Where Are AutoCAD Recovery Files Stored?

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AutoCAD is a powerful software used by professionals in various industries for creating precise and detailed technical drawings. However, like any other software, AutoCAD files can sometimes become corrupt due to system crashes, power failures, or other unforeseen circumstances. Thankfully, AutoCAD provides a built-in feature that allows users to recover their unsaved or corrupted files.

Where Are AutoCAD Recovery Files Stored?

When an AutoCAD file becomes corrupt or is not saved properly due to an unexpected event, AutoCAD automatically creates a backup or recovery file to prevent data loss. These recovery files are stored in a specific location on your computer’s hard drive.

To locate the folder where AutoCAD recovery files are stored, follow these steps:

  1. Open File Explorer on your computer.
  2. Navigate to the directory where your operating system is installed. This is typically the “C:” drive.
  3. Locate and open the “Users” folder.
  4. Open the folder with your username.
  5. In your user folder, you will find a subfolder called “AppData”. This folder is usually hidden by default, so you may need to enable the display of hidden files and folders in your File Explorer settings.
  6. Open the “Local” folder inside the “AppData” folder.
  7. Inside the “Local” folder, locate and open the “Autodesk” folder.

Within the “Autodesk” folder, you will find several subfolders related to different Autodesk software applications. Look for a subfolder named after your specific version of AutoCAD (e.g., AutoCAD 2021).

Open this subfolder and then navigate to the “ACAD” folder. Here, you will find the AutoCAD recovery files with the file extension “.sv$”.

It’s important to note that these recovery files are temporary and should not be relied upon as a long-term backup solution. It is always recommended to regularly save your work and create proper backups of your AutoCAD files to avoid data loss.

How to Recover AutoCAD Files from the Recovery Folder?

If you encounter a situation where your AutoCAD file becomes corrupt or unsaved, you can attempt to recover it using the following steps:

  1. Close AutoCAD if it is currently open.
  2. Navigate to the recovery folder location as mentioned above.
  3. In the “ACAD” folder, look for a file with the same name as your corrupted or unsaved AutoCAD file but with the “.sv$” extension.
  4. Make a copy of this recovery file and place it in a different location, such as your desktop or another folder.
  5. Rename the copied file by removing the “.sv$” extension at the end of its name.
  6. Open AutoCAD and use the “Open” command to browse for and open this recovered file.
  7. If successful, AutoCAD should load the recovered version of your file, allowing you to continue working on it without losing any progress.

Note that while this method can help recover recent unsaved changes or partially corrupted files, it may not always be able to restore all data. Therefore, it’s crucial to save your work regularly and create proper backups of important AutoCAD files to minimize any potential data loss incidents.

With these steps, you can locate and recover your AutoCAD files from the designated recovery folder, ensuring that you don’t lose valuable work due to unexpected software or system issues.