Illustrator Crashes or Errors When Saving

How to fix it

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

1. 1. Save somewhere safe

   Copy steps
   1. File > Save As with a new filename on your internal drive or Desktop
   2. Avoid servers and cloud-connected folders while saving
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Export and re-save

   Copy steps
   1. Export to PDF, EPS or SVG
   2. Reopen that file and save it again as AI
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Split or rebuild

   Copy steps
   1. Divide the work into smaller copies and save each; this was the accepted answer in an Adobe community thread
   2. Copy the artwork gradually into a new document and save to find the bad object
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Protect yourself

   Copy steps
   1. Turn on recovery data in Preferences > File Handling & Clipboard
   2. Keep incremental versions (file-v1, file-v2)
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

Illustrator shows an error on Save, and a second attempt crashes the app, with a large file you cannot afford to lose.

Why it happens

• Saving to a server, network share or cloud-synced folder
• Very large or complex artwork
• Damaged objects or fonts in the file
• Low disk space

This guide also covers

• illustrator crashes when saving
• illustrator error saving file
• illustrator save as crash
• illustrator can't save
• illustrator crashes every time i save

The same problem in other apps

All crashes, freezes & blank screens guides →

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Other Adobe Illustrator errors

• How to Cancel Adobe Illustrator Subscription (and the Early Termination Fee)
• Adobe Illustrator Keeps Crashing or Freezing
• Illustrator "Not Enough Memory (RAM)" Error
• Illustrator GPU Performance Error and "Not Enough GPU Memory"
• Why Is Adobe Illustrator So Slow and Laggy?
• Illustrator "File Is Damaged" or Can't Open AI File
• Illustrator Missing Fonts Warning
• Illustrator Export Not Working or Export Fails