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12 March 2024  Amanda J. Brook  Senior Product Manager
 

Summary
Discover the essential techniques for salvaging unsaved AutoCAD drafts and navigating to the AutoSave directory. Protect your valuable work from unexpected system failures and inadvertent erasures.



Table of contents

table iconI. About AutoCAD software
table iconII. How to automatically save and backup AutoCAD files? How to recover accidentally deleted files?
autocad autosave

I. About AutoCAD software

1. What is AutoCAD software?

AutoCAD, developed by Autodesk, is a computer-aided design (CAD) software that enables users to create two-dimensional drawings and basic three-dimensional models without the need for programming knowledge. It is extensively used across various industries, including civil construction, decoration, industrial design, engineering, electronics, and garment manufacturing.

2. Where are the files automatically saved by AutoCAD software?

If you have not changed the AutoCAD auto-save path, it should be the default auto-save path when the software is installed. You can directly open the AutoCAD software to view the auto-save location. The specific operation steps are as follows:
Step 1: Run the AutoCAD software, find (Tools) in the top function menu bar, then select (Options) and open it.
Step 2: After the option interface is opened, you can see the item (Automatically save file location) under (File). After clicking it, you can see the autosave path of AutoCAD software. Double-click it to change the path.
Auto save file location
Since the auto-saved files of AutoCAD are hidden by default in Windows system, you can continue to display them completely through the following steps.
Step 3: Find (This Computer) on the desktop and open it, then switch to (View)>(Options).
view options
Step 4: Next, select the (View) tab in the folder options interface, find and click on (Hidden files and folders), then check the (Show hidden files, folders or drives) option, and click (OK).
show hidden files
Step 5: Then open the (C:\Users\Administrator\appdata\local\temp\) path, find the file with the extension (.sv$), change the extension to (.dwg), and then open it with AutoCAD software You can see all saved files.
Note: The auto-saved file can only be found when AutoCAD is closed abnormally. If your AutoCAD is closed normally, the auto-saved file cannot be found.
Open the corresponding path for autocad autosave path
After understanding the AutoCAD software and the location of its auto-saved files, let’s learn how to automatically save and backup AutoCAD files, and how to restore them when you accidentally delete them.

II. How to automatically save and backup AutoCAD files? How to recover accidentally deleted files?

1. How to automatically save and backup AutoCAD files?

To automatically save and backup your AutoCAD files, you need to enable the automatic backup function of the software. Here’s how to do it in detail:
Step 1: Run the AutoCAD software, find (Tools) in the top function menu bar, then select (Options) and open, then switch to (Open and Save).
Open and save options, configure autosave
Step 2: In the opening and saving interface, find (File Security Measures), here you can customize the interval of automatic saving and check (Create a backup copy every time you save), click (OK) after setting button.
Automatic saving and backup features are incredibly useful, but sometimes files can still go missing due to unexpected errors. Thankfully, with the help of professional data recovery software such as Renee Undeleter, the process to recover accidentally deleted files is straightforward and efficient.

2. How to recover accidentally deleted files with Renee Undeleter?

Renee Undeleter is specialized software designed to recover various data files. Whether you’ve accidentally deleted files, cleared the recycle bin, or formatted a disk/storage device, this tool can help you recover your lost data. It features four key modules: file recovery, format recovery, partition recovery, and image creation, providing a comprehensive solution to a wide range of data loss scenarios for convenient system use.
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How to recover accidentally deleted data with the help of Renee Undeleter?
Step 1: Download, install and run Renee Undeleter, select the (Fast Partition Scan) option in the main interface.
To prevent data overwriting, avoid installing on the disk from which you need to recover data. If file recovery fails to retrieve the desired file, consider using Whole Partition Scan or Whole Disk Scan options.
data recovery in renee undeleter
Data Recovery Features:

  • Fast Partition Scan: Recovers files lost due to accidental deletion or emptying the recycle bin.
  • Whole Partition Scan: Restores files from partitions that are inaccessible or have been formatted.
  • Whole Disk Scan: Conducts a thorough analysis of partition information for an extensive recovery process.
  • Image Creation: Generates a mirror image of a partition for backup and recovery purposes.
Step 2: Next, select the partition to be scanned, which is the location where the AutoCAD file to be recovered was originally saved. Then click (Next).
scan disk with Renee Undeleter
Step 3: Select Quick Scan and press Next to initiate the scanning process. Be aware that Fast Partition Scan – Quick Scan only examines the first 30GB of the selected disk’s free space. Should your file remain undetected, consider using Fast Partition Scan – Deep Scan for an exhaustive search, albeit at the expense of a longer duration.
select fast scan mode in renee undeleter
Step 4: After the scan is complete, you can enter the AutoCAD file extension in (File Filter) to find the file, then check the file to be recovered, and click the (Recover) button to save the recovered file to another disk.
preview before recovery
undeleter preview docx