How to Recover Photoshop File Free on Windows | 2025 Ultimate Guide

Is it possible to Recover Photoshop File on Windows?

Adobe Photoshop is the industry-leading raster graphics editor developed by Adobe Inc., widely used by photographers, designers, and digital artists worldwide. Its native file format, Photoshop file (also called Photoshop document, PSD file), is used to save layered images, masks, text, effects, and other editing elements. ​

During the process of using Photoshop, the loss of Photoshop files is a very common experience, mainly due to human errors, unstable power supply, and other reasons. Experiencing the loss of a Photoshop file on your Windows system can be a frustrating ordeal, especially when hours of creative work are at stake. The good news is that Photoshop file recovery is often possible — whether due to accidental deletion, power failure, or Photoshop error.

How to Recover Photoshop File on Windows

In this section, we'll explore step-by-step strategies to help you recover your precious Photoshop creations and get back to your design process with minimal setbacks. You can choose the most suitable method according to your actual situation.

Using Photoshop Features

Photoshop itself provides two built-in recovery options that can help you retrieve unsaved or deleted files. These features are designed to save you in situations where you accidentally close Photoshop without saving or experience a crash.

✅Check Recent Files in Photoshop

Photoshop automatically keeps a record of your most recent files, allowing you to easily reopen them after a system crash or accidental closure.

Step 1. Open your Photoshop software.

Step 2. Navigate to "File > Open Recent". You will see a list of recently opened files. If your file is listed, click on it to restore your work.

✅Restore from AutoSave Feature

Photoshop’s AutoSave feature automatically saves your work from time to time while you are processing it, so even if Photoshop crashes or you forget to save, you can recover a recent version of your file. ​

Step 1. To Activate Autosave feature​

Launch Photoshop application and go to "Edit > Preferences > File Handling". Then tick "Automatically Save Recovery Information Every...", set AutoSave time to be 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or 1 hour as your needs.​

Step 2. Check Files in Save Path​

If this feature has been enabled before you accidentally closed Photoshop file without saving, you can easily restore the unsaved files from the following path on Windows:​

C:\Users\your username\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop (your version) \AutoRecover

★Tips:

The AutoSave path on Mac: ​

User/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop/AutoRecover

Using Windows tool [Most Require Prior Backup]

In addition to Photoshop feature，Windows offers a few built-in tools that may help recover deleted or lost Photoshop files. Among these methods, most of them require you to enable the File History or Backup and Restore features before file loss.

✅Check the Recycle Bin​

Checking the Recycle Bin is one of the simplest ways to recover deleted files. You can restore all files that have been temporarily deleted. However, this method cannot recover files that have been permanently deleted.​

Step 1. Double click "Recycle Bin" icon to open it.​

Step 2. Select the file you want to recover and right-click to choose "Restore". Then the file will be restored to its original location.​

✅Search for Temporary Files​

Sometimes, Photoshop saves temporary files in the Temp folder. When Photoshop crashed, temporary files might still exist on your system. Search for Photoshop-related files with a random number at the end. ​

Step 1. Press Win+E and navigate to "C: > User > Your User Name > Local Settings >Temp".​

Step 2. Locate your Photoshop files labeled as "Photoshop" and open it. Change the file extension from ". temp" to ".psd" to save it at a desired spot in your system or laptop.

✅Restore Previous Version of your Files​

Restore Previous Versions function in Windows is a highly effective tool for recovering permanently deleted files on Windows. It allows you to restore previous versions of files or folders, which can be helpful if your Photoshop file was overwritten or deleted.​

Step 1. Navigate to the folder where your Photoshop file was originally saved.​

Step 2. Right-click the folder and select "Restore previous versions" from the menu.​

Step 3. Choose a previous version you want to and click "Restore".​

✅Restore your Files with File History (If enabled)​

File History is a Windows backup feature that can help you recover older versions of files. If you have enabled the File History feature before the Photoshop file is deleted, you can recover unsaved Photoshop file using this feature.​

Step 1. Type "Restore your files with File History" in the start menu and open it.​

Step 2. Select the Photoshop file or folder you want to restore.​

Step 3. Click the green restore button to recover deleted file.​

✅Use Backup and Restore (Windows 7)​

Backup and Restore (Windows 7) involves duplicating data and applications onto a secondary device or storage location. If you’ve been regularly backing up your files using Windows Backup, you can restore your Photoshop files from your backup.​

Step 1. Type "backup settings" in the search bar and open it, then select "Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7)".​

Step 2. Click "Select another backup to restore files from" and choose a created backup you want to restore from, then click "Next".​

Step 3. Select the files you want to restore in the backup and click "Next".​

Step 4. Choose a location to save the restored files and click "Restore".​

Step 5. When the message "Your files have been restored" shows on your screen, you can view the restored files in the designated folder.

Using Third-Party Software -MyRecover [Not Require Backup]

If you don’t have a backup or the previous methods didn’t work, third-party data recovery software will be your last resort. MyRecover is highly recommend. It can cover a wide range of data loss scenarios, including accidental deletions, format drive, and drive corruption. It also supports a deep scan feature that helps you recover files from some clues.​

 MyRecover

Ultimate Free Data Recovery Tool

• 500+ Devices Supported | SSD, HDD, USB Flash Drive, SD Sard, etc.
• 1000+ File Formats Supported | PNG, MP4, MP3, TXT, ZIP, MSG, etc.
• 500+ Data Loss Scenarios | Deletion, Format, System Crash, Virus Attack, etc.

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Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

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MyRecover scan your hard drive for recoverable data and allow you to restore it in just 4 steps.​

Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on your computer, then launch it.​

Step 2. Select the drive where files lost to scan for lost files and click "Scan".​

Step 3. Choose the files you want to recover in the recoverable list and click "Recover".​

Step 4. Select a safe location to save the recovered files.

Conclusion

Recover deleted or unsaved Photoshop file on Windows can be challenging, but you have a wide range of options to recover it. By following the methods outlined in this guide, you can increase your chances of successfully recovering your lost Photoshop files and get back to your creative work as soon as possible. ​

In cases where no backup is available, professional data recovery software like MyRecover can still provide a solution. The Professional and Technician versions of MyRecover offer preview feature, which allows you to confirm whether it's the file you want before recovery.