When working with linked raster assets in Illustrator 30 on macOS, the file extension of linked images may be truncated after saving and reopening the document. For example, a file originally named image01.PNG will appear in the Links panel as image01.PN, causing Illustrator to report the link as missing. The original file remains unchanged and accessible in Finder.

This issue did not occur in older Illustrator versions (notably 25–26). Because these versions are no longer available for download in Creative Cloud on macOS, there is currently no stable workaround other than embedding images, which is not feasible for large projects.

Steps to Reproduce

Create a new Illustrator document.

Place a raster image using File → Place with the Link option enabled (e.g., image01.PNG).

Save the document.

Close Illustrator.

Reopen the same .ai file.

Check the Links panel: the linked filename appears as image01.PN and is flagged as missing.

Issue is intermittent but reproducible.

Expected Result

Illustrator should preserve the exact filename of linked assets and should not modify image file extensions when saving or reopening documents.

Actual Result

The final character of the file extension is removed, causing broken links. Relinking restores the artwork temporarily, but the issue returns on later reopen cycles.

Impact

Production workflows are disrupted.

Repeated relinking required.

Risk of missing assets in final deliverables.

This is a regression from previous stable behavior.

Environment

Adobe Illustrator 30.x (macOS)

macOS version: Latest

Linked files stored on: Local SSD

Affected formats: PNG consistently, possibly others

Additional Notes

This appears to be a metadata handling bug involving string truncation. The consistent removal of only the last character in the extension strongly suggests a read/write error in link path management.

A fix or confirmed stable build is urgently needed.