later will break it.

[Trevor.Dennis]

If you create a new file and save it, while noting the file path, there's good chance that your missing files are in the same folder.  

[D Fosse]

When I tried to open the two files today, an error message popped up stating the files could not be found.

By @Sam36963656rr02

Do not rely on the Home screen for file management. That's not what it's for. The recent file list does not keep track of the file itself, it's just a static link to wherever the file was initially saved. If the file isn't there, but somewhere else on disk, the link breaks.

Use a proper file browser and note where you save to. The importance of that cannot be emphasized enough. Have a logical folder structure on your disks so that you always know where a file "belongs".

The Home screen is a convenience feature to let you quickly pick up where you left off before lunch. That's all.

In almost 20 years of using Photoshop professionally, 8 hours a day, I have never, ever, lost a file. What I have done, however, is fall asleep at the wheel and saved to unintended locations, usually wherever the last file was saved. In that case, as Trevor says, initiate a new save and see where it wants to go. That's where the missing file will be.

[NB, colourmanagement]

@Sam36963656rr02 some good tips there from @D Fosse 

neilB

[NB, colourmanagement]

@Sam36963656rr02 IF the files are lost, maybe even deleted* - then maybe Windows system restore might allow you to revert the machine to a previous state and recover the files? Sorry, I'm a Mac guy, I know Apple's Time Machine would do that. I hope a WIN specialist will chime in here and say if it's possible to recover a deleted file this way.

* (you can check whether your file exists (unless it's been renamed) to do this I suggest you copy down the filename shown in Photoshop's "Open recent" and do a hard disk-wide search for that filename) good luck

I hope this helps
neil barstow, colourmanagement net - adobe forum volunteer - co-author: 'getting colour right'
google me "neil barstow colourmanagement" for lots of free articles on colour management
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