There are many ways to recover deleted or lost AutoCAD files, either by using built-in utilities and options within the program or by using third-party software.
How can I recover AutoCAD files and retrieve my drawings? Could a system or program error cause the files to be lost?
How to recover AutoCAD files?
Method 1: Use Drawing Recovery Manager to recover the file.
To recover deleted or lost AutoCAD drawings or files, the solution is to use backup files and the Drawing Recovery Manager utility in AutoCAD.
Step 1: Rename the backup file or autosave file.
If you accidentally delete a drawing file (.dwg) in AutoCAD, or if the file is lost due to a system or program error, first access the Save folder and rename the file XXXX.bak or XXXX.ac$ to XXXX.dwg .
To find the location for backup files and autosave files, go to Options in AutoCAD and click Options. Next, click the Files tab and expand the Automatic Save File Location section , then copy the path to the backup file and autosave file.
Open and rename the backup file in AutoCAD. If the backup files are unavailable or cannot be opened after renaming, refer to the next step to fix the problem.
Step 2 : Use the Drawing Recovery Manager utility.
In case of an AutoCAD error or system crash, the Drawing Recovery Manager will automatically open upon startup. If AutoCAD does not open the recovery manager, follow the steps below:
First, click on the "A" icon in the upper left corner => Drawing Utilities => Drawing Recovery Manager .
Next, double-click the pen icon in the Backup Files section to view all available backup files, find and double-click to open any file you want.
In the event that the drawing file is corrupted, the recovery program will automatically repair the file (if possible).
Method 2: Using third-party software
If the above methods are ineffective, another solution is to use third-party data recovery software like Recuva to recover and retrieve your AutoCAD files.
To download and install Recuva, click here.
Alternatively, if you prefer software with more advanced options, you can choose Stellar Data Recovery Professional. Unlike Recuva and other data recovery software, Stellar Data Recovery supports less common file formats such as AutoCAD backup files (.bak) and autosave files (.sv$).
Download and install Stellar Data Recovery from here.
The article above from TipsMake has guided you through several ways to recover AutoCAD files. Hopefully, these little tricks will help you retrieve your drawing files. Additionally, readers can refer to other articles on TipsMake to learn how to download and install AutoCAD 2021.