How to Recover Unsaved AutoCAD File: 2026 Update

AutoCAD is a design and drawing software developed by AutoDesk to create professional 2D or 3D files, which is saved in DWG format. You may spend hours or even days to meticulously work on a project, so whenever your AutoCAD DWG files are left unsave, that would be a disaster. Yet, it is lucky that we have reliable solutions to recover an AutoCAD file that is unsaved, corrupted or deleted. 

Key Takeaways

• Thanks to AutoCAD's auto save feature, users are able to restore an unsaved AutoCAD file after crashing or other issues.
• There are 5 easy ways to recover unsaved AutoCAD DWG files: use Cisdem Data Recovery, check auto save location, recover via Drawing Recovery Manager with or without command, restore from BAK file, search within temporary folder.
• Also, users can easily recover a corrupted or previous AutoCAD file using built-in tools, even online free.

 Best Data Recovery for Windows and Mac

Easily Recover AutoCAD DWG and Other Drawing Files

• Recover deleted, lost, corrupted, formatted AutoCAD DWG files
• Retrieve drawing and design projects saved in EPS, PSD, VSD, SVG, AI and other formats
• Also recover unsaved files in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, WPS, PSD, etc.
• Restore files from both internal and external storage device
• Support recovery of 1000+ file types: docs, images, videos, audios, archives, etc.
• Repair corrupted photo, video and document
• Preview files before recovery (video, graphic, document)
• Recover data from crashed PC, NAS or Linux OS
• Recover files to local drive or to cloud

Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7 Free Download macOS 10.15 or later

Can I Recover Unsaved AutoCAD Drawing?

Yes, you can.

Like other file processors, AutoCAD has an Auto Save feature, which allows users to automatically save the files every 5 or 10 minutes, without clicking on the Save button. But you need to enable this feature before the file gets lost.

Also, there are professional data recovery tools designed to search and restore AutoCAD DWG files from temporary folder, or anywhere from the drive you used to store the files. 

How to Recover Unsaved AutoCAD File?

Auto save location of AutoCAD is surely the first place you should check to find an unsaved DWG file, but if this fails, you should check other places or return to a professional tool for file AutoCAD file recovery. Here are 5 easy and useful methods for you.

Method 1. Recover Unsaved DWG File from Auto Save Location

You may have realized that lots of professional programs add a feature of Auto Save, allowing users to auto save files every 5 or 10 minutes to a preset location, like Adobe Photshop, Micorsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and AutoCAD is no exception.

With AutoCAD’s Auto Save feature, you can recover unsaved DWG files on Mac and Windows PC too. But first of all, you need to make sure you have enabled this feature and know where is the AutoCAD autosave file location.

AutoCAD autosave file location

AutoCAD has both Windows and macOS versions, and the autosave file location on different operating systems are definitely different. As you can see, the autosave file location on a PC is the temp file location.

On Windows: C:\Users\xxx\appdata\local\temp\

On macOS: /Users/xxx/Documents/Autodesk/Autosave/

Steps to Recover Unsaved AutoCAD DWG Files from AutoSave Location

Actually, if you have enabled this autosave feature in AutoCAD, whenever you leave a DWG file unsaved due to sudden power off or crash, it lets you open the unsaved files when you relaunch the program. If not, check the following steps to recover the unsaved DWG file manually.

1. Locate the unsaved files in AutoCAD autosave file location.
   For Windows users, press WIN+R and enter %temp% to open the autosave folder first, then find the auto saved AutoCAD DWG files with file extension .sv$.
   For macOS users, go to Apple menu > Go > Go to Folder, paste the auto save location, find the auto saved file with file extension .sv$.
2. Then open the unsaved DWG file with AutoCAD , and save the file according to your need.

Method 2. Recover Unsaved DWG File via Drawing Recovery Manager with or without Command

DWG Recovery Manager would come in great handy when you need to recover AutoCAD file not saved due to any unexpected crash or system failure. It can be launched with or without command, and automatically detects a list of drawing files that fail to save but can be recovered. Here are the 2 methods.

How to Recover Unsaved AutoCAD File via Drawing Recovery Manager?

1. After crash, you will get a notification when reopening AutoCAD, click the Open panel link.
2. In Drawing Recovery Manager panel, click the arrow to find your unsaved AutoCAD file. It’s recommended to choose the .SV$ file since it’s likely to have the most recent version of your drawing.
3. Right click to open it, and save it properly.

How to Recover Unsaved AutoCAD File with Command?

1. Open AutoCAD.
2. Go to the command line box and enter DRAWINGRECOVERY, then press Enter.
3. A list of unsaved but recoverable DWG files will be displayed, select the one you want to recover.
4. Click Open Selected Files. And save the file after editing.

Method 3. Recover Unsaved AutoCAD File with .BAK File

AutoCAD embeds rich features for better user experience, including the one “Create backup copy with each save”, which allows you to recover an unsaved AutoCAD DWG file with backup .bak file. The bak file is often the latest version of the unsaved drawing. If you have enabled this feature, you can follow the steps to recover your unsaved AutoCAD DWG files.

How to Recover Unsaved AutoCAD File from .BAK?

1. Go to the location where you save the DWG file, find the file with .bak.

2. Change its extension to .dwg.

3. Then open the file in AutoCAD. 

Method 4. Recover Unsaved AutoCAD DWG from Temp Folder

The autosave location on a Windows PC is the temp folder by default, but Mac is not. If you are using a Mac, you can also go to Temp folder to check if the unsaved AutoCAD DWG files are there.

1. Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities.
2. Run the program Terminal.
3. Input “open $TMPDIR” to Terminal. 
4. Then press Enter to run the command, you will be directed to the Temp folder and go to TemporaryItems. 
5. Find the unsaved file that comes with .sv$, .dwg, or .bak, then open in AutoCAD and save it. 

Method 5. Use Quick AutoCAD File Recovery Tool

To find and recover AutoCAD DWG files on Windows or Mac, the easiest and quickest way is to use a piece of dedicated DWG file recovery software. Because it can scan your drive deeply, then identifies, extracts and copies the recoverable data to a designated secure location. 

Cisdem Data Recovery is highly recommended, it is a Windows & Mac program to restore files lost under different situations. It allows users to restore files from both internal and external hard drive, that’s to say, you can not only recover lost .dwg files from your Windows computer or Mac, but also from other external storage devices, like SD card, USB, HDD, SSD, etc.

It will scan the drive where your AutoCAD file is left unsaved, corrupted or deleted, then display the recoverable files in a file-format-based subfolder from Pictures or Documents category. Not only recovers AutoCAD drawings, it also recovers EPS, PSD, VSD, SVG, AI and other drawings. Moreover, it can restore unsaved Word, Excel, PowerPoint, WPS, and other files. Even, it can fix damaged photos, videos and some types of documents.

Here is how to recover unsaved AutoCAD files using Cisdem:

1. Free download and install Cisdem DWG File Recovery Software to your Windows or Mac.
   Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7 Free Download macOS 10.15 or later
2. Choose the drive.
   Go to Hardware Disk, select the hard drive where you stored the AutoCAD DWG file and click Search for Lost Data.
3. Locate the AutoCAD file.
   Go to Type > Pictures > DWG, search the AutoCAD file that you want to restore, also you can use the Filter tool to quickly find a DWG file. The AutoCAD file can be previewed via thumbnails.
4. Recover the AutoCAD file.
   Select the files and click Recover button to restore the files.

FAQ

1. Does AutoCAD have autorecovery?

Yes, AutoCAD has autorecovery feature.

It auto saves a file every several minutes to help auto recover. Also there is a defaulted location to auto save the files for immediate DWG recovery.

But you need to enable this feature in Options > Open and Save > File Safety Precautions > Automatic Save, and set up an interval to auto save your files in AutoCAD.

2. Where are AutoCAD autosave files?

On Windows: C:\Users\xxx\appdata\local\temp\

On macOS: /Users/xxx/Documents/Autodesk/Autosave/

3. Why AutoCAD recover drawing file is not valid?

It is because the AutoCAD file is severely damaged and cannot be fixed using the built-in tools of AutoCAD.

This can be caused by damaged file header, unreadable critical data tables, extremely large files, bad sector on the storage media, compatibility issues or others.

4. How to recover a corrupted AutoCAD file?

Struggling to open your AutoCAD DWG files? Often, it is simply because the file is corrupted or damaged for some reasons. If such an issue occurs, you can try following 4 methods:

#1. Insert the Damaged DWG File in Blank Drawing to Open

1. Open a blank DWG template first in Autocad.
2. Then go to File > Import.
3. Navigate to the corrupted DWG file and insert.
4. Edit and save the file again.

#2. Repair Corrupted DWG File in AutoCAD

1. Click the application button, go to Drawing Utilities > Recover, then select Recover.
2. Select the corrupted DWG file that you want to repair, click Open.
3. Close the following dialog box after the auditing and repairing process.
4. Save and restore the recovered file to a preferred location.

#3. Fix Damaged AutoCAD File by Deleting DWL or DWL2 File

1. Go to the folder where stores the corrupted AutoCAD file, and delete the the DWL & DWL2 files.
2. Open the DWG again.

#4. Repair Corrupted AutoCAD File Online Free

1. Visit dwg.recoverytoolbox.com/online/.
2. Click on Select File to upload the corrupted CAD file.
3. Enter your email address to receive the repaired file.
4. Click on Next Step.
5. Once get the email, download the repaired DWG file to your Mac or PC.​

5. How to recover previous version of AutoCAD file?

If you have enabled File History on Windows or Time Machine on Mac, you can easily revert your DWG file to a previous version, by entering the back up drive, select the file and choose a previous version to restore.

Also, you can click View > History panel > DWG History, enter DWGHISTORY in the command window, select a previous version and open it.

Conclusion

We will feel stressful when mistakenly deleting a file, leaving a file unsaved, even damaged. If there is auto save feature in the app, we can recover unsaved data such as AutoCAD DWG, photos, videos and others super easily. But, AutoRecovery doesn't work all the times. Whereas, with some patience and right tools, we can still recover an unsaved, corrupted or deleted AutoCAD DWG, like Cisdem Data Recovery.