How to Recover Photoshop Files (Deleted or Unsaved) on Windows

Quick Answer:

Photoshop files may be recoverable depending on how they were lost:

• Deleted PSD files: Check the Recycle Bin first. If they are not there, use data recovery software to scan the drive.
• Unsaved Photoshop files: Recovery is only possible after unexpected interruptions, such as Photoshop crashes or system shutdowns, through AutoRecover or temporary files.
• Corrupted PSD files: Try restoring previous versions, checking file extensions, or using file repair tools.

Why Did My Photoshop Files Disappear

Photoshop files can disappear unexpectedly due to various situations, such as accidental deletion, software crashes, or storage device problems. Knowing the possible causes of Photoshop file loss can help you find the right method to recover your PSD files.

• Human error: This is the most common cause that can lead to file loss. You may mis-delete the PSD files inside a folder when you delete the whole folder. Also, unconsciously formatting the partition or drive can cause PSD file loss.
• Corrupted file system: When the file system is corrupted, it can lead to hard drive failures along with photo file loss or corruption.
• Overwriting: This can occur when you overwrite existing Photoshop files with new ones, either by saving changes without creating a copy or by mistakenly using the Save As function to save a new file with the same name as an existing one.
• Photoshop issues: Photoshop itself or other software running on the system may encounter errors or bugs that result in the corruption or loss of Photoshop files.
• Storage device failures: Hardware failures such as a malfunctioning hard drive, SSD or external storage device can result in the loss of Photoshop files.

How to Recover Lost or Deleted Photoshop Files on Windows

If you are unable to find your Photoshop files for some reason, you can try these three ways below to recover Photoshop files.

Way 1: Recover Photoshop Files From the Recycle Bin

If you accidentally deleted Photoshop files, the first place to check is the Windows Recycle Bin. Deleted files are usually moved there and can be restored easily if the Recycle Bin has not been emptied.

Follow the steps below:

Step 1: Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop to open it.

Step 2: Find and right-click the Photoshop files you want to recover and select Restore.

The files will be restored to their original locations. Open the folder where the files were stored and check if they have been recovered successfully.

Way 2: Recover PSD Files Using MiniTool Power Data Recovery

If you cannot find the PSD files in the Recycle Bin, use data recovery software to scan the storage device and search for recoverable files.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a data recovery tool for Windows that helps recover lost or deleted files, including Photoshop PSD files. It supports various file types, such as documents, images, videos, and compressed files, and can recover data from hard drives, SSDs, memory cards, and USB drives.

This tool can be useful in different data loss situations, including accidental deletion, system crashes, drive corruption, and other file loss scenarios.

As a free data recovery software, it allows you to recover up to 1GB of data without charge.

Hit the button below to get it.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Follow the steps below to perform PSD recovery with this excellent data recovery software.

Step 1: Open MiniTool Power Data Recovery, then its interface jumps out. You can see all your partitions (including existing partitions, lost partitions, and unidentified partitions) in the Logical Drives tab. Choose the partition where your PSD files are lost and click Scan. Then the scanning process will automatically start.

Step 2: The scanning process will take some time, depending on the number of files scanned and the size of the partition. When the scan is complete, you can proceed with Photoshop file recovery.

To accurately find PSD files, navigate to the Type tab where all the files have been classified according to their file type. Then, expand the Picture category in the list and click on psd – here, you’ll find a list of all the .psd files that have been found.

Step 3: Choose the ones you need and click Save. Then a window pops up and you need to select a directory to save these files. After selecting a directory, click OK to finish recovery.

In addition, if you have run out of 1GB of free capacity, you can upgrade to the paid edition to get the ultimate recovery capacity.

Way 3: Recover Photoshop Files From Windows Backup and Restore

Windows Backup and Restore is a built-in backup feature for Windows that allows you to back up your files and recover them after an accident from backups. This feature is turned off by default, and you need to enable it manually.

If you are used to backing up files through Windows Backup and Restore, this method is available to you.

Step 1: Search for Control Panel in Windows search and open it.

Step 2: Go to System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 3: Choose Restore my files under Restore, and select a button to recover PSD files. Hit Search… if you want to search precisely for your files, hit Browse for files to recover files, and hit Browse for folders to recover a whole folder.

Step 4: After adding the files or folders, click Next and choose In the following location, then click Browse… to select an appropriate location to restore your files. Finally, hit Restore.

How to Recover Unsaved Photoshop Files on Windows

If your computer encounters an unexpected interruption, resulting in the loss of the unsaved PSD files, you can use these three methods to recover unsaved Photoshop files.

Method 1: Do Unsaved Photoshop File Recovery With Open Recent

The Open Recent feature in Photoshop lists your recent files, providing a quick and direct way to access unsaved PSD files and continue your work.

1. Launch Adobe Photoshop.
2. Click File and place your cursor on Open Recent (or you can use the default shortcut key T). Then a list of recent files will appear, and you can view if there is your target file.

Method 2: Use Photoshop AutoSave

If the above method does not work for you, you can try to restore unsaved PSD files with the help of AutoSave. Like Office software, Photoshop also creates AutoSave files when you edit photos.

Step 1: First, check if AutoSave is turned on. Open Adobe Photoshop and click Edit, then select Preferences and choose General.

Step 2: Click File Handling, and check if Automatic Save Recovery Information Every: is on. If not, tick it. If yes, go to the next step.

Step 3: Go to the default Photoshop AutoRecover location:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CC 2019\AutoRecover

Step 4: Find the unsaved PSD files and open them with Photoshop.

If there is no file in this folder, go to the next method.

Method 3: Recover Unsaved Photoshop Files From Temp Files

In addition to AutoSave, Photoshop also creates temporary files when you work on a project. These temporary files can be a hidden resource for recovering unsaved PSD files, especially when other recovery methods fail. Here is the tutorial to do this.

Step 1: Press Win + E to open File Explorer, and click View to tick Hidden items.

Step 2: Go to the location below:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp

Step 3: Identify the desired .temp files by sorting the creation date and time. If you find the target file, copy it to a secure location, then change its extension to .psd and open it with Adobe Photoshop.

Also Read: How to Access or Delete Windows Temporary Files Windows 10

How to Fix Corrupted PSD Files on Windows?

Why Do Photoshop Files Get Corrupted?

Photoshop files may become corrupted due to various reasons, including Photoshop crashes, file system errors, unexpected power interruptions, malware attacks, storage device failures, or improper file handling.

These issues can prevent PSD files from opening properly or cause errors when editing or saving files. Follow the methods below to repair corrupted Photoshop files.

Fix 1: Fix Corrupted PSD Files From Previous Versions

This fix can restore a PSD file to its previous versions if available.

1. Right-click the corrupted PSD file and choose Properties.
2. Go to the Previous Versions tab and select a file version, then click the inverted triangle next to Restore and choose Restore to. Next, select a proper location to save the file.

Fix 2: Ensure the Filename Extension Is Correct

The incorrect filename extension will cause a Photoshop file not to open. If you have received any one of the error messages below, the filename extension may not match your file format.

• Could not complete your request because it is not a valid Photoshop document.
• Could not complete your request because an unknown or invalid JPEG marker type is found.
• Could not complete your request because the file-format module cannot parse the file.
• This is not a valid Portable Document File (PDF) document. It cannot be opened.

In this case, you can change the file extension to fix this issue.

1. Open File Explorer by pressing Win + E and tick Filename extensions in the View tab.
2. Right-click the Photoshop file that cannot be opened, then choose Rename and rename its extension to .psd.

Fix 3: Use File Repair Tool

The last method is to use file repair tools. If you are only repairing a few files, you can use an online file repair tool instead of downloading applications. It will save much of your time.

Take officerecovery as an example.

1. In the Data Recovery tab, click Choose File.
2. Select the file you want to repair and hit Open.
3. Click Secure Upload and Repair.
4. When it’s done, you can download the repaired file.

This post provides you with more online file repair tools: Top 10 Free File Repair Tools, and you can learn more details to use these online tools.

Bottom Line

Photoshop files may be lost or corrupted by accident, and this article has offered you several ways to cope with different situations. You can choose the corresponding method to solve your problem according to your actual situation.

Recover Photoshop Files FAQ