SAVE and EXPORT does not work in Illustrator 2020 (24.1.1) on Windows 10

[Blue2k]

Hello guys,

I have a very strange and annoying issue with the Illustrator. It just does not save anything, it does not show any errors, or any pop-ups. I try Save, Save as, Export... nothing..., Save as Copy also does not save anything... Export does not work.. When try "Close" it asks if I want to save the file than I click on Yes... and nothing happens either, nor save nor the illlustrator closes.
I tried to uninstall and reinstall, did all the updates in Creative Cloud, logged out and logged in, restarted computer several times. Nothing changes.

The weirdest thing is that it does not even show an error message, than it would be easier to inderstand what happens.

Here is a short video I recorded directly with my phone:

I use Adobe Illustrator 2020 (24.1.1) (64bit) on Windows 10 Pro (Version 1909)

Any ideas? 

Thank you!

{Renamed by MOD}

[Ashutosh_Mishra]

Hi there,

Sorry to hear about your experience. I see you have already tried basic troubleshooting yourself. Please try resetting the Adobe Illustrator preferences once. Please follow the steps below:

• Close all Adobe applications. 
• Go to Location C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Adobe 
• Rename "Adobe Illustrator" and "Adobe Illustrator 24 Settings" folders to "Adobe Illustrator.old" and "Adobe Illustrator 24 Settings.old" 
• Launch Illustrator from the Creative Cloud. 

**Please note that resetting preferences will remove all the custom settings and Illustrator will launch with default settings. This way all your old settings will be saved in .old folders and Illustrator will recreate new folders with default settings. 

Let us know if it helps you out.

Regards,

Ashutosh

[Blue2k]

Hi Ashutosh,

Thanks for the suggestion. I just did everything as you said but the result was the same.

I just noticed that if i create new file - everything works. But if i open already created file to edit - it does not. 😞

Greetings,
Boris

[Srishti Bali]

Hi there,

Thanks for sharing the details. Could you please try these steps and share your observations:

• Try booting the system into Safe Mode (https://support.microsoft.com/en-in/help/12376/windows-10-start-your-pc-in-safe-mode) and check how it works there. It starts your system so that it performs certain checks and prevents third party software/ services from automatically loading or opening. If it works fine in Safe mode, then there is some third party service or application like antivirus, plugins or web extensions which are conflicting with the Illustrator. 

• If that doesn't help, login to Hidden Admin account (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfbMs3w-Z3s&t=53s). Check how the application works there. If it works fine there, then it could be related to permission errors. Follow these steps to repair permission errors: https://helpx.adobe.com/in/illustrator/kb/preferences-folder-read-only-error.html 

• If nothing helps, then we need to troubleshoot this on a live session. Please head here (https://helpx.adobe.com/support.html) and select the chat button in the lower-right corner of the page. We can help on a live session that way

Regards,

Srishti

[William50AB]

I got the same problem and failed many times. It just wasted time. They make money but make the tool worse.

Sad to say this.

W.Su

[Benjamin22460536xqgn]

It's still happening in 2022!! And this worked for me, thanks 🙂

[LauraA_Guiza]

THE EXACT SAME THING is happening to me right now, on a Mac Book Pro.
I don't know what to do to save all my work, it just doesn't do anything and won't let me save, export, NOTHING!. 
I have the 2020 version and made an update yesterday, I guess it has m¡something to do with it?

[Monika Gause]

Please tell us your system.

Are those new files? Old files? Only specific files?

What's in the files? Text?

Does this only happens when saving/exporting?

Can you tell us step by step what happens? Exactly when is the crash?

[jackh98000207]

Did we ever get an answer to this bug? I'm having the exact same problem. Started a new file and it won't let me save, save as, export or export as. MacBook Pro Running MacOS Catalina and using Illustrator 2020.

[sassmira]

This JUST happened to me. And I have a ton of work that I'm not ready to just throw away..

[dmndncl]

SAME. This is an absolute nightmare. I noticed it doing this prior to me starting a project but I thought it was a just a lag because I hadn't used illustrator in awhile. I'm halfway done with my project and saving still is not working. I don't know what to do!!

[phil-marques]

Same here.

But I did something that is working for me (I don't know why).

I just quit the Illustrator and reopen by clicking twice on the file (not starting the program before). This way I can save and export normally.

Hope this can help.

Mac Book Pro, Catalina 10.15.6 / Illustrator 24.3

[andrewcbb]

I'm having the same issue. Save works but Save as and Export does nothing other than load for a few seconds and then nothing.

[Monika Gause]

"I'm having the same issue."

And you are on which version and system? Where do you save/export to?

[Gauthier5C1C]

Same problem on my Macbook Pro (Catalina), 

When I open Illustrator I get a black window. I can't save as or export any projects.

I've tried using the legacy settings in preferences, to delete old preferences from the Library folder and unistall/install  Illustrator.

And yet nothing seems to work...

[jackh98000207]

OK So, what worked for me is unfortunately I just had to quit the application (like fully quit not just close the window) and re-open illustrator, luckily illustrator had saved most of my work to the clipboard but it did lose some of the images files I was working with. But after that I am able to use all save and export options. 

If that doesn't work I think a unstill and re-install of Illustrator might help but I didnt have to try that. 

[clintg616]

What worked for me Just now (Monday Sep 28th 2020) was to go into

system preferences >

security and privacy >

privacy tab, click the lock (enter admin password) scroll down on the left to full disk access and add adobe Illustrator now i can save like normal!

[tylerw84718790]

@clintg616 

THANK YOU! Your post inspired both a short and long term solution for me:

AI crashed and when it recovered my work, I couldn't save anything. This is at least the second time this has happened. After I read your post, I added full disk access to AI per your instructions; however, restarting AI (and losing all my recovered work) was required to complete the update to AIs disk access.

That got me thinking: the bug likely has to do with the way AI opens the Save-As window in the directory where the open file originated. Because the files are all [Recovered], I surmise that the directory that AI is trying to open to begin the save process (wherever Recovered files for AI go), the disk access/permission issue is blocking the process before it begins.

I have an action that saves/exports files in EPS (not important other than this is a vector format) to a pre-defined folder, bypassing the directory permission issue above. This worked -- SO I DID NOT LOSE ANY WORK.

Thank you for sharing your solution. I hope my add-on is helpful for someone as well.

@Shweta23 , will you please consider a better location (user dir vs system dir) for recovered files? 

System:

MacBook Pro, Catalina v10.15.7 (19H2)

[Gal Kossover Hacham]

Same here...

New make book pro.

Did you get the solution somehow?

Thanks,

Gal

[andrewcbb]

Found just restarting the program or the entire computer sorted it. No issues since.

All the best,
Andy Carnegie

[Steven5E8C]

Hi 

I'm also facing same issue. I also uninstall the adob and reinstall the adobe, but this bugs and erorrs is happening again. I don't know what is the reason behind it. Can anyone guide me, what is the proper solution of this problem.

Thanks funkymedia

[anekdamian]

I found a workaround in case someone is having the same issue.

I experienced it today and I tried creating a new document to see if it would work on that new one, and nothing.

So after I closed the new duplicate (the "would you like to save before closing" didn't work either), I had the idea:

Force quit the app! And try to save an auto-saved backup.

So, sure enough, I did it and it worked.

After I restarted the app, it gave me the "the application was closed unexpectedly" prompt, I didn't send the report and it opened the "[recovered]" backup. I pressed CMD+S and it worked! I was able to save it and I'm really happy, since I couldn't afford to lose the work I had done.

Hope this helps!

— Alfie.

[Schiemer]

I am haviong the same issue running Mac OS 10.15.7 on a brand new powerful iMac.

This solution worked for me to save the hours of work I just made in a new document.  THANK YOU!  

BUT, Adobe, WTF?!?!?  Being able to save, save as, or save a duplicate seems important when releasing a new version of your software, right?   I cannot do any of these when trying to save a new document out of Illustrator..  I sent a Report to Adobe, but I am shocked that your developers call this an upgrade when the most important thing about a file, SAVING THE FILE, cannot be done when making a new document.

[Schiemer]

FYI, I am running Illustrator 2021 updated last week.  

[Monika Gause]

Try and disable "Save in background" in the Preferences.