🎨 How to Recover Krita Files (Unsaved or Deleted) on Windows – Step-by-Step
You’re working on a Krita project — maybe a digital painting, animation, or design — and suddenly your system crashes, the app freezes, or you accidentally delete an important .kra file.
❗ “I closed Krita without saving!”
❗ “My computer shut down during my session!”
❗ “I deleted the wrong file!”
As a senior IT systems engineer with over 10 years of experience in file recovery and digital art workflows, I’ve helped hundreds of users recover unsaved and deleted Krita files using built-in tools, third-party methods, and advanced recovery techniques.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- Where Krita stores autosave and backup files
- How to recover unsaved work
- Steps to restore deleted .kra files
- Best data recovery tools for Windows
- Pro tips to prevent future losses
Let’s get started.
⚠️ Why You Might Lose Krita Files
Before we dive into recovery, it’s helpful to understand what typically causes data loss in Krita:
| Cause | Description |
|---|---|
| 💥 Unexpected Crash | Krita or Windows crashes before saving |
| 🔌 Power Failure | Sudden shutdown while working |
| ❌ Accidental Deletion | File deleted from disk or overwritten |
| 💾 Auto-save Disabled | Autosave or backup settings not enabled |
| 💻 Disk Corruption | Hard drive or SSD failure |
The good news? Krita has built-in recovery features, and there are multiple ways to recover lost files even if they weren’t saved.
🛠️ Step-by-Step: How to Recover Unsaved Krita Files
🔁 Method 1: Use Krita’s Built-In Recovery Option
When Krita crashes or closes unexpectedly, it often leaves behind temporary recovery files.
Steps:
- Open Krita
- If there was a crash, you should see a prompt like:
“It looks like Krita didn’t shut down correctly last time. Would you like to recover unsaved documents?”
- Click Yes to open the Recovery Dialog
📌 This will show any available recovered sessions with filenames like recovered_*.kra
- Select the file you want → Click Open
✅ Pro Tip: These files are usually stored in:
C:\Users\<YourUser>\AppData\Local\krita\recovery\If you don’t see the prompt, manually check that folder.
💾 Method 2: Check for Autosave / Backup Files
Krita can create backup files if you’ve enabled the autosave feature.
Steps:
- Go to Settings → Configure Krita → Backup
- Ensure Autosave every X minutes is enabled
- Look in the same folder as your original file — backups often appear as:
filename.kra~filename_autosave.kra
📌 Some versions also store backups in:
C:\Users\<YourUser>\AppData\Roaming\krita\backup\📂 Method 3: Restore Previous Versions (Windows File History)
If you have File History or System Protection enabled, you may be able to restore a previous version of your .kra file.
Steps:
- Right-click the folder where your Krita file was saved
- Choose Restore previous versions
- Select a recent snapshot and click Restore
📌 This works best if you had OneDrive, external backups, or system restore points enabled.
🧹 Step-by-Step: How to Recover Permanently Deleted Krita Files
If you deleted the file and it’s no longer in the Recycle Bin, here’s how to try recovery.
🕵️♂️ Method 4: Search the Temp Folder for Krita Sessions
Even if Krita didn’t save directly, it may have written temporary data to the system temp folder.
Steps:
- Press
Win + R→ Type%temp%→ Enter - In the Temp folder, look for files named:
krita_temp_*.*krita_unsaved_*.*- Any
.kraor.orafiles
- Copy them to a safe location and try opening in Krita
📌 Not guaranteed, but sometimes these files contain partial or full artwork.
🔍 Method 5: Use Data Recovery Software (Best for Deleted Files)
If all else fails, use a file recovery tool to scan your drive for deleted .kra files.
Top Tools:
| Tool | Features |
|---|---|
| Recuva (Free) | Easy to use, scans deleted files |
| DiskDigger (Free/Paid) | Deep scanning, supports many formats |
| PhotoRec (Free) | Powerful command-line tool for deep recovery |
| EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard (Paid) | GUI-based, great for beginners |
| R-Studio (Paid) | Advanced recovery for professionals |
Steps:
- Download and install one of the above tools
- Select the drive where the file was stored
- Scan for deleted files
- Filter by
.kraextension or search for file names - Preview and recover found files
📌 The sooner you act after deletion, the better your chances — avoid writing new data to the drive.
🧠 Method 6: Extract from RAM (Advanced – Only Works Immediately After Crash)
If your PC just crashed and you’re trying to recover memory contents, you can try extracting RAM dumps.
⚠️ Only useful immediately after a crash, and requires technical knowledge.
Tools:
- Win64 Memory Reader
- RAM Capturer
This method is complex and rarely successful unless you know exactly what you’re doing.
🧪 Bonus Tip: Prevent Future Loss – Enable Backup Settings in Krita
To avoid future heartache:
Enable These in Krita:
- Autosave Interval:
Settings → Configure Krita → Backup → Autosave every X minutes - Create Backup Copies:
Settings → Configure Krita → Backup → Create backup copy when saving - Use Cloud Storage:
Save projects to OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox for automatic backups
📌 Also consider backing up to external drives or using version control tools like Git LFS for large art files.
🧠 Expert Summary and Recommendations
| Scenario | Recommended Recovery Method |
|---|---|
| Krita crashed | Method 1 – Use Recovery Dialog |
| File not saved | Method 2 – Check Backup Folder |
| Deleted file | Method 5 – Use Data Recovery Tool |
| File overwritten | Method 3 – Restore Previous Version |
| System crash | Method 4 – Temp Folder Search |
| Urgent, advanced | Method 6 – RAM Dump Extraction |
📌 Final Thoughts
Losing a Krita file — whether unsaved, deleted, or corrupted — can feel devastating, especially if it contains hours of creative work.
But the good news is: many recovery options exist, from Krita’s own recovery tools to powerful third-party software.
By following this step-by-step guide, you’ve taken the right steps to:
✅ Locate temporary and backup files
✅ Recover deleted .kra files using professional tools
✅ Set up preventive measures for future safety
Remember:
💾 Always enable autosave and backup settings
📂 Back up important projects to cloud or external storage
🛠️ Act quickly after deletion to maximize recovery chances
With the right tools and knowledge, you can recover most lost Krita files — and protect yourself from future loss.
Author:
Senior IT Systems Engineer | Digital Art Workflow Specialist | Microsoft Certified Professional
🔧 Over 10 years of experience in file recovery, digital asset management, and creative software troubleshooting
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