How do I backup, restore, and sync Illustrator workspaces across devices and teams?

When working with Adobe Illustrator, having your workspace set up just right can dramatically boost your productivity. But what happens when you upgrade your computer, switch to a different device, or need to share your setup with a teammate? Rather than spending time manually recreating your preferred layout, you can backup your Illustrator workspaces and restore them as needed. This guide walks you through how to find, backup, and restore Illustrator workspaces. It also includes tips for syncing across machines and managing multi-language installations. 

Why backup Illustrator workspaces? 

Backing up your Illustrator workspaces lets you: 

• Move your workspaces to a new computer or secondary device

• Share consistent setups with other Team Members

• Restore layouts after software updates or reinstalls

• Avoid repeating customization work across versions or languages

Whether you're trying to sync Illustrator across your machines or distribute a common layout for a design Team, workspace backups are the solution. 

Where to find your Illustrator workspaces 

To back up your Illustrator Workspaces, you need to locate the correct folder on your system. Illustrator stores workspace configurations in the following paths: 

On macOS:
/Users/[User Name]/Library/Preferences/Adobe Illustrator [version]/Settings/en_[locale]/Workspaces 

Example for US English Illustrator 2025:
/Users/JaneDoe/Library/Preferences/Adobe Illustrator 2025/Settings/en_US/Workspaces 

If you're having trouble finding the Library folder on macOS, open Finder, then click Go and hold the Option key to see the Library entry. 

On Windows:
C:\Users\[User Name]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator [version]\Settings\[locale]\x64\Workspaces 

Example for US English Illustrator 2025:
C:\Users\JaneDoe\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator 2025\Settings\en_US\x64\Workspaces 

How to back up your Illustrator workspaces 

Option 1: The quick way 

1. Create an account with Astute Manager Pro for free

2. Download, install, and run the Astute Manager application and sign in

3. Navigate to Asset Manager > Illustrator

4. Backup and store your Workspaces using the Upload button

5. As and when you need to restore the backup, use the Download button

If you have multiple versions of Adobe Illustrator installed, you can also backup and save those settings easily using the version control dropdown menu.  

Option 2: The most efficient way to share amongst Teams 

1. Create an account with Astute Manager Pro for free 

2. Download, install, and run the Astute Manager application and sign in

3. Navigate to Asset Manager > Illustrator

4. Change from User Settings to Team Settings

5. Create a Custom Workspace Pack using the Upload button

6. Name your package

7. Use the dialog to either drag in your files or browse your Finder to locate them

8. Click the Create button

9. As and when you need to restore the backup, use the Download button 

10. Your Team Members will also be able to view the latest package available and download the Workspaces directly onto their machines. No complicated file management or navigation needed

Astute Manager also has a freemium subscription for Teams of 3 people.  

Option 3: The slightly long-winded, manual and potentially risky way 

To backup Workspaces: 

1. Navigate to the appropriate Workspaces folder (as listed above) 

2. Copy the entire contents of the Workspaces folder

3. Paste the contents into a safe backup location. This could be a cloud drive, external hard drive, or your Team’s shared storage system

4. You can include these backups in version control systems if your Team manages design environments with Git or similar tools

To restore or move Workspaces: 

1. Install Illustrator on the new machine (same version recommended)

2. Navigate to the same Workspaces path on the new system

3. Paste your previously saved files into the Workspaces folder 

4. Restart Illustrator

Handling multiple language versions of Illustrator 

If you have multiple language installations of Illustrator (for example, English and Japanese), Illustrator stores settings under different locale folders. 

Each language version has its own subfolder: 

• English (United States): en_US 

• French (France): fr_FR 

• Japanese: ja_JP 

• German: de_DE 

To ensure a complete language backup, copy the Workspaces folder from each locale directory separately. 

To unify workspace layouts across languages: 

• Backup the workspace from your primary language (e.g. en_US)

• Paste it into other language-specific workspace folders (e.g. ja_JP)

• Launch Illustrator in the target language. The workspace should now appear

Keep in mind that some panel names or tools may not translate exactly between languages, so test layouts after importing them. 

Final tips for syncing Illustrator workspaces 

• Keep workspace backups in Astute Manager Pro or a safe folder on your machine 

• Use consistent Illustrator versions across machines to avoid compatibility issues

• Document which workspace file corresponds to which setup, especially if managing multiple for different project types or Teams

Whether you're a freelancer working across a laptop and desktop or part of a design Team standardizing your tools, learning how to backup, restore, and sync Illustrator workspaces can save hours of setup time. Understanding the file paths and how Illustrator handles language-specific configurations is key to a smooth transition between devices and environments. 

Looking to move your Workspaces, sync Illustrator Settings across machines, or manage a multi-language design Team? Start by backing up your workspace folder today.