Image Repair.PSD

How to Fix Damaged Adobe Photoshop PSD Files & Missing Layers

Common Symptoms

Error: "Could not complete request because it is not a valid Photoshop document"
Photoshop freezes or crashes when loading PSD canvas
All layers appear merged into a single corrupt white box
Recovered file opens but layer thumbnails are blank or incorrect
Text layers, masks, or smart objects disappear after loading

Root Causes

System crash or power outage while Photoshop was saving .psd file
Exceeding 2 GB file size limit for standard PSD format
Corrupted 8BPS header signature or broken layer channel records
A PSD was saved after memory pressure or a plugin crash
A file was copied while Photoshop was still writing it

Step-by-Step Repair Methods

Method 1: Check Photoshop AutoRecover Temp Directory

Easy

Navigate to %AppData%\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop\AutoRecover on Windows or ~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop/AutoRecover on macOS to locate automatic recovery drafts.

Method 2: Open in Photopea Web Canvas

Easy

Drag broken .psd file into photopea.com. Photopea uses an alternative PSD parsing engine that frequently bypasses corrupt layer tags.

Method 3: Recover a flattened preview

Easy

If the composite preview is readable, export it as a new image before attempting deeper layer recovery. This preserves visible artwork even when editable layers are damaged.

Method 4: Test a copy in another PSD parser

Intermediate

Open a duplicate in Photopea or GIMP. Different parsers may recover a readable composite or some layer records that the original application rejects.

Preventive Best Practices

Convert project file format to PSB (Photoshop Big) if project file exceeds 1.5 GB.
Enable Photoshop Cloud Documents auto-versioning in Creative Cloud.
Keep layered masters in PSB when they approach the PSD size limit.
Use versioned backups and avoid saving over the only copy after a crash.
Package linked assets with the project when transferring it between machines.

Preguntas frecuentes

Respuestas claras a las preguntas más habituales.

C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop [Version]\AutoRecover