Where Do SketchUp AutoSave Files Go?

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Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you accidentally closed SketchUp without saving your work? Frustrating, isn’t it? Well, fear not!

SketchUp has an AutoSave feature that automatically saves your work at regular intervals. But where do these AutoSave files go? Let’s find out!

Understanding SketchUp’s AutoSave Feature

SketchUp’s AutoSave feature is a lifesaver when unexpected crashes or power outages occur. It ensures that you don’t lose hours of hard work due to unforeseen circumstances. By default, SketchUp automatically saves a temporary copy of your file every five minutes.

But where are these AutoSave files stored?

Finding the AutoSave Location on Windows

If you’re using SketchUp on a Windows system, follow these steps to locate the AutoSave files:

  1. Open File Explorer by pressing Win + E.
  2. Navigate to the following directory: C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\SketchUp\SketchUp [VERSION]\SketchUp\working\SKETCHNAME.

Note: Replace “YourUsername” with your actual username and “[VERSION]” with the installed version of SketchUp.

Finding the AutoSave Location on macOS

If you’re using SketchUp on a macOS system, here’s how you can find the AutoSave files:

  1. Open Finder.
  2. From the menu bar, click on Go > Go to Folder...
  3. In the pop-up window, enter the following path: /Users/YourUsername/Library/Application Support/SketchUp [VERSION]/SketchUp/Autosave.

Recovering AutoSave Files

Now that you know where the AutoSave files are stored, you can easily recover your unsaved work. Simply follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to the AutoSave location using the appropriate instructions mentioned above.
  2. Look for files with the extension .skb. These are the AutoSave files.
  3. Copy the desired .skb file(s) to a safe location on your computer.
  4. Change the file extension from .skb to .skp.

    This will convert it into a SketchUp project file that you can open.

  5. Double-click on the converted .skp file to open it in SketchUp. Voila! Your unsaved work is recovered!

Changing AutoSave Settings in SketchUp

If you want to customize how often SketchUp saves your work or change the location of AutoSave files, you can do so through SketchUp’s preferences:

  1. Open SketchUp and go to Window > Preferences.
  2. In the Preferences dialog box, click on General > Autosave.
  3. Here, you can adjust the time interval for AutoSave and choose a different location for saving AutoSave files.
  4. Click on OK to save your changes.

Remember: Although AutoSave is a handy feature, it’s always a good practice to manually save your work regularly to avoid any potential data loss.

Conclusion

In this article, we explored the whereabouts of SketchUp’s AutoSave files and learned how to recover unsaved work. We also discovered how to customize AutoSave settings according to our preferences. With these insights, you can now confidently use SketchUp knowing that your work is protected by the AutoSave feature.

Happy sketching!