Where apps hide your files
After a crash, the unsaved version of your PSD is probably in a hidden AutoRecover folder named for your Photoshop version. This shows where, and what to do next.
Photoshop writes recovery data to a folder named after the version you run:
~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop <version>/AutoRecover/Adobe's own article on recovering unsaved Photoshop files gives this path with a version placeholder. The version part is the release name, such as Adobe Photoshop 2025; older releases used names such as Adobe Photoshop CC 2019. It must match the Photoshop you were running when it crashed.
To list the exact folder names on your Mac:
ls ~/Library/Application\ Support/Adobe | grep -i photoshopIf that prints several names, you have had several versions installed, and each has its own AutoRecover folder.
In Finder choose Go > Go to Folder (⇧⌘G) and paste the path with your version. The Library folder is hidden, but holding ⌥ while opening the Go menu reveals it. From Terminal:
open ~/Library/Application\ Support/Adobe/Adobe\ Photoshop\ 2025/AutoRecoverSwap 2025 for the name you saw in the ls output. Then use File > Open in Photoshop on the file, or drag it onto the Photoshop icon.
Adobe's article says to look for files ending in .psb or .tmp, and that they can often be opened in Photoshop. Their names have no relation to your document title.
| File | What it means |
|---|---|
.psb in AutoRecover | Recovery copy of a document that was open |
.tmp in AutoRecover | Temporary recovery data; try opening it in Photoshop |
.psd in your own folder | Your real save, not part of AutoRecover |
Sort by Date Modified. The newest file from around the time of the crash is the one to try first. Once a file opens, use File > Save As straight away and save it to a normal folder under a new name.
Recovery is a setting: Photoshop > Settings > File Handling (Preferences in older versions), then Automatically Save Recovery Information Every with an interval. Check that the box is ticked on your copy. Shorter intervals lose less work after a crash but can cause a brief pause while large documents are written.
Photoshop normally reopens recovered documents by itself when you start it after a crash. Use that first. If nothing appears:
AutoRecover only covers documents that were open, so it cannot rescue work you closed and chose not to save. An Adobe Community expert also notes that the folder is emptied when Photoshop quits normally, which is why a healthy, closed Photoshop leaves it empty.
Photoshop's scratch disk is not recovery. Scratch files are temporary working space that Photoshop removes when it quits normally, though a crash can leave large temporary files behind on the scratch drive. Photoshop > Settings > Scratch Disks shows which drives are in use. Do not delete scratch files while Photoshop is running.
Some Adobe Community users report that when a separate scratch disk is set, the AutoRecover folder appeared there rather than in Application Support. If the folder above is empty after a crash and you use a dedicated scratch disk, look on that drive too.
AutoRecover is usually small, and Photoshop clears it on a normal quit. If you find old files in it while Photoshop is closed and you have checked that nothing there needs rescuing, move them to the Trash in Finder. Do not delete the parent Adobe Photoshop <version> folder, because it may hold other data for that version.
Photoshop's settings are not in the AutoRecover folder; for example ~/Library/Preferences/com.adobe.Photoshop.plist is a settings file, not recovery data. Resetting preferences does not bring back lost work, so do not reach for it when you are trying to recover a file.
An empty AutoRecover folder after a crash usually means recovery was switched off, the interval had not yet passed, or the document had only just been created. A missing folder usually means you are looking at the wrong version name: run the ls ... | grep -i photoshop command above and open the folder whose name matches the version you last used. If you updated Photoshop after the crash, the older version's folder is the one to check.
AutoRecover is a crash net, not version history. Keep saving to a normal folder, use File > Save As before destructive edits, and keep working PSDs somewhere Time Machine covers. Cloud documents saved from Photoshop have their own version history, separate from this folder.
Spotlight does not show results from ~/Library, and the version in the folder name changes with every release. Typing AutoRecover into Everywhere lists the folder for every Photoshop version at once (a copy on an external scratch drive appears too once it has Full Disk Access), and ⌘↵ reveals the one you want in Finder. Names only, so you still open each candidate in Photoshop to see what it holds.
In ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop <version>/AutoRecover, where the version part matches your install, such as Adobe Photoshop 2025.
Reopen Photoshop, which normally reopens recovered documents by itself. If nothing appears, open the AutoRecover folder, sort by Date Modified, open the newest .psb or .tmp file from the crash time in Photoshop, then Save As.
Spotlight does not show results from the user Library folder. Use Go > Go to Folder (⇧⌘G) with the full path instead.
As often as you set under Photoshop > Settings > File Handling, in Automatically Save Recovery Information Every. Check that the box is ticked.
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.
Version 2.20.3 · macOS 13+ · 4.7 MB · notarised