Accidentally closing an unsaved file in Photoshop can be incredibly frustrating. Fortunately, Photoshop provides a few methods for recovering your lost work, even if you never saved the file before closing it. In this guide, we’ll walk through the various ways to retrieve an accidentally closed file in Photoshop on Mac.
Use Photoshop’s Temporary Files
Photoshop automatically saves backup versions of your open documents as temporary files. These files make it possible to recover work even if you never manually saved. Here’s how to recover an accidentally closed file using Photoshop’s temporary files on Mac:
- Restart Photoshop if it is still open. This clears any files from the memory that could overwrite the temporary files.
- Open Finder and hit Command+Shift+G to open the ‘Go to Folder’ window.
- Copy and paste this path: /Users/[your username]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Photoshop [version]/AutoRecovery
- Hit Go. This will open the AutoRecovery folder containing your temporary Photoshop files.
- Look for a file with the same name as your lost document, followed by a number. For example, ‘Photoedit1.tmp’.
- Double click the file to open it in Photoshop and recover your work!
Photoshop’s AutoRecovery feature saves a temporary file every 10 minutes by default. So you should be able to recover your most recent edits, even if you never saved manually. Just beware that any changes made more than 10 minutes since your last manual save will be lost.
Retrieve from Photoshop’s Backup Folder
In addition to temporary files, Photoshop also saves backup copies of your work automatically. Here’s how to recover an accidentally closed file from the backup folder on Mac:
- Close Photoshop if it is currently running.
- In Finder, hit Command+Shift+G to open the ‘Go to Folder’ window.
- Enter the path: /Users/[your username]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Photoshop/[version]/Backups
- Hit Go. This will open the Backups folder containing your Photoshop backup files.
- Look for a file with the same name as your missing document, followed by a number. For example, ‘Designdraft1-2.psb’.
- Double click the backup file to open it in Photoshop.
Photoshop automatically saves backup versions of your open files every 10 minutes. So as long as you work steadily, you should be able to pick back up close to where you left off using the backups.
Use Photoshop’s History Panel
If you closed the file but kept Photoshop open, you may be able to undo the file close using Photoshop’s History panel:
- With Photoshop still open, click Window > History to open the History panel.
- Look for the ‘Close’ action in your history and click to the left of it to jump back before you closed the file.
- If you see your document reappear, great! You can save it immediately before doing anything else.
- If you don’t see the document, try clicking further up your history until right before you closed it.
The History panel only tracks steps done in your current Photoshop session. So if you closed and reopened Photoshop after closing the file, the History method won’t work.
Try Opening Photoshop’s Recovery File
When Photoshop closes unexpectedly due to a crash, it creates a recovery file that can help you get your work back. To try this method:
- Close Photoshop if it’s currently open.
- Navigate to Applications > Adobe Photoshop [version] and right-click on the Photoshop app icon.
- Choose ‘Show Package Contents’ from the right-click menu.
- Open the ‘Required’ folder > ‘Adobe Photoshop Recovery’
- Look for a recovery file ending in ‘.reco’ and double click to open it in Photoshop.
This recovery file contains your open documents from the last time Photoshop closed unexpectedly. If that session lines up with when you closed the file, you may find your work there. But it’s not guaranteed.
Salvage Data from a MacOS AutoSave
Many Mac applications, including Photoshop, support AutoSave. This automatically saves your work to a temporary location on a timed interval. Here’s how to recover an accidentally closed file using AutoSave on Mac:
- Close Photoshop if it’s currently open.
- Open Finder and hit Command+Shift+G to open the ‘Go to Folder’ window.
- Paste in this path: ~/Library/Containers/com.adobe.photoshop/Data/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Photoshop/[version]/AutoSaves
- Hit Go. This opens your AutoSaves folder.
- Look for a file with the same name as your closed document and open it.
AutoSave runs as often as every 5 minutes, so you should be able to recover your recent work this way if enabled. Just keep in mind you’ll lose any changes since the last AutoSave.
Try Opening Your Swap File
MacOS creates swap files to act as additional memory when an app needs more RAM. In some cases, recovering the Photoshop swap file can resurrect your closed document:
- Close Photoshop if it is currently running.
- Open Finder and hit Command+Shift+G to open the ‘Go to Folder’ window.
- Enter the path: /Users/[your username]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Photoshop/[version]/Swap Files
- Look for a swap file with .swp or .sfw format and double click it.
This will prompt Photoshop to open the swap file as a new document. The contents may be fragmented, but you might find recoverable pieces of your work here.
Retrieve from Your Trash
If you recently deleted the closed file, it may still be in your Trash and completely recoverable:
- Open Finder and click the Trash icon in your Dock
- Look for your closed document in the Trash files list
- Drag the file out of the Trash back into a folder to restore it
Files deleted in MacOS remain in your Trash for 30 days before being permanently erased. So unless it’s been over a month, you should be able to fully recover a deleted file from the Trash with no issues.
Recover Using Time Machine
If your Mac has Time Machine backups enabled, you may be able to recover older versions of your closed document from a backup:
- Open Finder and click Enter Time Machine in the menu bar
- Navigate back in time to before you accidentally closed the file
- Search for the missing file and restore it from a previous backup
As long as Time Machine was actively backing up when you last had the file open, this can bring it back even if it’s been permanently deleted or overwritten on your regular drive.
Retrieve from a Manual Backup
If you keep manual backups of your work on an external drive or cloud storage, you may have older versions of the closed document saved there as well. To recover the file:
- Connect the external backup drive if it’s local storage.
- Browse for the location of the missing file in a previous backup session.
- Copy the backup version of the file back to your local drive.
As long as your manual backups are somewhat recent, this method can reliably recover closed files even after you’ve saved over or deleted the original.
Use a File Recovery App
If the above options don’t work, you may need specialized file recovery software to resurrect the closed document. Options like Disk Drill can scan your Photoshop folders and undelete files even if they seem permanently gone.
File recovery apps look for leftover data from deleted files and reconstruct it. This won’t give you a perfect restored file. But you may salvage portions or layers of your document.
Contact a Data Recovery Service
For best results recovering permanently deleted files, you may need to enlist professional recovery services. Experts have access to forensic data tools that can resurrect deleted files by reading your drive’s deep level data.
This is an expensive option, but can potentially recover deleted files when all else fails, as long as the original spot on your drive hasn’t been overwritten.
Prevent Closed File Issues in the Future
Accidentally closing an important unsaved document in Photoshop can lead to catastrophe. Here are some tips to avoid this happening again in the future:
- Enable AutoSave or adjust your auto save frequency to 5 – 10 minutes for best protection.
- Manually save your files frequently as you work instead of relying solely on AutoSave.
- Enable Time Machine backups that run on a regular basis.
- Create manual backups of your work on a secondary drive periodically.
- Open your critical files on a secondary monitor to avoid accidental closes.
- Be more careful when using keyboard shortcuts to avoid hitting Command+W to close.
Saving proactively is the best insurance against heartache if a file gets accidentally closed in Photoshop. But with multiple recovery options, you can usually get your work back and avoid true catastrophe.
Recap of Methods to Recover Closed Files in Photoshop on Mac
Accidentally closing an unsaved file you still need is an unfortunate but common experience in Photoshop. Thankfully, Photoshop’s auto-save features combined with MacOS make it possible to recover your work in various ways by:
- Opening temporary and backup files in the Photoshop folders
- Using the History panel to undo closing the file
- Retrieving the Photoshop recovery document
- Restoring via MacOS AutoSave
- Undeleting the file from your Trash
- Reverting to an older version with Time Machine
- Recovering a previous version from backups
- Scanning and reconstructing the file with data recovery software
- Enlisting professional file recovery services
Just don’t save over or overwrite the original file location and you have excellent chances to recover your accidentally closed Photoshop document on Mac. Consistently backing up your work provides even more protection against file mishaps down the road.
