Where apps hide your files
Illustrator's recovery folder carries the version in its path and can be changed in settings, and Illustrator 30 changed how recovery is switched on. This gives the default location, a command that finds every copy, and the settings to check.
Illustrator's recovery files go to a folder called DataRecovery inside the version's settings folder in your user Library:
~/Library/Preferences/Adobe Illustrator <version> Settings/en_US/DataRecoveryThat is the shape an Adobe staff member gave on the Adobe Community forum, with the language folder (en_US here) matching your install's language. Some third-party guides add an extra Adobe Illustrator Prefs level or call the folder CrashRecovery, so if the path above does not exist, use the commands below rather than guessing. And because the folder can be changed in Illustrator's settings, the app is the final word on where yours is.
To list every Illustrator recovery folder on your Mac in one go, without reading anything inside them:
ls -d ~/Library/Preferences/Adobe\ Illustrator*/*/DataRecoveryIf zsh answers "no matches found", search the settings folders more broadly:
find ~/Library/Preferences/Adobe\ Illustrator* -maxdepth 3 -iname "*recovery*"Both commands only list names and are safe to paste. If the second also finds nothing, the recovery folder has been moved, and Illustrator's own setting will show where.
Open Illustrator > Settings > File Handling (Preferences in older versions, where the panel was called File Handling & Clipboard). Adobe's help describes the options there:
If someone chose a different folder, that is where your files are, not the default above.
In Illustrator 30.0, Adobe's help says Automatically Save Recovery Data Every is off by default, because Save in Background now handles both quick save and auto-backup, and the interval menu is unavailable while it is in charge. So on a current version, an empty DataRecovery folder is not necessarily a fault. Check both settings in File Handling before you rely on recovery, and remember that complex documents are skipped if that box is ticked.
Illustrator offers to open recovered documents when you relaunch after a crash. Accept that first, because it saves a search. If it does not:
Guides say recovered files carry "recovery" or "recovered" in their names. If a file will not open, try the next oldest: a crash in the middle of a backup can leave a broken one. Do not keep working inside the recovery folder.
Recovery restores documents that were open when Illustrator crashed. It does not bring back work you closed without saving, and it is no substitute for saving. File > Save produces your real .ai file, and your own backups are what protect it. An Adobe employee on the forum also points out that work done between two recovery saves is lost in a crash, so a short interval matters.
The recovery folder is normally small. If it holds many old files, quit Illustrator, confirm you do not need them, and move them to the Trash in Finder. Do not delete the parent settings folder just to tidy up, because it also holds your workspaces and preferences. Resetting preferences is a separate troubleshooting step and does not recover files.
Because the settings folder name carries the Illustrator version, a major upgrade creates a new folder and leaves the old one behind. A crash in the previous version leaves its recovery files in that version's folder, not the new one, which is why the ls command above uses a wildcard for the version. A non-English install uses a different language folder name in place of en_US.
Recovery files belong to the old machine's session. Bring across your .ai files and exports. Illustrator rebuilds its preferences on first launch.
Recovery data is a last resort. Save early, save often, and use a dated Save As before large edits. Illustrator files are usually small, so a few versions beside the original cost little and give you restore points that a crash cannot touch. Keep working .ai files in a folder Time Machine covers so older copies survive too.
Folders in ~/Library are invisible to Spotlight, and the settings folder name changes with each Illustrator version. Typing DataRecovery into Everywhere shows the recovery folder for every installed version at once, and recovered finds files that kept that word in their name; ⌘↵ reveals one in Finder. It looks at names only, so you still open candidates in Illustrator to see which is yours.
By default in a DataRecovery folder at ~/Library/Preferences/Adobe Illustrator <version> Settings/en_US/DataRecovery. The folder can be changed, so confirm it under Illustrator > Settings > File Handling.
Relaunch Illustrator and accept the recovery offer. Otherwise open the recovery folder with File > Open, pick the newest file from the crash time and use File > Save As.
In Illustrator 30.0, Automatically Save Recovery Data Every is off by default because Save in Background handles quick save and auto-backup. Also check whether Turn off Data Recovery for complex documents is ticked.
Yes. In File Handling settings, use the Choose button next to the recovery folder. Adobe asks for a folder you can write to that is not on a network-mounted volume.
Everywhere keeps track of every file on your Mac — including the folders Spotlight hides and drives you have unplugged. Free for a day, then $19 once.
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