How to Recover Unsaved, Deleted, or Lost GIMP Files

If you've ever lost GIMP projects due to crashes, accidental deletion, virus or malware, etc., you know how frustrating it can be. It’s crucial to perform GIMP file recovery for artists, designers, and casual users who rely on this powerful open-source image editor.

In this guide, we’ll explore why GIMP files get lost and how to recover unsaved/deleted/lostGIMP files using some simple and efficient methods. Plus, we'll share essential tips to prevent future data loss so you never lose your work again.

Common Causes Behind GIMP File Loss

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a powerful, open-source image editor widely used for photo retouching, graphic design, and digital art. However, GIMP users often lose files for various reasons in the following:

How to Recover Unsaved GIMP Files

If GIMP crashes or your computer shuts down before saving, don’t worry, even without the auto-save feature, you may still be able to recover unsaved GIMP files in the following 2 methods.

Method 1. Recover Unsaved GIMP Files from Document Recovery

If you save all of your data while a period, such as press Ctrl + Severy 5-10 minutes or any frequency you like, or just after long use of special filters, etc., you can go to the following path to find lost GIMP photos. If not, you still can access it in GIMP.

/home//.gimp-2.8/tmp

Step 1. Open GIMP and click File>Recent, and select Document History.

Step 2. Then, you’ll be able to find all your recent GIMP photos there. Copy and paste them to a safe location.

Method 2. Recover Unsaved GIMP Files from Temporary Folder

GIMP automatically creates temporary files during your editing session. These files can sometimes be recovered after an unexpected crash.

For Windows Users:

Step 1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.Then, type %temp% and hit Enter. Or directly navigate to C:\Users\YourUsername\AppData\Local\Temp.

Step 2. Look for files named similarly to your project, such as gimpXXXX.tmp, or tmp-gimpXXXX.

Step 3. Rename the file extension to .xcf and try to open it in GIMP.

For Mac Users:

Step 1. Open Finder and click Go > Go to Folder.

Step 2. Type /private/var/tmp and click Go to access the temporary folder.

Step 3. Look for GIMP-related temporary files, rename their extension to .xcf, and try to open them in GIMP.

How to Recover Deleted or Lost GIMP Files

If your GIMP file was accidentally deleted or due to other reasons, here are 4 useful methods to restore it.

Method 1. Perform GIMP File Recovery from Recycle Bin or Trash

Windows and Mac both have a temporary location to save deleted files, Recycle Bin for Windows, and Trash for Mac, as long as they are not permanently deleted. Try to check if your files are there.

For Windows Users:

Step 1. Open the Recycle Bin on your desktop.

Step 2. Locate your .xcf file, right-click it, and select Restore.

For Mac Users:

Step 1. Click the Trash icon, usually located on the right side of the Docx.

Step 2. Find your .xcf file and drag your file back to its original location.

Method 2. Recover Deleted or Lost GIMP Photos using Software

If your files are not in the Recycle Bin, then it has probably been permanently deleted. Aspecialized data recovery software for Windows like AOMEI FastRecovery can help to recover deleted or lost GIMP photos easily and quickly.

AOMEI FastRecovery

Why Choose AOMEI FastRecovery?

• With a user-friendly and easy-to-navigate interface, making it perfect for both beginners and experienced users.
• With powerful scanning algorithms, it can find files buried deeper in the file system, even accidentally emptied Recycle Bin.
• Support different image file types, such as JPG, PNG, XCF, TIF, HEIC, GIF, PSD, SVG, ARW, X3F, NEF, etc., as well as others, up to 1000 data formats.
• Search or filter files quickly during scanning.
• Preview files before restoring to ensure you’re selecting the right ones.
• Recover specific files or folders instead of all.
• Works with all major file systems - NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS, highly compatible between different devices.
• ...

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Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 & servers

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Steps to Recover Deleted or Lost GIMP Files

Step 1. Select the drive to scan

Download and install AOMEI FastRecovery to get started. You’ll be prompted to select the drive where your GIMPfiles were lost. Select it and click the Scan button to get started.

Step 2. Scan for recoverable data

It will automatically scan the drive for any deleted or lost files. By default, in this situation, it uses the Quick Scan mode, which works fast. So you won’t have to wait too long. It can find files even if they are deleted from Recycle Bin.

In this software, you can use the search box or filter feature to find files quickly without struggling to find the original location where they are located. You can also preview the files before recovering them to ensure you’re selecting the right ones.

Step 3: Recover deleted or lost GIMP files

Once found, you can select the desired files and click the “Recover” button without waiting for the final result. Choose a different location to save the recovered files, ensuring that you don't overwrite anything important data.

Method 3. Restore Deleted GIMP Files from File History

If you enable the File History backup, you can try to restore deleted GIMP files from it in the following.

Step 1. Type file history in the search box and select Restore your files with File History.

Step 2. Check the latest backup and see if there are deleted GIMP files. Then, click the green Restore button.

Step 3. If there are no deleted GIMP files, click the left arrow to check previous backups until you find deleted GIMP files.

Method 4. Perform GIMP File Recovery using Previous Versions

In addition, File History offers you a quick way to restore deleted GIMP files by using Previous Versions.

Step 1. Right-click on the folder where your lost file was stored.

Step 2. Select Restore previous versions.

Step 3. In the Properties window, browse and select the folder version containing deleted GIMP files. Then, click Restore to restore deleted GIMP files. You can also click Open or Open to confirm it.

How to Prevent Loss of GIMP Files

Instead of relying on GIMP file recovery, it is more effective to take proactive measures to prevent data loss.

Conclusion

Losing GIMP files can be frustrating, but it’s possible to recover unsaved/deleted/lost GIMP files in different methods.

• As GIMP does not provide the Auto-Save feature, you can only try to check the Document Recovery or Temp folder if there are any unsaved projects.
• For deleted or lost GIMP files, the most effective method is to recover deleted files using reliable Windows data recovery software like AOMEI FastRecovery if you don’t have any backups.

You may realize the importance of backup. Create one right now to protect your data safely. You can use built-in backup software, cloud backup, or any reliable 3rd-party ones.