Illustrator "File Is Damaged" or Can't Open AI File

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Open it another way

   Copy steps
   1. Open the .ai file in Adobe Acrobat to see if the PDF layer shows the art
   2. In Illustrator use File > Open and choose PDF compatibility if prompted
   3. Rename the file extension to .pdf and open it in Illustrator or Acrobat
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Check fonts and version

   Copy steps
   1. Disable or remove the fonts used in the file and try again; users fixed corrupted-file errors this way
   2. Open the file in the Illustrator version it was made in, re-save, then open in the current one (one Corel-exported file only opened after this)
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Look for recovery data

   Copy steps
   1. Check the save folder for a .tmp file: one user recovered nearly all work from it
   2. Look in the Data Recovery folder set in Preferences > File Handling & Clipboard
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Reset and test in Safe Mode

   Copy steps
   1. Reset preferences and run Safe Mode before assuming the file is lost; some users found resets did not help, which points to real file damage
   2. Next time save to a local drive and keep versioned copies
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

Messages like "The file is damaged and could not be repaired", "Illustrator could only partially read this file" or "Illustrator could not open this file, it is too damaged to recover".

Why it happens

• Save interrupted by a crash or a cloud-sync/network drive
• File saved without PDF compatibility
• Damaged or conflicting fonts
• File made in another app (for example CorelDRAW) or a newer/older Illustrator version
• Bad preferences or plug-ins

This guide also covers

• illustrator file is damaged
• illustrator could only partially read this file
• illustrator can't open ai file
• illustrator file too damaged to recover
• illustrator unable to open file

The same problem in other apps

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