Good morning, any news on this issue?

Unfortunetly the file in question is NDA but I will try recreate in another file using none nda files.

Tommy, do you mind sharing the files, to help the tea to investigate it?
Please send all of these to sharewithai@adobe.com, and mention the link to this report for tracking, https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447/suggestions/51740160
The option is rather wonky still, but since the problem doesn’t occur reliably, it might be file-realted — please assist.

https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/51032623-files-saved-are-missing-images-when-imported-into

Environment

Illustrator 30.8.2, macOS 26.6.2 (Apple silicon)
Files on a local external SSD, not a network or cloud drive
"Create PDF Compatible File" on; images linked, not embedded

Issue
A large linked CMYK image (about 4,250 × 9,560 px, 8-bit, with transparency, around 120 MB) shows correctly in Illustrator. When the .ai is placed in another document, or read by other PDF software, that image is missing. Everything else in the file shows.

What I found when I inspected the saved file:

The native Illustrator data holds the placed image correctly: right path, position and scale.
The PDF-compatible part of the same file doesn't contain the image at all.
When the image was on its own layer, the PDF-compatible data had that layer, but empty.
Other linked PSDs in the same file were written normally. Only this image was dropped.

These made no difference:

Linking the PSD or a TIF version of the image
Deleting the extra alpha channel
Placing the image fresh on a new layer
Removing its clipping mask
Moving it fully inside the artboard
Deleting a second artboard

What fixed it:

Workaround: turn off Preferences → File Handling → "Save in background", then save again. The image then appears correctly.
Also works: File → Save a Copy as PDF includes the image.

Notes

The bug-tracker entry for this was marked fixed in 30.3. It still occurs in 30.8.2 with "Save in background" on.
Saved copies stay broken until re-saved with background save off, so affected files can go on to other apps or to print without anyone noticing.

Using illustrator on my work PC, constantly running into this problem and it's destroying my ability to get my job done. I need to get paid to live, guys. Please resolve this issue asap

Good morning, the problem hasn't been resolved. It happened again today, even though I have the latest version 30.8.

An image has become transparent when it should be white.

This is truly scandalous; we pay a very expensive subscription.

This problem has been around for almost a year, and you haven't been able to fix it. I have to go back to version 29.5, where the problem doesn't occur.

Please fix this as soon as possible.

Thank you.

Thankfully, it doesn't happen to me anymore. I have the latest software version.

Hello,

any updates on this issue?

Has it been resolved?

Tank you

Hello,

I’ve been experiencing an issue with Adobe Illustrator 2026 that is affecting my workflow.

When I place and embed images into my Illustrator file, everything appears normal at first. However, after saving and reopening the file, the embedded images sometimes appear corrupted, low-resolution, or visually broken.

I’ve also noticed that .tmp files are being generated during the save process, and I suspect that the file may not be completing the save operation properly. This seems to result in image data not being preserved correctly.

Hi Egor, I'm attaching the last file that gave me the image problem.

In the blue graphic, the image of the orange under the blue overprint element has disappeared. It's still present in the links palette, but it has become transparent.

If you enable overprinting in the blue graphic, the orange has disappeared.

I'm also attaching a screenshot so you can see what it should actually look like.

Thanks

@grafica - Will it be possible for you to share this recent file with us as well? I am not sure if the file shared earlier would still be the apt one for newer observation. Thanks.

Hi Egor, this happened to me while working on a new file with version 30.3.

The same problem: once I closed the file, upon reopening it, an embedded image became transparent.
It's present in the links palette, but it's transparent.

There are also other images in the file that are fine; out of 5 embedded images, only 1 is missing.

Thanks

Sad to hear it... Am I right thinking the same test files you shared with the team still can be used to make this happen? After resaving them? As well as other new docs?

Hi Egor, unfortunately, the problem recurred recently with version 30.3.

It's impossible to fix it. We pay a very expensive subscription and are forced to work with older versions of the software while customers send us files created with the latest version.

Keep me updated.

Thanks

Hi Hegor, ok I downloaded version 30.3 and I'm testing it.

Let's hope the problem is truly resolved.

I'll keep you updated.

Thank you

@Adzkia - We would need more information on this issue. Are you seeing this with PDF files? Have you ever seen this issue happening when you created a new Ai file (not from content copied from PDF), saved it and reopened it?

Hi Akshaya,

This file is an AI file that we edited. The files we receive from customers are usually AI files or PDF files. For the first example I attached, the original file was a PDF. We edited it and copied the design into a new document in Illustrator. After saving it as an AI file and reopening it, the images that were embedded disappeared.

Illustrator itself did not crash. This happens during a normal saving process. We also tried turning off GPU Performance, but the images still disappear when the file is reopened.

As another example, the barcode image does not completely disappear because the box of the barcode is still there. However, the image itself is not visible (it appears transparent when viewed).

Is there any other method or solution that we could try?

Hi,

Apologies for you running into this issue.

Can you share more details about the nature of these files?

You mentioned that they are embedded. Did you place these files in Illustrator through any particular route - for example dragging from another application to Illustrator? Or, if you take a screenshot and placed it directly in Illustrator?

Do you run into any crash before seeing this issue or does it happen with normal (successful) save and reopening of files?

Do these images have any embedded color profiles?

Try turning off "GPU Performance" checkbox in Performance section of Preferences and relaunch Illustrator. See if that change helps in such files or not.

Hello Adobe Illustrator Community,

I would like to report an issue we have been experiencing with Adobe Illustrator that has caused serious problems in our production workflow.

Issue Description:
Images that were properly embedded in Adobe Illustrator files go missing after the files are closed and reopened. The images are not corrupt, and their resolution is below 500 PPI. However, upon reopening the AI file, some embedded images disappear completely.

This issue does not occur in all Illustrator files; it happens randomly across different files, making it difficult to predict or prevent.

Impact:
This problem has caused losses for our prepress team, as some images went missing without being noticed, while the printed products had already been produced.

Since:
November 2025 – present

Adobe Illustrator Version:
30.1

Operating Systems:
Windows 10 and Windows 11

Attached are images as evidence showing the missing embedded images after reopening the files.

We would appreciate any assistance, clarification, or solution regarding this issue, as it significantly affects our production reliability.

Thank you for your support.

Hi Egor, any news on my problem?