How To Protect Adobe Creative Cloud Assets From Accidental Deletion And Ransomware

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: How To Protect Adobe Creative Cloud Assets From Accidental Deletion And Ransomware. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

Common Causes

Creative agencies and design studios depend on high-resolution images, layered project files, and complex design assets to deliver client work. Losing these files to accidental deletion, hardware failure, or ransomware can cause significant downtime and missed deadlines. This guide explains how to set up secure, versioned backups for Adobe Creative Cloud working files, local project folders, and app data so you can recover your design work quickly and with minimal disruption.

The 3-2-1 Backup Rule

Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule to protect creative assets against data loss:

• 3 copies of your data: the original working file plus two backups.
• 2 different media types: for example, your internal SSD and an external drive or NAS.
• 1 copy offsite: store one backup in a physically separate location or in cloud storage such as Backblaze, OneDrive, or Dropbox.

For creative agencies, this typically means keeping the working file on your local computer, a versioned backup on a NAS or external drive, and an offsite copy in cloud storage.

Quick Fix Steps

1. Identify all local folders where Creative Cloud assets are stored, including synced cloud files, offline project directories, font libraries, brushes, presets, and Adobe application settings.
2. Enable versioning on your cloud storage or backup solution so previous file versions are retained.
3. Schedule automatic backups to run daily or more frequently during active project work.
4. Store at least one backup copy on an external drive that is disconnected or air-gapped when not in use.
5. Test file recovery regularly to confirm backups are complete and restorable.

Detailed Instructions

Back Up Local Creative Cloud Working Folders

1. Open File Explorer on Windows or Finder on macOS.
2. Navigate to your Creative Cloud files folder. The default location is typically C:\Users\[YourName]\Creative Cloud Files on Windows or /Users/[YourName]/Creative Cloud Files on macOS.
3. Copy the entire folder to an external drive or network storage location.
4. Set up automatic synchronisation or backup using your preferred backup software so new and changed files are captured regularly.
5. Exclude temporary cache folders from backups to reduce size and improve speed.

Back Up Adobe Cloud Documents

Adobe Cloud Documents are cloud-native files that sync through the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop app. Because sync is not a backup, you must export or download these files to a location covered by your backup strategy.

1. Open the Adobe Creative Cloud desktop app.
2. Select Files from the left navigation.
3. Select Your files.
4. Right-click the Cloud Document you want to back up.
5. Choose Download or Export and save the file to your local Creative Cloud working folder or project directory.
6. Ensure that local folder is included in your scheduled backup job.

Back Up Creative Cloud App Data, Presets, Fonts, and Settings

Adobe application settings, custom presets, brushes, swatches, and installed fonts are stored separately from project files. Back up these locations so you can restore your full creative environment after a system failure.

1. On Windows, navigate to C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe. On macOS, navigate to /Users/[YourName]/Library/Application Support/Adobe.
2. Copy the entire Adobe folder to your backup destination.
3. For custom fonts, back up C:\Windows\Fonts on Windows or /Library/Fonts and /Users/[YourName]/Library/Fonts on macOS.
4. For Photoshop presets, brushes, and actions, export them from within each application using Edit > Presets > Preset Manager (or the relevant preset export option) and save the resulting files to your backup folder.

Set Up Automatic Cloud Backups

1. Sign in to your cloud storage or backup service, such as Backblaze, OneDrive, or Dropbox.
2. Select the folders containing your Adobe project assets, including .psd, .ai, .indd, .prproj, and .aep files.
3. Enable version history or file versioning so you can restore earlier versions if a file is corrupted or encrypted by ransomware.
4. Configure a daily backup schedule, ideally outside business hours to avoid slowing down your design work.
5. Verify that backups completed successfully by checking the backup logs or dashboard.

Back Up to NAS or Network Storage

Many creative agencies use a network-attached storage (NAS) device for centralised project storage and backups. Configure your backup software to target the NAS share rather than only a locally attached drive.

1. Map the NAS share on your workstation. On Windows, open File Explorer, select This PC, then choose Map network drive and enter the NAS path, for example \\NAS-NAME\CreativeBackups. On macOS, open Finder, select Go > Connect to Server, and enter smb://NAS-NAME/CreativeBackups.
2. In your backup software, create a new backup job and select the mapped network drive or NAS share as the destination.
3. Select the source folders containing your Creative Cloud assets, project files, and exported deliverables.
4. Enable versioning and schedule the job to run daily or incrementally throughout the workday.
5. Confirm the NAS has sufficient free space for large creative files and that the backup user account has read/write permissions to the share.

Rotate Multiple External Drives and Store One Offsite

Using multiple external drives in rotation protects against hardware failure, theft, and site-wide disasters such as fire or flood.

1. Purchase at least two external hard drives or SSDs with sufficient capacity for your creative assets.
2. Label one drive as Drive A and the other as Drive B.
3. Connect Drive A and run your backup job to copy all Creative Cloud assets, project folders, and app data.
4. Safely eject Drive A and store it offsite, for example at a director’s home or a secure storage facility.
5. Connect Drive B and run the same backup job.
6. Rotate the drives weekly or fortnightly, always keeping one drive connected for backups and one drive offsite.

Immutable and Air-Gapped Backups for Ransomware Protection

Ransomware can encrypt or delete files on connected drives and network shares. Immutable backups cannot be modified or deleted for a set retention period, while air-gapped backups are physically disconnected from the network.

1. Use backup software that supports immutability, such as Veeam or Acronis, and enable Object Lock or WORM (Write Once Read Many) storage if your target supports it.
2. Set an immutability period, for example 14 or 30 days, during which backup files cannot be altered or deleted by any user, including ransomware.
3. For air-gapped protection, use external drives that are disconnected after each backup completes. Do not leave backup drives permanently mounted to workstations or servers.
4. If using cloud storage, enable versioning and object lock in Backblaze B2, or use OneDrive or Dropbox version history with extended retention.

Back Up Photos and Assets to External Drive

For additional protection, regularly copy raw photos, exported assets, and archived projects to an external drive. For detailed steps on external drive backups, refer to your backup software documentation or our general backup guides.

1. Connect an external hard drive or SSD to your computer.
2. Create a folder structure organised by year, client, or project name.
3. Copy your Creative Cloud asset folders and exported files to the external drive.
4. Safely eject the drive and store it in a secure location when not connected.

Validate Backup Integrity and Test Restores

A backup is only useful if it can be restored. Schedule regular integrity checks and restore tests.

1. Open your backup software dashboard or logs and confirm the last backup job completed without errors.
2. Use checksum or file validation features in your backup software, if available, to verify that backed-up files match the source files.
3. Once per month, perform a file sampling test: randomly select five to ten creative files from the backup and restore them to a test folder.
4. Open the restored files in the relevant Adobe application to confirm they are not corrupted.
5. Document the test results and note any failures for investigation.

Recover Deleted or Encrypted Files

1. If a file was recently deleted, check the recycle bin or trash on your computer.
2. If using cloud storage, open the version history for the file and restore a previous clean version.
3. If files are encrypted by ransomware, disconnect the affected computer from the network immediately.
4. Restore assets from your most recent backup that predates the infection.
5. Scan the restored files with antivirus software before reintroducing them to your network.

Troubleshooting

Permission Errors

• Ensure the user account running the backup software has read permissions for the source folders and write permissions for the destination.
• On Windows, right-click the folder, select Properties, then Security, and verify the backup user or group is listed with read access.
• On macOS, select the folder in Finder, choose File > Get Info, and check the Sharing & Permissions section.
• If backing up to a NAS, confirm the NAS share permissions allow the backup user to read and write files.

Locked Adobe Files

• Close Adobe applications before running backups if files are locked and cannot be read.
• Use backup software that supports Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) on Windows or Apple File System (APFS) snapshots on macOS to back up open files.
• Check for Adobe Creative Cloud sync processes that may be holding file locks and pause syncing during the backup window.

Backup Software Conflicts

• Avoid running two backup jobs that target the same files simultaneously, as this can cause file locking and performance issues.
• Exclude temporary cache folders, such as the Adobe Media Cache and Premiere Pro scratch disks, from backup jobs to reduce conflicts.
• If using real-time antivirus, add exclusions for backup software processes and backup destination folders to prevent scanning delays.

Failed Backup Verification

• Check the backup logs for specific error codes and failed file paths.
• Ensure the destination drive or NAS has sufficient free space for large creative files.
• Run a checksum or file validation on the failed backup set to identify corrupted files.
• If the backup drive itself is infected or fails, disconnect it immediately, replace the drive, and restore from your offsite or cloud copy.

Cannot Restore Previous Version

• Confirm versioning was enabled before the file was changed or deleted.
• Check that you are signed in to the correct cloud account where the backup exists.
• Verify the backup date is earlier than the incident.

If you cannot recover your creative assets or need assistance configuring backups for your organisation, Open a Ticket.

Still Having Issues?