Recover CDR Corrupted Files: 8 Methods

CorelDRAW is one of the most widely used vector graphic design tools, especially for creating logos, illustrations, and print layouts. Files created with CorelDRAW are saved with the .CDR extension, containing shapes, text, colors, and layers. But what happens when your valuable CDR files become corrupted, unsaved, or accidentally deleted? If you’re trying to recover CDR corrupted files, you’re in the right place. This guide will walk you through eight effective methods to recover CorelDRAW files — whether they’re damaged, unsaved, or permanently deleted. We’ll also show you how to use WinfrGUI, a free and user-friendly recovery tool, to get your files back fast.

What Is a CDR File and Why Does It Get Corrupted?

If you’ve ever used CorelDRAW for graphic design, you’ve likely encountered .CDR files — the default file format used by the program. These files are vector-based, meaning they store images using mathematical paths rather than pixels. This allows for scalable, high-quality graphics that are perfect for logos, illustrations, and print layouts. A typical CDR file may contain:

• Shapes and lines
• Text and fonts
• Colors, gradients, and fills
• Embedded images and design layers

While CDR files are powerful, they can also become corrupted or unreadable due to system crashes, abrupt shutdowns, virus attacks, or software errors. Understanding the nature of CDR files is the first step if you’re trying to recover CDR corrupted files.

CDR File: Key Features at a Glance

So, what can you do if your CDR file gets damaged, lost, or won’t open? Don’t worry — here are several proven methods to bring it back.

Method 1: Recover CDR Corrupted Files Automatically

CorelDRAW has a built-in auto-save feature that regularly creates backup copies of your working files. These backups are usually named “Backup_of_[filename]” and are stored in the same directory as the original CDR file. If your original file becomes corrupted or inaccessible, this backup file can often be used to recover most of your work.

Step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Open File Explorer and go to the folder where you originally saved your CDR project. This is typically your “Documents” folder or a custom location you selected when saving the file.

Step 2: In that folder, look for a file that starts with “Backup_of_” followed by the name of your original CDR file. The full filename will look something like “Backup_of_YourDesign.cdr”. This file was automatically created by CorelDRAW during your editing session.

Step 3: Right-click the backup file and choose “Open with CorelDRAW” or simply double-click it if CorelDRAW is your default program for .cdr files. Once opened, check if it contains the most recent version of your work.

Step 4: If the backup file looks good and contains the data you need, immediately save it with a new name using File > Save As, so you don’t overwrite the original corrupted file.

This method is especially helpful if you didn’t manually save your project frequently, but had auto-save enabled in CorelDRAW’s preferences.

Method 2: Recover CDR Corrupted Files From Backup Files

In addition to auto-save, CorelDRAW creates .BAK (backup) files to help protect your work in case of crashes, power failures, or unexpected shutdowns. These backup files can be used to restore lost or corrupted CDR files.

Follow these steps to recover a CDR file from a .BAK backup:

Step 1: Open File Explorer and go to the CorelDRAW program folder, typically located at: C:\Program Files\Corel\Programs\Draw (Note: The path may vary depending on your version of CorelDRAW.)

Step 2: In the folder, look for a file with the .BAK extension. These files are named similarly to your original CDR files and serve as backup copies automatically generated by CorelDRAW.

Step 3: Right-click the .BAK file you believe corresponds to your lost or corrupted project. Rename the file by changing the extension from .BAK to .CDR.

Step 4: After renaming the file, double-click it or open it from within CorelDRAW. Review the contents to ensure it contains your latest work.

Step 5: If the file opens successfully, go to File > Save As and save it with a new name to avoid overwriting any existing files.

This method is especially useful when the auto-save backup isn’t available, or if you’re dealing with a severely damaged CDR file.

Method 3: Recover deleted or saved Corel drawing files with WinfrGUI

To help your necessary files that were mistakenly deleted, use WinfrGUI. It is a reliable software that can scan and recover various types of files including photos, videos and emails. This is why Winfr GUI is the best file recovery software:

• Efficiently secure and fully recover corrupted files from PC, USB hard drive and memory card.
• Supports recovering files lost due to virus attacks, program failures or fire shutdowns.
• Receive information and file types with high success rate and no quality loss.
• Compatible with Windows 10 version 19041.0 or higher and supports NTFS / FAT / exFAT / ReFS file systems.

To recover deleted or unsaved Corel Draw files with WinfrGUI, follow the following steps:

Step 1: Download and install WinfrGUI from the official website, then follow the installation prompts to set it up on your Windows PC.

Step 2: Launch WinfrGUI, and choose the “Recover Deleted Files” mode on the main screen.

Step 3: Select the drive or folder where your CorelDRAW file was stored (e.g., Documents, Desktop, USB), then click the “Start” button to begin scanning.

Step 4: Browse the scan results, locate your .cdr file, and click the “Sample” button to preview it before recovery.

Step 5: Once confirmed, click “Recover” and save the file to a different location (not the same drive) to avoid overwriting any other recoverable data.

Method 4: Recover unsaved Corel drawing files using.zip or.rar format

Sometimes, a corrupted CorelDRAW (.CDR) file can still contain recoverable data, as it essentially functions like a compressed archive. By renaming and opening the file with a tool like WinRAR or WinZip, you may be able to extract its contents—especially the critical riffdata.cdr file used by CorelDRAW.

Here’s how to recover CDR data using a .zip or .rar workaround:

Step 1: Locate the corrupted .cdr file on your computer, right-click it, and select Rename. Change the file extension from .cdr to .zip or .rar (e.g., rename design.cdr to design.zip).

Step 2: Open the renamed file using a compression tool like WinRAR, 7-Zip, or WinZip.These tools treat the file like an archive and may allow you to explore its internal structure.

Step 3: Extract all contents from the archive to a new folder. Inside, look for a file named riffdata.cdr, which typically contains the main vector and layout data from your original project.

Step 4: Open CorelDRAW, start a new blank document, then go to File > Import and select the riffdata.cdr file. If the file is intact, CorelDRAW will load a significant portion of your previous design.

Step 5: Once the content appears, immediately save the recovered file under a new name (e.g., Recovered_Project.cdr) to ensure your restored work is preserved.

This workaround is especially useful when standard recovery methods fail and offers a creative way to salvage work from a damaged CDR file.

Method 5: Recover Unsaved Corel Draw Files from Temp Folder

If your CorelDRAW file was closed unexpectedly or not saved properly, Windows may have stored a temporary version of it. These temporary files are often created during active editing sessions and can sometimes be recovered even after a crash or shutdown.

Follow these steps to recover unsaved CorelDRAW files from the Temp folder:

Step 1: Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box. Type %temp% and press Enter — this will open the folder where Windows stores all temporary files.

Step 3: In the Temp folder, look for files with extensions like .cdr, .tmp, or .cdr.temp.
Pay attention to file names that match your project or show a recent modified date.

Step 4: When you find a likely match (e.g., document1.cdr.temp), right-click and copy it to a safe location like your Desktop.

Step 5: If the file has a .tmp or .cdr.temp extension, rename the file and change the extension to .cdr (e.g., rename backup1.cdr.temp to backup1.cdr).

Step 6: Open CorelDRAW, click File > Open, and select the renamed file. If the file is valid, your unsaved content should load.

Step 7: Once the file opens correctly, click File > Save As, and save it under a new, unique name to preserve your recovered work.

This method can be a lifesaver when CorelDRAW crashes or you accidentally close a file without saving.

Method 6: Recover Unsaved Corel Draw Files by Renaming the Temp File

If you’re still unable to recover your unsaved CDR files, renaming the temporary files created by CorelDRAW might help. Here’s how this works:

• When you save your drawing, CorelDRAW’s “Do Script When Saving” feature may rename the current file to “filename.cdr backup” to keep a backup copy.
• If you try to save two files with the same name in the same location, Windows blocks it. Instead, CorelDRAW saves the additional file as a .tmp file.
• After saving, this .tmp file may be renamed automatically to “filename.cdr backup”, replacing the previous backup.

Steps to recover using this method:

Step 1: Locate the .tmp file related to your lost CorelDRAW project. This file is often saved in the same folder as the original .cdr file or in the Windows Temp folder (%temp%).

Step 2: Rename the file extension from .tmp to .zip. For example, rename project1.tmp to project1.zip.

Step 3: Open the renamed .zip file using a compression tool like WinRAR, 7-Zip, or WinZip.

Step 4: Extract the contents to a new folder on your desktop or another safe location.

Step 5: Look through the extracted files for any .cdr, riffdata.cdr, or other project-related components.

Step 6: Open CorelDRAW, go to File > Import or File > Open, and try to open the .cdr file(s) you found.

Method 7: Recover unsaved Corel drawing files from previous versions

Windows automatically creates backup snapshots called Previous Versions that can help recover lost or corrupted files if you’ve enabled System Protection.

Here’s how to restore previous versions of your CorelDRAW files:

Step 1: Go to the folder where your CorelDRAW files are usually saved (e.g., Documents, Desktop, or a custom project folder).

Step 2: Right-click the folder and choose “Restore previous versions” from the context menu.

Step 3: In the new window, go to the Previous Versions tab to view available backup points or restore snapshots created by Windows.

Step 4: Select a version dated before the file was lost or corrupted.

Step 5: Click Open to preview the folder’s contents and confirm that your missing .cdr file is included.

Step 6: If it’s the correct version, click Restore to roll back the entire folder and recover the deleted or damaged CorelDRAW file(s).

This method depends on having System Protection enabled and previous versions available on your system.

Method 8: Recover CDR Corrupted Files from Recycling Tanks

If you accidentally deleted your CorelDRAW file but haven’t emptied your Recycle Bin yet, recovery is quick and easy. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop to open it.

Step 2: Browse the list of deleted files or use the search bar (top-right) to locate your CorelDRAW file — look for files with the .cdr extension.

Step 3: Once you find the file, right-click it and choose “Restore” from the context menu.

Step 4: Windows will automatically restore the file to its original location, where it was before deletion.

Step 5: Open CorelDRAW and navigate to the restored folder to open and resume editing your recovered file.

Remember to check the Recycle Bin as soon as possible after accidental deletion to maximize recovery chances.

Conclusion

CorelDRAW is a powerful design tool, but losing or corrupting project files can be frustrating and costly. Fortunately, with the methods shared above — including backups, temporary files, and reliable tools like WinfrGUI — you have multiple ways to recover CDR corrupted files and get back to designing without losing progress. If you’re looking for a free, safe, and efficient recovery solution, WinfrGUI is one of the best options to try. Don’t let a corrupted CDR file stop your creative workflow — take action and recover your work today.

🔗 Also Read: 6 Effective Methods for Recovering Deleted Photos from SD Card